Allen Barbre Won’t Say the Word “Redskins”

Allen Barbre. (Jeff Fusco)

As the Eagles prepare for their first NFC East division game against the Redskins, let’s check the best stories from around the web in this edition of Weekend Reading.

Allen Barbre, a Native American, refuses to call Washington’s team the Redskins, from Cameron DaSilva of FoxSports.com.

It’s not that Barbre believes people who say the word are racists, he just doesn’t use it himself. As for his grandfather, it’s a conversation he’s never had. As a result, Barbre isn’t sure how his grandfather feels about the word Redskins.

Despite the fact that he doesn’t use the word, Barbre didn’t definitively say he wouldn’t sign with Washington, should the Redskins offer him a contract at some point.

“I never thought about that,” he says with a laugh. “I mean I never really thought of it as being a racist term as a team.”

So what does he refer to his division rival as?

“I call them Pigskins.”

There have been several discussions and protests calling for the Redskins to change their team name. No headway has been made in that regard, but it’s something that won’t go away any time soon. One thing remains certain, though: Barbre will be among those declining to call Washington’s team the Redskins.

One personnel evaluator told Mike Sando of ESPN In$ider the Eagles could win Sunday’s game based on two categories.

Two of the three insiders took the Eagles. The one picking Washington wasn’t adamant about it.

“That is a really tough one,” this evaluator said. “Washington played better on defense Sunday. I’ll say Washington at home, with their defense able to confuse Carson [Wentz] a little more and put him in situations where he has to win it. Philly is not real talented offensively. Doug [Pederson] has done a great job controlling what Carson needs controlled. [Darren] Sproles is probably their most dynamic playmaker.”

The Eagles have shown the hallmarks of a well-coached team under Pederson. They haven’t really had a bad game to this point.

“Philadelphia is one of the best complementary teams in the NFL this season, playing very solid special teams, offense and defense,” another insider said. “They rarely beat themselves, and they take advantage of their opponents when they make mistakes. I think this game will be close and could come down to special teams or turnovers, which favors Philly. The Redskins might wish they had Alfred Morris back. They really need someone else in their backfield to create a quality 1-2 punch in their running game.”

Don’t be fooled that Nelson Agholor could become a go-to target for Carson Wentz, opines Tim McManus of ESPN.com.

Nelson Agholor leads the Eagles in targets since Week 2. Is this a small-sample fluke, or is he now one of Carson Wentz’s go-to targets?

More of a fluke. Even though Agholor is getting a decent amount of looks (22 total through four games), he is averaging 37 receiving yards per outing with one total touchdown. Jordan Matthews remains the leader in targets (30), yards (67 per game) and touchdowns (2) and should remain the primary receiver going forward.

Wentz continues to dominate jersey sales, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.

Top selling NFL jerseys since the start of the season: 1. Wentz, 2. Miller, 3. Brown, 4. Elliott, 5. Wilson, 6. Gronkowski, 7. Prescott

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 14, 2016

Wentz remains in the middle of FoxSports.com’s Andre Vergara‘s quarterback rankings.

16. Carson Wentz, Eagles

The Wentz Wagon finally hit a bump in the road with a one-point loss at Detroit, but the rookie remained efficient despite throwing his first INT. Now, though, he loses his blind-side protector as Lane Johnson starts his suspension.

Last week: 18

2016: 67.4% pct, 251.8 ypg, 7-1 TD/INT, 103.5 rating

The rookie gunslinger is one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he’s under pressure, pens Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus.

3. Eagles QB Carson Wentz has an adjusted completion percentage of 70.0 when under pressure, the fifth-best mark for all NFL quarterbacks.

One of the reasons Wentz has been among the best quarterbacks in the league so far this year is because of how accurate he’s been under pressure. That’s important because he will be under pressure more over the rest of the season with the suspension of Lane Johnson. Filling in for Johnson will be rookie fifth-round pick Halapoulivaati Vaitai against Washington’s best pass-rusher this season, Trent Murphy.

Jordan Matthews should have a big day if he lines up in the slot, opines Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com.

15) Jordan Matthews has lined up in the slot on 120 plays (50 percent), where he has caught 12 of his 18 targets for 172 yards (14.3 yards per catch), and scored two touchdowns.

Washington’s Josh Norman has only lined up in the slot on 34 plays so far this season.

Fantasy Impact: This one is short and sweet. Jordan Matthews has cracked my top 14 wide receivers this week.

The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane asks if the Eagles need a top notch wide out in order to win a Super Bowl.

The Eagles should be wary of trying to recapture the past, but there is unfinished business. [DeSean] Jackson and Jeremy Maclin had some very good years with the Eagles, but they never had an elite quarterback. Donovan McNabb was at the end of his career, and the succession of Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, and Nick Foles fell short.

It would be impossible to look at the unfortunate state of the Eagles receivers, of course, without mentioning how they found themselves in this predicament. It would have been difficult to keep Jackson and Maclin, but Chip Kelly led the charge to release the former, and he didn’t re-sign the latter when he was in charge of personnel.

Matthews was drafted during Kelly’s tenure – although Howie Roseman was general manager at the time – but Agholor falls on Kelly’s shoulders. The Eagles’ 2015 first-round pick was immediately slotted into Jackson’s and Maclin’s old spot as a rookie, and he has failed to fill those shoes.

“Those are two special football players,” Agholor said. “I wanted to emulate as best as I could what they did at a young age. But life ain’t fair. I don’t care if someone thinks that I’m supposed to do it right off the bat. I know that I want to catch up, and I think it’s going to happen. I don’t ‘think.’ I know.”

NFL.com’s Fantasy staff thinks you should start Wentz and Ryan Mathews, but sit Agholor and Zach Ertz.

Eagles

Carson Wentz, QB — START: Wentz’s consistency makes him worth starting consideration against a poor Washington defense if your normal starter has a tough matchup.

Ryan Mathews, RB — START: Mathews might be in a committee, but he’s hard to sit against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.

Nelson Agholor, WR — SIT: The floor is very low and the ceiling isn’t high enough to warrant giving Agholor a shot in your lineup.

Zach Ertz, TE — SIT: Ertz was a non-factor against the Lions and should be the same this week against Washington.

Michael Fabiano of NFL.com also thinks it’s best to start Mathews this week.

Ryan Mathews vs. Washington Redskins

Mathews has been a touchdown-dependant fantasy runner this season, as his yardage totals have been less than impressive in the ground attack. Fortunately for owners, the veteran faces a Redskins defense that has allowed the second-most rushing scores (seven) to running backs this season. Consider Mathews a viable flex option.

The Eagles-Redskins game could be a low scoring game, opines Brett Pollakoff of FoxSports.com.

Best chance for a low-scoring contest