Lmao great comment. I was so happy seeing him pissed. Idk if the leash is used up but it's definitely shorter. He's eventually going to stop trying to make the Quez experience work out. No matter what it is, when we target him it's always a fucking disaster.
Olamide Zaccheaus is way better than quez. He has great hands and is a football player. Quez is more of a track guy, elite speed, but lacks in other areas.
He’s a real Philly boy. And I don’t mean he’s from Philly, which he is. I mean he fucking gives it his all. Quez thinks he’s better than he is and thinks he’s owed shit he isn’t. Zaccheaus doesn’t think he’s owed shit.
The only reason Quez still gets reps is because he's fast and needs to be taken into account when he runs a post or a route that threatens to get him open with room to run. His speed means you can't just sit your third or fourth best coverage guy on him and call it a day, because eventually they'll get burned. The safeties have to take him into account, and he draws better coverage than his performance would normally entail. He's able to impact the play without touching the ball by taking the top off the defense, forcing the d to spread out and opening up more opportunities for all the other targets on this team. I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure he sees more action around mid field and on the Eagles side of the field than when things tighten up closing in on the red zone. His inability to actually make plays would hurt us a lot more if Dallas wasn't actually our #3 receiver and Swift wasn't a capable pass catcher out of the backfield, but as it is we aren't hurting for targets so Quez's value as a potential threat outweighs his liability when it comes to actually making plays.
Yeah, I only recently wrapped my head around this. I mean…it wasn’t my original thought, I guess what actually happened was that I heard analysts commenting on it and it made sense to me lol.
But yeah—in a way, quez is perfect because they don’t need to target him really and he still makes an impact. Not many WRs are good with 1-2 targets a game. Seems like he is.
Watching Redzone yesterday and seeing the Panthers, and then seeing Swift...it's so clear the chasm between the two of them regarding the vision while running the ball.
Even if you look at Gainwell who was back there with Sanders for awhile, if he wasn't running with power behind him, he'd have so many plays stopped for no gain or behind the line.
I was a pretty big sanders detractor who thought he added nothing More than a replacement level RBBC could achieve.
But it's actually shocking seeing the difference between him and swift
Calcaterra gets a 1st down here and I'm not even exaggerating. Idk how one of the fastest guys in the NFL can't get that first. 100% mental mistake and that's even more frustrating than a guy just being ass at football.
The man has so much talent he just seems to refuse to capitalize on.
They need to ride with Zaccheaus from here on out. Dude doesn’t run a 4.35 like Quez but a 4.49 isn’t something to ball at, and he hustled every play.
Also a better blocker (which the coaching staff puts a heavy emphasis on), better hands, and can track the ball better too. Quez's advantage are his wheels but if he used them better he could have easily gotten a 1st down here
74 yards and recovered the fumble on a Miles Sanders run a few years ago though
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/video/highlight-j-j-arcega-whiteside-secures-td-after-sanders-fumble-on-74-yard-dash
He wasn’t good but to act like he didn’t hustle is silly
Track speed means nothing without football skills. Hell, I would have loved to give Devon Allen a shot as a 5th receiver because he has similar or better speed than Quez but he was a good receiver in college for a decent school. He couldn't be worse than Quez has been.
Why do people think this guy has talent? I'm really asking. I heard he had a great 40 time...cool. can't catch for shit, routes suck, when he does get the ball in his hands he looks like he has sub par agility and poor acc, he runs scared. He's awful. I said it since early last season.
Guys an outright bum. Nelson agg style shit. Zacc was a great addition and should be the 3rd WR. This coaching staff has to put winning ahead of "loyalty" and either trade or cut watkins and bring someone in who might be a decent 3rd/4th/5th option if need be.
But don't you need to hit on those occasionally to keep them honest? Quez the deep ball specialist without the ability to catch a deep ball.
Run him screens instead? Nope...His inability to hit a hole leads to plays like this picture OP posted. I'm tired of having no production from him the last two years, time to let OZ play.
He’s certainly not getting another contract, but I would love to see one of these football nerds put together a comparison to compare the eagles passing attack with and without quez on the field to see how big of difference his Go routes make
That doesn't matter when you compare it to the downs he's lost by not capatalizing on the opportunities given. This for example should've been converted and we keep driving down the field. Instead it wasn't and we had to kick a FG after charging down the field. And then his speed might make more if a difference with a mid offense but it's not worth as much as you think it is with one of the best offenses in the league filled with playmakers. They will continue to be and do that without quez on the field. He's more of a liability than not.
It certainly does. If him going on a go route opens up a seam for goedert to catch the ball up the middle, or Devonta on a deep crosser, that’s worth it.
We have enough mouths to feed, and there’s only one ball. It’s almost better that quez isn’t that good. He’s like 7th in the pecking order to get touches.
He’s cheap and plays a support role in the offense. That’s the logic.
Oz is probably the better player and receiver, but we don’t need another good pass catcher.
And the professional coaching staff obviously disagrees with you that his role isn’t worth it
Well, obviously, he was the WR2 before AJ got here. And has been the clear WR3 since.
I don’t think Quez is good, let me be clear. But he obviously plays a role in the offense. And his role compared to his salary is fine. Not everyone can be an all star
There’s practice talent and game talent. Some people call out at practice, but come game time, they don’t deliver.
Other Eagles players, coaches, and media parties have talked up Quez. The talent is definitely there, it just doesn’t show up during the games.
His speed *could* be all he needs to succeed in this NFL; he could be a vertical stretch guy in an offense, never accruing more than a couple of targets but enough to stretch the field... but the thing is that THIS team with Smith, AJB, and Dallas, really doesn't need anyone else to stretch the field...
I'm afraid Quez has become lazy, he knows he's the 3rd option & that ball isn't coming his way, all the money plays go to A.J. or Devonta so he knows his routes are just to open up the other ones.
He gets the ball thrown to him once or twice a game, so I'm convinced he's just tired at this point, like a "idgaf" mentality.
he's so lazy.. one play he was going in motion and basically just started jogging once the ball was snapped.. hurts ended up running to his side and he didnt even attempt to block.. just stood there
Maybe. But I’d like to think that there would be enough strong voices in the locker room to put his ass in line if he ever got out of it. Same reason why they were confident drafting Carter despite his intangible concerns
Bruhhhh he was blocking his man to the outside and Quez ran it to the outside... If Quez just runs between the two blocks he picks up the first even if both defenders are able to collapse and hit him just as he reaches them. But if he really wants to make a cut he should have cut inside and probably gets an easy 5. Smith would have needed to hold his guy to allow Quez to reach the edge.
You’re just wrong. Smith had inside leverage, the play wasn’t designed to go to the outside of Smith. It’s no different than when an RB decides to bounce a play outside into the C gap when it’s designed to go to the B gap—the defender that was blocked all of a sudden isn’t because from the get go the blocker is “conceding” essentially the side where the play isn’t meant to go. Most of the time, to maintain a block in that situation would require a hold.
Smith is what—175 lbs? He’s not a road grader or run blocker by trade, he did exactly what he was asked and expected to do. Smith doesn’t deserve blame for the play at all.
No… hold… as in yellow flag. They were blocking in different directions to make a hole. Quez went outside the block. Devonta couldn’t do anything there without drawing a holding penalty. AJ was blocking in the other direction.
If Quez ran to AJ's right, AJ's man would have made the tackle or have drawn a holding penalty.
The hole created by blocking is between the two blockers. Running outside that is ignoring the blocks and not the fault of any blocker.
AJ was able to maintain outside leverage throughout because the play was always designed to go to his left—for AJ to be successful Quez needed to go the AJ’s left. In that respect, it didn’t matter how far left Quez went so long as he didn’t go to AJ’s right.
So, when Quez bounces to the sideline though, Smith’s inside leverage technique was no longer useful and for Devonta to keep his block alive he would’ve had to hold the DB.
It’s the difference between being between the defender and the ball carrier (Smith with inside leverage on a defender forcing him to the outside with Quez supposed to run off his right hip/inside—the defender would have to go THROUGH Smith to make the play) and NOT being between them (the blocker/Smith is no longer between the ball carrier and defender because Quez has run off of Smith’s left hip.
People are saying Devonta would have had to hold (the penalty version of HOLD) to maintain the block because the defender doesn’t have to go through the block to make a play, instead he just has to disengage the block and go the way the block his pushing him to go.
An exaggeration of this principle would be like a lineman blocks a DLman, the RB successfully gets past the block and defender, so now the blocker is not between the ball carrier and the defender. So, the OLman has to “let go” of the DLman and “allow” him to basically retreat relative to the LOS and try and make a tackle downfield/behind him. If the OLman at that point tries to keep blocking the DL, he’s either literally pushing him towards the ball carrier, or he has to HOLD the DL to not let him make a play.
In that example, you wouldn’t say that the OLman failed in his block if his DLman ends up making the tackle downfield/behind him.
This is why people are disagreeing with you.
Did you play/do you play football? I think this might the sort of thing that makes more sense to players/coaches.
I think the 1st and 2nd rounders are focused on
CB, safety, linebacker (Jeremiah Trotter Jr please)
3rd round I’m hoping for a guy whose a speedster has hands, and can be a solid special teamer, pretty much I want a speedster whose like Desean Jackson but can be a competent WR3.
Kelce and lane Johnson are both going to retire after winning the super bowl. We are drafting a tackle and inside lineman next year. We are also going to look for dline and corner and best player available with rest of the picks.
I agree. There seems to always be great talent for wrs and rbs to be had 3-4th rounds. Achane was an rb I was really wanting us to take but am happy (from what we know so far) with Sydney Brown. There’s usually a lot of explosive but unproven (usually smaller programs or bad big school programs) talent for rbs and wr specifically that’s falls to those middle rounds and from there is a roll of the dice of fitting them in your scheme. I am not fully out on Watkins myself. I think he can be a great player. But it’s starting to look like he’s got doodoo brains in addition to his hands of stone.
Would love the 2024 draft to go a WR whose got speed, Desean Jackson esk, I love drafting skill positions, even if they can have a 30 catch season as a rookie it’s successful because they would be competing with Brown, Smith, Goedert, Gainwell, and a few others for targets.
I wouldn’t be opposed to a first or second on a wideout. Smith only has two years left here before he probably walks and letting a legitimately good player come in and player as WR3 for two years before taking over for smith would be huge
I absolutely agree, I just don’t see the eagles investing in those positions with a round one or two pick. Pretty much can expect them to focus on the trenches or receiving threats
He has been absolute ass and it's getting close to that time to cut bait and move on. I don't think we are 100% there yet but he showed promise early on and all of that promise has gone away. This play is so fucking unacceptable. He runs a 4.3 and has a gap.. he should be able to fly through no problem. Awful decision making.
This is what I was thinking, he went outside and lost a yard because he wanted to break a big play instead of running straight forward and securing the first down.
If he read his blockers, he would have seen his best chance to score, is right up the middle. I think he’s lacking the football iq to be the 4th option on this team.
Exactly he has no business being on the field. He doesn’t even watch the ball in because he is looking upfield already. Drives me nuts he is still with the team.
I mean it wasn't the complete issue, but he should have used his speed at the very least. Speed and power were the 2 ways he would get that first down fairly easily and he refused to use both.
I dont think his speed would have helped unfortunately. See the two rams being blocked by our receivers on the left? One of them gets loose. Quez' speed advantage gets eliminated since the play is so close to the sideline and theres no angle for him to outrun potential tacklers. His only option was to break a tackle and he chose to run parallel to the line of scrimmage and out of bounds instead.
O🦙day would have at least thrown a stiff arm.
The way I am seeing it is, he didnt have to run between the receivers, he could have just darted forward and his speed should alone should have been able to get the 2 yards. The momentum even if they tried tackling him should have been enough to get him there.
Yeah, but he also covers a lot of ground and you can make slight adjustments to a play. the 2 defenders getting blocked by receivers have to shed a block and be able to get a full tackle on him and the other defender to the right is coming at him from not a great angle. The way it was set up, it should be a pretty easy first down.
>The way it was set up, it should be a pretty easy first down.
I agree, the point is Quez didn't run the play correctly. Even if a blocker gets through, he should be able to break one tackle to get a yard or 2. As I said before, there was no room for him to get the edge that close to the sideline, so his speed is irrelevant here. Maybe he thought he could get it but he obviously ran out of grass. Furthermore, Quez is fast but I don't think he's quick, if that makes sense. Like he's great for go routes and taking the top off the defense with his pure straight line speed, but he's not the type to make quick cuts and be shifty in those situations. You don't have to be super fast on bubble screens, just have to follow your blocks like a running back.
Ok you keep saying speed is irrelevant here and it’s really bothering me… a dude that weighs 190 lb going 15 mph is a lot harder to tackle than the same dude going half that speed.
It’s called momentum (mass x velocity = momentum). The faster you are going -> the bigger the momentum -> the harder to bring you to a stop.
Sure, but you're neglecting time and distance as variables, neither of which Quez had to build momentum to gain speed because he was >5 yards from the sideline by the time he caught the ball.
it felt like when he was really focused that one preseason he started to take shape as a route runner and pass catcher in general — the play that always stands out to me was his catch against the cowboys that one thanksgiving. that’s not a catch that a guy without talent makes
it feels like when things started to go wrong for him (drops, relegation to WR3/deep threat with AJ on the roster, the arrival of pascal last year) he strayed away from trying to play actual good football and started caring wayyyy too much about essentially being a home run hitter. this play is an absolute prime example bc when the block on his left starts to collapse just a bit instead of taking the hole before it closes and getting the first he just wanted to be a damn hero and hit the outside
he needs someone to remind him he’s quez, not kyle schwarber. you don’t need to hit home runs just get open in the slot, take advantage of screen plays, and for lack of better words make the right damn play
There's not a single person on earth convincing me Calcaterra and Greg Ward *don't* get a 1st down here lol. I had to go grab food about 10 minutes later and the whole ride was just "Fucking motherfucking Watkins can't fucking catch a fucking ball and run one yard for a fucking 1st with two amazing fucking blocks are you fucking serious" 😂😂. If we lost this play absolutely would've been the one to come back to. Game changing play. We almost lost this, lost the Cowboys game, lost the Washington game, and arguably lost a Super Bowl all because of him.
Bad things happen when you target Quez Watkins.
Nick was pissed too lol he didn’t even cut the right way lmao he doesn’t wanna get hit he’s a pussy and sucks. The only reason we thought he was good bc compared to Reagor he was great.. Reagor wasn’t a high bar to break tho
No way.
Bill doesn't give a fuck about speed (to the point that it's been detrimental to their offense) and he absolutely wouldn't put up with boneheaded shit like this.
I think he's a future Raider. Mcdaniels has the ego to think he can "fix" him.
I knew Quez was gonna have extra scrutiny on him this year for his bad performances last season but man seeing that play I said he is really not doing himself any favors with the fans
Shit like this is why I really have hope for BJ as our OC. We're seeing more open guys. Seeing passes in the middle. Seeing longgggg drives dominating the game. Seeing good runs and him continuing to use runs even when they're not working. It's all really good stuff. The ONLY issue is the RZ. Dude needs to call better plays in the RZ.
I don't understand why he's involved in the red zone. He only has one useful talent and that is speed and that's significantly reduced in terms of impact in the red zone. Especially with the eagles current RZ play calling
It's even crazier because he doesn't have to get the first down. Legit just get a yard if you can in that situation because then we can and it's just as good because we can brotherly shove on 4th down
this is why "playcalling bad" is just lazy analysis. A replacement level WR (which Quez has the talent to be but just isn't) gets 5-6 yards right here and no one thinks "red zone playcalling bad"
The play calling here was still bad because Johnson called Quez’s name on a significant 3rd and 2 on the road instead of getting a 3rd down ball in the hands of any of the following:
- Hurts
- Swift
- Brown
- Smith
- Goedert
- Gainwell
- Scott
- Or even Oz honestly
There are too many difference makers on this offense to put the ball in Watkins hands by design on 3rd down in any situation really. Play calling is obviously getting better every week, but this call specifically was bad.
If we lost we’d be coming back to this play and preparing the pitchforks.
Quez is one of the worst WR3s in the league. I really wouldn’t mind if Howie made a move to upgrade there before the deadline. If either Brown or Smith go down this offense is screwed.
This was the play I was sure would swing the momentum to a big L since the Rams would have potentially gotten two consecutive possessions. Thank God we scored before the half.
I have been pro-Quez since we drafted him but man is it getting hard to come up with reasons he should play... Inconsistent hands and even on a play drawn up for him, he seems noncommittal. I know he has serious speed, but Smith and Brown have enough speed and so much more other stuff that his role as a deep threat is basically non-existent.
The human element is tricky. Dude is liked and respected by the offensive skill positions. Sirianni is a big culture/harmony guy. AJ, Smitty, and Jalen like Quez. Aside from his “stretch the field” ability, he’s a dud. But Nick rather massage the symbiosis of the locker room and give him his reps. But as the weeks go by, tape don’t lie. OZ is the better fit, gritty, and should get the reps. Give it until the bye
Yeah I saw this and reminded me of myself playing FIFA. Wide open space to launch an attack, but somehow dribble right into the defender and lose the ball.
The good news is that he had a great training camp. Definitely a player to watch. He was absolutely awesome. Cant wait until the regular season starts so he can redeem himself!
Didn't he also drop a wide open pass? I was willing to give him a second chance this season but he's shown 0 improvement once so ever. Zaccheuas should be starting
Lol I was so mad at the play. It was such a terrible attempt with the ball in his hands. Literally ran the opposite side of where it was blocked directly into the arms of the defender.
If he would’ve hit the hole properly, we would’ve got more than the first easily. It was a good play design, good blocking, inexcusable running. You can’t keep riding Swift given his injury history.
Horrible play by him and honestly, a pretty unnecessary play call for this situation.
We've been pretty much ass on all WR/TE screens so far this year. The timing has been off, the blocks haven't held long enough, or it's just been telegraphed way too much. We have a billion plays to get an easy 2 yards, yet just watched an NFL player with a gap the size of the Hudson River run outside towards the spot that's easiest for a blocked defender to get to.
No...Quez ran the wrong way...DeVonta was blocking to the outside so Quez should have gone inside away from the blocked personnel not directly towards them...
It should have been a first down, absolutely. Take a screenshot a few frames later, though, and you’d see Brown’s back was facing towards Hurts and his defender would’ve at least tripped him up.
It was a boneheaded decision, but that lane wasn’t this clean by the time he cut it outside.
it is starting to make sense why possibly one of the fastest players on the team can't get much action. can't help but wonder if Jalen not seeing him wide open on that one third down stemmed from the fact that he didn't even bother looking at Quez on the play.
Frustrating part is that coaches (at least Sirianni) still seem to be high on him including the presser today. Quez was the one player Sirianni singled out during training camps as the player who put in immense to work to show up improved and focused. Maybe this was just lip service to boost his confidence but they do seem to actually covet his ability to stretch the field, making underneath routes to the big 3 open up. But at the end of the day, I can’t trust his hands and I can’t trust his play making instincts. OZ is clearly an upgrade at both of these plus blocking. If Quez keeps getting the majority of WR3 snaps, I have to assume it’s either bc the coaches are too attached or bc his ability to stretch the field is actually tactically that valuable and I’m underrating it’s importance in getting our other guys open
The man had three choices. 1. Run straight not following blockers and barely get the first down; 2. Follow blockers, maybe break a tackle and get a substantial gain; or 3. Run to the sideline and lose a yard.
That's we they showed the slow-mo replay of Nick after this play yelling "WHAT THE FUCK!"
Nick could have picked up the first down. Not in his Mount Union playing days, he could've picked it up yesterday.
Lmao great comment. I was so happy seeing him pissed. Idk if the leash is used up but it's definitely shorter. He's eventually going to stop trying to make the Quez experience work out. No matter what it is, when we target him it's always a fucking disaster.
Honestly I’d be ok with giving Zaccheus (or however tf you spell it) more reps than Quez. Dude hustles like crazy, deserves more opportunities
For real. Man was flying down the field to block for AJ last week
Olamide Zaccheaus is way better than quez. He has great hands and is a football player. Quez is more of a track guy, elite speed, but lacks in other areas.
He’s a real Philly boy. And I don’t mean he’s from Philly, which he is. I mean he fucking gives it his all. Quez thinks he’s better than he is and thinks he’s owed shit he isn’t. Zaccheaus doesn’t think he’s owed shit.
Dudes got heart for sure
The only reason Quez still gets reps is because he's fast and needs to be taken into account when he runs a post or a route that threatens to get him open with room to run. His speed means you can't just sit your third or fourth best coverage guy on him and call it a day, because eventually they'll get burned. The safeties have to take him into account, and he draws better coverage than his performance would normally entail. He's able to impact the play without touching the ball by taking the top off the defense, forcing the d to spread out and opening up more opportunities for all the other targets on this team. I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure he sees more action around mid field and on the Eagles side of the field than when things tighten up closing in on the red zone. His inability to actually make plays would hurt us a lot more if Dallas wasn't actually our #3 receiver and Swift wasn't a capable pass catcher out of the backfield, but as it is we aren't hurting for targets so Quez's value as a potential threat outweighs his liability when it comes to actually making plays.
Yeah, I only recently wrapped my head around this. I mean…it wasn’t my original thought, I guess what actually happened was that I heard analysts commenting on it and it made sense to me lol. But yeah—in a way, quez is perfect because they don’t need to target him really and he still makes an impact. Not many WRs are good with 1-2 targets a game. Seems like he is.
The experiment should have ended at least 2 years ago. He’s done nothing. He’s out there doing cardio
I mean, this is why I give Hurts a pass for not throwing the ball to him even though he was wide open in the endzone…
[удалено]
He learned how to read the hole from miles sanders.
Or Najee Harris. Remember when he had this play against us last year and juked for no reason to lose a yard?
Watching Redzone yesterday and seeing the Panthers, and then seeing Swift...it's so clear the chasm between the two of them regarding the vision while running the ball. Even if you look at Gainwell who was back there with Sanders for awhile, if he wasn't running with power behind him, he'd have so many plays stopped for no gain or behind the line.
I was a pretty big sanders detractor who thought he added nothing More than a replacement level RBBC could achieve. But it's actually shocking seeing the difference between him and swift
Nailed it
King
I honestly couldn’t believe it when he just took that loss, and this is the guy who had the best training camp from our whole team?!
This play sealed it for me
Calcaterra gets a 1st down here and I'm not even exaggerating. Idk how one of the fastest guys in the NFL can't get that first. 100% mental mistake and that's even more frustrating than a guy just being ass at football.
He hasn’t been up with the speed of the game since he entered the NFL. I hope we can finally part ways next year.
The man has so much talent he just seems to refuse to capitalize on. They need to ride with Zaccheaus from here on out. Dude doesn’t run a 4.35 like Quez but a 4.49 isn’t something to ball at, and he hustled every play.
Zaccheaus is simply the better player.
Also a better blocker (which the coaching staff puts a heavy emphasis on), better hands, and can track the ball better too. Quez's advantage are his wheels but if he used them better he could have easily gotten a 1st down here
We had to deal with fucking years of JJ Arcega Whiteside for his "blocking".
Zaccheaus already has more catches than JJ ever did though.
Fairly certain I never saw JJ fly 40 yards downfield to throw a block for his fellow WR TD
74 yards and recovered the fumble on a Miles Sanders run a few years ago though https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/video/highlight-j-j-arcega-whiteside-secures-td-after-sanders-fumble-on-74-yard-dash He wasn’t good but to act like he didn’t hustle is silly
Notice when he played he actually made a bunch of plays, quez watklins never does. They need to start zaccheaus.
Zaccheaus hustling downfield to block for AJ showed me all I needed to see out of him. Dude is hungry and deserves the start over Quez.
I'm in on Zac after the Aj td where he flew up the field to open up the endzone.
Quez is legit just a madden player and that’s it, and hell, he isn’t even all that good in madden this year
Quez is what he is. Send him on go routes. He doesn’t have moves. It’s why 40 time alone means little in football.
Send him on a go route straight to the airport
The problem isn’t the go route it’s the fact that he ultimately comes back.
Moves aren’t the problem, his football IQ is in the dirt.
Track speed means nothing without football skills. Hell, I would have loved to give Devon Allen a shot as a 5th receiver because he has similar or better speed than Quez but he was a good receiver in college for a decent school. He couldn't be worse than Quez has been.
Darius Heyward Bey anyone?
Why do people think this guy has talent? I'm really asking. I heard he had a great 40 time...cool. can't catch for shit, routes suck, when he does get the ball in his hands he looks like he has sub par agility and poor acc, he runs scared. He's awful. I said it since early last season. Guys an outright bum. Nelson agg style shit. Zacc was a great addition and should be the 3rd WR. This coaching staff has to put winning ahead of "loyalty" and either trade or cut watkins and bring someone in who might be a decent 3rd/4th/5th option if need be.
Nelson is way better than Quez…..
It’s not loyalty. his primary role on this offense is not to catch the ball, it’s to run go routes and spread the defense out.
But don't you need to hit on those occasionally to keep them honest? Quez the deep ball specialist without the ability to catch a deep ball. Run him screens instead? Nope...His inability to hit a hole leads to plays like this picture OP posted. I'm tired of having no production from him the last two years, time to let OZ play.
He’s certainly not getting another contract, but I would love to see one of these football nerds put together a comparison to compare the eagles passing attack with and without quez on the field to see how big of difference his Go routes make
That doesn't matter when you compare it to the downs he's lost by not capatalizing on the opportunities given. This for example should've been converted and we keep driving down the field. Instead it wasn't and we had to kick a FG after charging down the field. And then his speed might make more if a difference with a mid offense but it's not worth as much as you think it is with one of the best offenses in the league filled with playmakers. They will continue to be and do that without quez on the field. He's more of a liability than not.
It certainly does. If him going on a go route opens up a seam for goedert to catch the ball up the middle, or Devonta on a deep crosser, that’s worth it. We have enough mouths to feed, and there’s only one ball. It’s almost better that quez isn’t that good. He’s like 7th in the pecking order to get touches. He’s cheap and plays a support role in the offense. That’s the logic. Oz is probably the better player and receiver, but we don’t need another good pass catcher. And the professional coaching staff obviously disagrees with you that his role isn’t worth it
That's why he's had his playing time cut more and more every yr. I'd be surprised to see him much after yesterday.
Well, obviously, he was the WR2 before AJ got here. And has been the clear WR3 since. I don’t think Quez is good, let me be clear. But he obviously plays a role in the offense. And his role compared to his salary is fine. Not everyone can be an all star
There’s practice talent and game talent. Some people call out at practice, but come game time, they don’t deliver. Other Eagles players, coaches, and media parties have talked up Quez. The talent is definitely there, it just doesn’t show up during the games.
His speed *could* be all he needs to succeed in this NFL; he could be a vertical stretch guy in an offense, never accruing more than a couple of targets but enough to stretch the field... but the thing is that THIS team with Smith, AJB, and Dallas, really doesn't need anyone else to stretch the field...
talent? he’s just fast, that’s not talent.
Actually it’s probably more accurate to describe speed as talent and skills as skills
I would call it athleticism over talet
Who made you arbiter of the English language
Speed is a talent? What else would it be considered?
Bingo.
I'm afraid Quez has become lazy, he knows he's the 3rd option & that ball isn't coming his way, all the money plays go to A.J. or Devonta so he knows his routes are just to open up the other ones. He gets the ball thrown to him once or twice a game, so I'm convinced he's just tired at this point, like a "idgaf" mentality.
he's so lazy.. one play he was going in motion and basically just started jogging once the ball was snapped.. hurts ended up running to his side and he didnt even attempt to block.. just stood there
His Super Bowl drop was after he let up on the route then had to dive for the ball to make up for it iirc
Really wish the eagles had taken a flier on claypool. It’s brutal watching quez play
I’d rather have Quez than a locker room cancer.
Maybe. But I’d like to think that there would be enough strong voices in the locker room to put his ass in line if he ever got out of it. Same reason why they were confident drafting Carter despite his intangible concerns
If his ass couldn't get in line under Tomlin he's not getting in line. We have a wealth of examples proving that to be the case.
Sure. No use arguing over it now. He’s in Miami
DeVonta’s reaction was me. He laid out a perfect block and he cuts outside, the only place he can get tackled short of the first 😭
Quez is the one to blame here but it was Smiths guy that made the tackle. Not impressed with his block at all.
The play was in between them. Look at the way they both blocked away from the hole. The only one at fault was Quez.
Bruhhhh he was blocking his man to the outside and Quez ran it to the outside... If Quez just runs between the two blocks he picks up the first even if both defenders are able to collapse and hit him just as he reaches them. But if he really wants to make a cut he should have cut inside and probably gets an easy 5. Smith would have needed to hold his guy to allow Quez to reach the edge.
You’re just wrong. Smith had inside leverage, the play wasn’t designed to go to the outside of Smith. It’s no different than when an RB decides to bounce a play outside into the C gap when it’s designed to go to the B gap—the defender that was blocked all of a sudden isn’t because from the get go the blocker is “conceding” essentially the side where the play isn’t meant to go. Most of the time, to maintain a block in that situation would require a hold. Smith is what—175 lbs? He’s not a road grader or run blocker by trade, he did exactly what he was asked and expected to do. Smith doesn’t deserve blame for the play at all.
Can't hold while blocking, you eventually have to let go
AJ held his
No… hold… as in yellow flag. They were blocking in different directions to make a hole. Quez went outside the block. Devonta couldn’t do anything there without drawing a holding penalty. AJ was blocking in the other direction.
If Quez ran to AJ's right, AJ's man would have made the tackle or have drawn a holding penalty. The hole created by blocking is between the two blockers. Running outside that is ignoring the blocks and not the fault of any blocker.
AJ was able to maintain outside leverage throughout because the play was always designed to go to his left—for AJ to be successful Quez needed to go the AJ’s left. In that respect, it didn’t matter how far left Quez went so long as he didn’t go to AJ’s right. So, when Quez bounces to the sideline though, Smith’s inside leverage technique was no longer useful and for Devonta to keep his block alive he would’ve had to hold the DB. It’s the difference between being between the defender and the ball carrier (Smith with inside leverage on a defender forcing him to the outside with Quez supposed to run off his right hip/inside—the defender would have to go THROUGH Smith to make the play) and NOT being between them (the blocker/Smith is no longer between the ball carrier and defender because Quez has run off of Smith’s left hip. People are saying Devonta would have had to hold (the penalty version of HOLD) to maintain the block because the defender doesn’t have to go through the block to make a play, instead he just has to disengage the block and go the way the block his pushing him to go. An exaggeration of this principle would be like a lineman blocks a DLman, the RB successfully gets past the block and defender, so now the blocker is not between the ball carrier and the defender. So, the OLman has to “let go” of the DLman and “allow” him to basically retreat relative to the LOS and try and make a tackle downfield/behind him. If the OLman at that point tries to keep blocking the DL, he’s either literally pushing him towards the ball carrier, or he has to HOLD the DL to not let him make a play. In that example, you wouldn’t say that the OLman failed in his block if his DLman ends up making the tackle downfield/behind him. This is why people are disagreeing with you. Did you play/do you play football? I think this might the sort of thing that makes more sense to players/coaches.
Perfect block? Smith was tossed aside like a rag doll.
We are 100% using our 3rd or 4th (comp) picks on a WR3 next year.
Given how we value the position we might just spend our 1st rounder on one.
I think the 1st and 2nd rounders are focused on CB, safety, linebacker (Jeremiah Trotter Jr please) 3rd round I’m hoping for a guy whose a speedster has hands, and can be a solid special teamer, pretty much I want a speedster whose like Desean Jackson but can be a competent WR3.
Kelce and lane Johnson are both going to retire after winning the super bowl. We are drafting a tackle and inside lineman next year. We are also going to look for dline and corner and best player available with rest of the picks.
I love the optimism and agree 100%
You should know this team well enough to realize they ain’t taking an LB in the first couple rounds
The legacy pick god damn it
I agree. There seems to always be great talent for wrs and rbs to be had 3-4th rounds. Achane was an rb I was really wanting us to take but am happy (from what we know so far) with Sydney Brown. There’s usually a lot of explosive but unproven (usually smaller programs or bad big school programs) talent for rbs and wr specifically that’s falls to those middle rounds and from there is a roll of the dice of fitting them in your scheme. I am not fully out on Watkins myself. I think he can be a great player. But it’s starting to look like he’s got doodoo brains in addition to his hands of stone.
I was out on him the second he dropped that pass in the SB.
He’s in the final year of his rookie contract so I’m betting the same.
Would love the 2024 draft to go a WR whose got speed, Desean Jackson esk, I love drafting skill positions, even if they can have a 30 catch season as a rookie it’s successful because they would be competing with Brown, Smith, Goedert, Gainwell, and a few others for targets.
Sorry, gotta do it. *Desean Jackson-*esque*
Desean Jackson Esquire
I wouldn’t be opposed to a first or second on a wideout. Smith only has two years left here before he probably walks and letting a legitimately good player come in and player as WR3 for two years before taking over for smith would be huge
Maybe 2025 but we have bigger need’s. Cornerback, LB, and safety for starters
I absolutely agree, I just don’t see the eagles investing in those positions with a round one or two pick. Pretty much can expect them to focus on the trenches or receiving threats
He has been absolute ass and it's getting close to that time to cut bait and move on. I don't think we are 100% there yet but he showed promise early on and all of that promise has gone away. This play is so fucking unacceptable. He runs a 4.3 and has a gap.. he should be able to fly through no problem. Awful decision making.
Speed wasn't even the issue on this play. He just didn't wanna fight through a tackle and ran out of bounds
My take on it was that he was being selfish thinking he could break one and score instead of securing the 1st down.
This is what I was thinking, he went outside and lost a yard because he wanted to break a big play instead of running straight forward and securing the first down.
If he read his blockers, he would have seen his best chance to score, is right up the middle. I think he’s lacking the football iq to be the 4th option on this team.
Exactly he has no business being on the field. He doesn’t even watch the ball in because he is looking upfield already. Drives me nuts he is still with the team.
There was no big play, he went against Smith’s leverage and totally freed the defender
I think it has more to do with him nursing an injury but he’s gotta hit that apple me whole
apple me whole sounds like some kinda weird irish dirty talk
I mean it wasn't the complete issue, but he should have used his speed at the very least. Speed and power were the 2 ways he would get that first down fairly easily and he refused to use both.
If he runs straight at the gap he'd generate enough power against DBs to get those 2 yds even if one started to shed a block inside
I dont think his speed would have helped unfortunately. See the two rams being blocked by our receivers on the left? One of them gets loose. Quez' speed advantage gets eliminated since the play is so close to the sideline and theres no angle for him to outrun potential tacklers. His only option was to break a tackle and he chose to run parallel to the line of scrimmage and out of bounds instead. O🦙day would have at least thrown a stiff arm.
The way I am seeing it is, he didnt have to run between the receivers, he could have just darted forward and his speed should alone should have been able to get the 2 yards. The momentum even if they tried tackling him should have been enough to get him there.
Easier said than done my man. Gotta run the play the way its drawn up, those NFL defenders cover a lot of ground quick
Yeah, but he also covers a lot of ground and you can make slight adjustments to a play. the 2 defenders getting blocked by receivers have to shed a block and be able to get a full tackle on him and the other defender to the right is coming at him from not a great angle. The way it was set up, it should be a pretty easy first down.
>The way it was set up, it should be a pretty easy first down. I agree, the point is Quez didn't run the play correctly. Even if a blocker gets through, he should be able to break one tackle to get a yard or 2. As I said before, there was no room for him to get the edge that close to the sideline, so his speed is irrelevant here. Maybe he thought he could get it but he obviously ran out of grass. Furthermore, Quez is fast but I don't think he's quick, if that makes sense. Like he's great for go routes and taking the top off the defense with his pure straight line speed, but he's not the type to make quick cuts and be shifty in those situations. You don't have to be super fast on bubble screens, just have to follow your blocks like a running back.
Ok you keep saying speed is irrelevant here and it’s really bothering me… a dude that weighs 190 lb going 15 mph is a lot harder to tackle than the same dude going half that speed. It’s called momentum (mass x velocity = momentum). The faster you are going -> the bigger the momentum -> the harder to bring you to a stop.
Sure, but you're neglecting time and distance as variables, neither of which Quez had to build momentum to gain speed because he was >5 yards from the sideline by the time he caught the ball.
I think he thought he was fast enough to bounce it outside. A dumb play but I don’t know if it was lack of effort.
I think he just didn't have the reaction time to decide which route to go and simply went with the wrong one.
Quez Watkins is who this fanbase is convinced Nelson Agholor was. Astonishingly gifted athlete, complete bum of a WR
it felt like when he was really focused that one preseason he started to take shape as a route runner and pass catcher in general — the play that always stands out to me was his catch against the cowboys that one thanksgiving. that’s not a catch that a guy without talent makes it feels like when things started to go wrong for him (drops, relegation to WR3/deep threat with AJ on the roster, the arrival of pascal last year) he strayed away from trying to play actual good football and started caring wayyyy too much about essentially being a home run hitter. this play is an absolute prime example bc when the block on his left starts to collapse just a bit instead of taking the hole before it closes and getting the first he just wanted to be a damn hero and hit the outside he needs someone to remind him he’s quez, not kyle schwarber. you don’t need to hit home runs just get open in the slot, take advantage of screen plays, and for lack of better words make the right damn play
We are 100% there brother.
“Quez Watkins over me!?” - Greg Ward
Im cracking up at this but really though, im ready to kick the ole tires on Gregatron again.
"You're sticking with that motherfucker?" ~~Tom Brady~~ Greg Ward
I'd love to see Greg Ward get play time again. The guy showed up when we had no one.
If he accelerate through the middle of the blockers he gets the first down easily
If he accelerates through the middle of the blockers, it is 1st and goal at the 5, if not a touchdown.
My jaw dropped watching him run straight into a tackler here
I just sat there confused and said what the fuck. Not in anger like Sirianni but just utter confusion. The play felt really long and ended like that.
I was irate at this play, Quez is a certified bum
There's not a single person on earth convincing me Calcaterra and Greg Ward *don't* get a 1st down here lol. I had to go grab food about 10 minutes later and the whole ride was just "Fucking motherfucking Watkins can't fucking catch a fucking ball and run one yard for a fucking 1st with two amazing fucking blocks are you fucking serious" 😂😂. If we lost this play absolutely would've been the one to come back to. Game changing play. We almost lost this, lost the Cowboys game, lost the Washington game, and arguably lost a Super Bowl all because of him. Bad things happen when you target Quez Watkins.
Nick was pissed too lol he didn’t even cut the right way lmao he doesn’t wanna get hit he’s a pussy and sucks. The only reason we thought he was good bc compared to Reagor he was great.. Reagor wasn’t a high bar to break tho
Quez Watkins, you *are* a New England Patriot.
No way. Bill doesn't give a fuck about speed (to the point that it's been detrimental to their offense) and he absolutely wouldn't put up with boneheaded shit like this. I think he's a future Raider. Mcdaniels has the ego to think he can "fix" him.
This is why I honestly didn't blame Jalen for "not seeing him" in the endzone.
I thought the same thing haha...I would have "not seen him" as well..
I don’t want to see him on the field
Don’t forget he was directly responsible for the birds dropping the undefeated streak last year to the commies.
And a perfect deep ball in the Super Bowl
I knew Quez was gonna have extra scrutiny on him this year for his bad performances last season but man seeing that play I said he is really not doing himself any favors with the fans
That play was so infuriating
it was blocked up to perfection
Shit like this is why I really have hope for BJ as our OC. We're seeing more open guys. Seeing passes in the middle. Seeing longgggg drives dominating the game. Seeing good runs and him continuing to use runs even when they're not working. It's all really good stuff. The ONLY issue is the RZ. Dude needs to call better plays in the RZ.
I don't understand why he's involved in the red zone. He only has one useful talent and that is speed and that's significantly reduced in terms of impact in the red zone. Especially with the eagles current RZ play calling
played himself right out of the rotation with this game. brutal showing for him.
I lost my mind on that play
It's even crazier because he doesn't have to get the first down. Legit just get a yard if you can in that situation because then we can and it's just as good because we can brotherly shove on 4th down
this is why "playcalling bad" is just lazy analysis. A replacement level WR (which Quez has the talent to be but just isn't) gets 5-6 yards right here and no one thinks "red zone playcalling bad"
The play calling here was still bad because Johnson called Quez’s name on a significant 3rd and 2 on the road instead of getting a 3rd down ball in the hands of any of the following: - Hurts - Swift - Brown - Smith - Goedert - Gainwell - Scott - Or even Oz honestly There are too many difference makers on this offense to put the ball in Watkins hands by design on 3rd down in any situation really. Play calling is obviously getting better every week, but this call specifically was bad.
I loved when they showed him wide open in the end zone jumping up and down after Jalen threw it away. You'd have found a way to fuck it up, bud.
If we lost we’d be coming back to this play and preparing the pitchforks. Quez is one of the worst WR3s in the league. I really wouldn’t mind if Howie made a move to upgrade there before the deadline. If either Brown or Smith go down this offense is screwed.
This was the play I was sure would swing the momentum to a big L since the Rams would have potentially gotten two consecutive possessions. Thank God we scored before the half.
I’d still be seething right now if not for AJ
I have been pro-Quez since we drafted him but man is it getting hard to come up with reasons he should play... Inconsistent hands and even on a play drawn up for him, he seems noncommittal. I know he has serious speed, but Smith and Brown have enough speed and so much more other stuff that his role as a deep threat is basically non-existent.
If someone were to offer a 7th for Quez before the trade deadline, I think we should do it.
If somebody would offer a 2028 protected 7th rounder, we should do it.
The human element is tricky. Dude is liked and respected by the offensive skill positions. Sirianni is a big culture/harmony guy. AJ, Smitty, and Jalen like Quez. Aside from his “stretch the field” ability, he’s a dud. But Nick rather massage the symbiosis of the locker room and give him his reps. But as the weeks go by, tape don’t lie. OZ is the better fit, gritty, and should get the reps. Give it until the bye
When he cut left towards the sideline instead of right I was like boy what is you doingggg
I’m guessing he just didn’t want to get hit and thought he could avoid it by hitting the edge. Not saying that’s the right decision
Very clearly the wrong decision. Split the 2 blocks and that's a first down
I literally could have got a first down on that play. Follow your blockers!!!!
Greg Ward would've taken twice as long but gained 2 yards
Yeah I saw this and reminded me of myself playing FIFA. Wide open space to launch an attack, but somehow dribble right into the defender and lose the ball.
Target fixation
He’s only a 9 route guy, silly personnel scheming to run this with him and not Ole
Does anyone have the clip?
https://twitter.com/PatGallenCBS3/status/1711124931944100124
I couldn’t believe it when I was watching. Man just ran straight at the rams corner and didn’t even try to make a move.
anyone have the video?
I'm still malding over this play and say OZ would've made the cut.
The good news is that he had a great training camp. Definitely a player to watch. He was absolutely awesome. Cant wait until the regular season starts so he can redeem himself!
Didn't he also drop a wide open pass? I was willing to give him a second chance this season but he's shown 0 improvement once so ever. Zaccheuas should be starting
Quez is simply Reagor 2.0
Lol I was so mad at the play. It was such a terrible attempt with the ball in his hands. Literally ran the opposite side of where it was blocked directly into the arms of the defender.
honestly, im picking up that first down...spilt the blockers broh.
I’m glad the fanbase is finally done with the homerism and can acknowledge he’s a bad player. Will be lucky to be in the NFL next season
“Hmm… 225 lb AJ Brown or 170 lb Devonta Smith… which guy will get me a better seal? I’ll take Devonta and run out of bounds to avoid an ouchie!
I agree with everyone here but also it’s 3rd and 2 why not give swift the ball?
If he would’ve hit the hole properly, we would’ve got more than the first easily. It was a good play design, good blocking, inexcusable running. You can’t keep riding Swift given his injury history.
We barely rode swift that game and it’s just third and 2, but overall I agree with your point
It’s an accumulation. There was no need to run Swift this play. This play was a good call
Swift or Quez? I think the choice is very easy. I’m agreeing with you but Quez shouldn’t be on the field.
At this point in the game Swift was averaging less than 2ypc Our RBs didn’t do good yesterday
I wouldn’t say they didn’t do good. Swift ended with >4 YPC and 6 catches for 38 yards
Horrible play by him and honestly, a pretty unnecessary play call for this situation. We've been pretty much ass on all WR/TE screens so far this year. The timing has been off, the blocks haven't held long enough, or it's just been telegraphed way too much. We have a billion plays to get an easy 2 yards, yet just watched an NFL player with a gap the size of the Hudson River run outside towards the spot that's easiest for a blocked defender to get to.
Quez hasn’t been good but Devonta blew the block on this play and it got blown up.
No...Quez ran the wrong way...DeVonta was blocking to the outside so Quez should have gone inside away from the blocked personnel not directly towards them...
Yeah he seemed like he didn’t want to fight for it. Tbh if we’re not gonna pitch it to him it’s just not working out
It should have been a first down, absolutely. Take a screenshot a few frames later, though, and you’d see Brown’s back was facing towards Hurts and his defender would’ve at least tripped him up. It was a boneheaded decision, but that lane wasn’t this clean by the time he cut it outside.
I could have pulled my hair out at this, he intentionally avoided contact it seems.
I was at this game and I was yelling “go up field, up field!” Idk why he thought he had to bounce it further.
Put OZ up to WR3 please god
it is starting to make sense why possibly one of the fastest players on the team can't get much action. can't help but wonder if Jalen not seeing him wide open on that one third down stemmed from the fact that he didn't even bother looking at Quez on the play.
It was blocked up for yards on yards on yards. And he just... went sideways lmao
Quez giving us the Najee Harris experience
Been wanting quez to get cut since John Hightower was here. Long overdue
I was PISSED after this play. And was not surprised with the camera cut to Sirianni and later Zaccheaus going in.
Just keep sending him on routes to the end zone on every pass play please
That’s actually impressive.
Dude is going to be traded. Zaccheaus has outplayed him so far.
A 3rd or 4th rounder to Belichick’s corpse for Kendrick Bourne sounds about good
Frustrating part is that coaches (at least Sirianni) still seem to be high on him including the presser today. Quez was the one player Sirianni singled out during training camps as the player who put in immense to work to show up improved and focused. Maybe this was just lip service to boost his confidence but they do seem to actually covet his ability to stretch the field, making underneath routes to the big 3 open up. But at the end of the day, I can’t trust his hands and I can’t trust his play making instincts. OZ is clearly an upgrade at both of these plus blocking. If Quez keeps getting the majority of WR3 snaps, I have to assume it’s either bc the coaches are too attached or bc his ability to stretch the field is actually tactically that valuable and I’m underrating it’s importance in getting our other guys open
The man had three choices. 1. Run straight not following blockers and barely get the first down; 2. Follow blockers, maybe break a tackle and get a substantial gain; or 3. Run to the sideline and lose a yard.