Moving On

PHILADELPHIA – On the heels of a gut-wrenching 22-19 overtime loss on the west coast, the Eagles began their truncated week of preparation ahead of a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field.

To echo the words of running back Saquon Barkley postgame from the visitor’s locker room, “So what, now what?”

Well, if that’s a message adopted by many on this short week, it’s a productive way to approach the week. The abbreviated week, in many ways, should be viewed as a positive for the Eagles, as it doesn’t allow much time to dwell on their shortcomings from Monday night, but rather exert energy into Sunday’s preparation.

The team on Wednesday held a walkthrough, though head coach Nick Sirianni spoke earlier in the afternoon, offering perspective on numerous topics.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will try to move past one of the worst games of his pro career.

Vibe check

Barkley on Saturday didn’t mince words when assessing the team’s energy levels on the sideline, expressing that he thinks it’s been “awful.” Barkley also noted that the energy in practice, walkthrough and meetings has been “great,” but acknowledged that must now carry over to game day.

To Barkley’s observation, he has a valid point. While sideline demeanor is difficult to gauge from the press box, TV copy support his assertion, as the juice and excitement that was so prevalent last season has become far more reserved. But as Barkley – or most Eagles offensive players – will tell you, execution fuels emotion.

Execution hasn’t been as crisp this season, likely contributing to subdued energy and individualized focus between drives, but for a moment on Monday night, Barkley provided a vintage splash play that elicited emotion.

On Wednesday, Nick Sirianni offered his own viewpoint on Barkley’s energy assessment.

“I think Sunday is about being locked into what you’re doing,” he said. “Not that Monday, Tuesday – that is, too – but everybody’s in a routine on the sideline, right? It’s like the free throw shot. You want to go through your same routine every single time in between series. Sometimes you’re focused on the routine and sometimes it’s a result of, ‘Hey, it’s not going the way you want it to go.’

“There’s a difference between being completely focused and locked in when it’s not going well. The vibe might not be as high when it’s not going well. I mean, I think that’s human nature, right? You’re not going to be like, ‘Yeah, we punted or whatever.’ [What] we’re focused on, locked in on, is executing. We’re focused on trying to get them in the right positions to succeed and go from there. I think you’ll see more vibe, I guess to say, because we’re confident as we start to execute and coach even better.”

Veteran CB continues solid play

Apart from the outlier on Black Friday, a hard-charging Eagles defense has shouldered much of the heavy lifting through 13 games while the offense has struggled to find consistency. Key to the defensive surge has been a reinvigorated pass-rush, aided by the addition of OLB Jaelan Phillips, return of Nolan Smith and lights-out play of second-year pro Jalyx Hunt.

But another, perhaps overlooked, aspect has been the recent stability at No. 2 cornerback, where veteran Adoree’ Jackson continues to epitomize coordinator Vic Fangio’s description of him being a “survivor.”

For perspective, the Eagles seemingly explored every avenue – Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, Jaire Alexander – and Jackson managed to fend them all off. Through it all, Jackson has never shied away from competition and there was no entitlement. There’s a calmness to him, an admirable, even-keeled approach in taking everything in stride and focusing on controllable variables.

He’s also well-versed in adaptability and perspective, an invaluable tool that likely played into embracing his opportunity with the Eagles.

Jackson, who has appeared in 11 games (7 starts) this season, finds himself under the microscope most every week. Teams tend to avoid testing second-year defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, viewing Jackson as the safer draw. The 30-year-old has settled into his role, however, keeping things in front of him and making sure he wraps up on the perimeter to eliminate yards after the catch.

Against the Chargers on Monday night, Jackson was one of the top performers on a unit that single-handedly kept the Eagles in the game. The pass-rush got home, dropping quarterback Justin Herbert seven times and compiling 11 quarterback hits – alleviating pressure on the backend in the process – but the secondary yielded five pass breakups (Jackson accounted for two) and an interception.

The takeaway belonged to Jackson, who read the eyes of Herbert and stepped in front of tight end Oronde Gadsden to pull in his fifth career interception.

“I don’t know who tipped the ball, but whoever that was that got a hand on it, shout-out to them,” Jackson said after the game. “That’s really all it was. Just a great play by whoever the other defender was. I just had a vision on the quarterback, it was a two-minute drill. Just trying to see what they wanted to do and it just so happened that once he was throwing it to either Keenan Allen or that comeback to the tight end, I was in position to break either way to try to either make a tackle or to try to get the interception on the comeback.

“But, like I said, whoever got the ball to get tipped in the air to make it flow, I appreciate them a lot.”

The Eagles’ search for a solution was in front of them the entire time. There may have been a little turbulence early in the season, but Jackson’s experience and mental makeup have enabled him to settle into his role, playing fast and free without overthinking. While many unfairly criticized Jackson this season at various junctures, the Eagles are seeing the payoff for sticking with him.

Credit Jackson, too, for delivering his end of the bargain and proving the decision makers correct.

“I think he’s been doing some really good things,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, had the big interception with the pressure that we got right there, but was in a good position. I always think he’s in good position to make plays. Willing tackler, willing to throw his body around to make tackles, and so he’s been doing a lot of good things. I think last week the defense as a whole did a really good job and Adoree’ certainly was a big part of that.”

Changing of the long-snapper

The Eagles on Tuesday moved on from interim long-snapper Cal Adomitis, 27, who signed with the Eagles on Sept. 30 in light of an injury sustained to veteran long-snapper Charley Hughlett. Adomitis appeared in nine games for the Eagles. He registered a pair of tackles in punt coverage in the team’s Sunday win over the Lions and wasted little time establishing chemistry with kicker Jake Elliott and punter/holder Braden Mann.

A day later, unsurprisingly, the team announced the opening of Hughlett’s 21-day practice window. Hughlett, 35, signed with the team in free agency following a 10-year stint with the Cleveland Browns. He briefly missed time early in training camp with a neck injury, though the injury that landed Hughlett on injured reserve was a core muscle injury. He served as the team’s long-snapper for the first four games of the season and will presumably return Sunday, when the Eagles host the Raiders.

Another rookie OL shelved

Back on Nov. 19, the Eagles opened the practice window for rookie T Myles Hinton (back), opening the door for a potential bump to the 53-man roster. The practice window happened to coincide with foot injury to RT Lane Johnson. But like G/C Willie Lampkin, whose 21-day window opened – and closed – earlier in November, Hinton’s window expired Wednesday. He’ll revert to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com