Grand Imperial Poobah: Casts Blame For Eagles Loss To Niners
By Stan "The Grand Imperial Poobah" Hochman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- (Editor's Note) Stan Hochman, a Daily News sports columnist for 55 years, has been appearing on 94WIP's morning show for over a year now, settling disputes (and starting new ones) as the "Grand Imperial Poobah." He brings that persona to CBSPhilly.com/poobah on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we welcome input on which issues you want the Poobah to take a good, hard look at. Send requests and ideas for The Poobah to WIPpoobah@gmail.com.
Without further ado, here's The Poobah.
People: That was an ugly yet winnable game against the 49ers. Who is to blame for the Eagles' first loss of the season?
Poobah: The Eagles couldn't run the football and they couldn't stop the run, and that's the name of the game. Chip Kelly tried to pinpoint the reason for the loss and said, "We got whopped up front." Nick Foles, operating behind an overmatched and patchwork offensive line, was dreadful. With the 49ers smothering the running game, Foles needed to be outstanding and he was closer to awful. LeSean McCoy sulked through his second straight wretched game and then whiffed on a blitz block in that crucial sequence near the goal-line when the Eagles squandered a chance to yank victory from the jaws of defeat.
McCoy averaged 1.7 yards per carry, which sounds woeful. But all the Eagles needed was another yard and a half to win the game and Chip Kelly called back-to-back pass plays that failed.
The list of culprits is longer than Riley Cooper's arms. He's got to catch some of those passes he's dropping. Zack Ertz has to hang onto the football. Cary Williams has got to eliminate those late-game penalties. Chip Kelly has got to use Darren Sproles more often. The Poobah understands the law of averages, how the Eagles had played poorly in stretches while winning the first three, but he hated to lose to a bumbling, stumbling team like the Niners.
You can hear Stan "The Grand Imperial Poobah" Hochman on the 94WIP Morning Show every Thursday at 7:20am E.T. Send the Philadelphia sports issues you want The Poobah to tackle to WIPpoobah@gmail.com
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