Introduction

This sub has long been subject to conspiracy theories based in partisan rhetoric. While this sub was no stranger to brigades beforehand, the Pizzagate controversy ended the era of isolated attacks and ushered in indefinite infiltration. With /conspiracy getting unprecedented attention from mainstream media during this, the sub had been officially put on the radar as a target for the injection of politically-motivated content. The problem was further exacerbated by the repeat disavowing of mainstream media (more like anything that wasn't Fox news) by the Trump administration and the banning of /the_donald subreddit by Reddit administration. Many of his supporters came here, to a place that had already been harbouring a substantial amounts of his constituents.
The result has been a regression in the quality of conspiracy-related discussion due to the resulting divisiveness of this sub. We have regressed backwards into discussing partisan motivations, as if one is evil and one is not. We have become an echo chamber for conspiracy theories and claims that have been outright endorsed by partisan hacks, often introduced by them with the knowledge that they would be accepted and fostered within this community. We have been straight up manipulated by politicians and their proponents who seek to use this sub as a tool to not only further their agenda, but also undermine everything we discuss here.
Conspiracy theories by nature are extremely similar to, and easily confused with, disinformation. Their intrinsic characteristics have always made this sub an easy target. Conspiracy theories are grounded in speculation, perpetuated with investigation and prodding, and essentially "reverse engineered" into consensus. Disinformation shares identical intrinsic qualities, the only thing separating the two is the discussion of their merit. If that discussion never occurs then the distinction is never made.
The thing about manipulation and disinformation is that, well its done well, it will happen organically with no need for intervention. You will have successfully reached a wide audience of people who will unwittingly spread your lies for you. To prevent this we need to understand how online forums like this are manipulated. For this we will look no further than the techniques officially developed for COINTELPRO.

COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum.

There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'

Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'

If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositined postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.

Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'

A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at www.abovetopsecret.com) is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favour is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'

Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'

Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.

Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'

Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favourite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favourite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.

Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'

Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.

Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'

It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.

Conclusion

Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precidence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share them with HQ.

Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation

Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.

1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
   
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the 'How dare you!' gambit.
   
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
   
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
   
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary 'attack the messenger' ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates', and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
   
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
   
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
   
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon' and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
   
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
   
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues -- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
    
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and 'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
    
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
    
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears any actual material fact.
    
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
    
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
    
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
    
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
    
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to criticism.'
    
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
    
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
    
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
    
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
    
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
    
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
    
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.
    

Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist

1) Avoidance. They never actually discuss issues head-on or provide constructive input, generally avoiding citation of references or credentials. Rather, they merely imply this, that, and the other. Virtually everything about their presentation implies their authority and expert knowledge in the matter without any further justification for credibility.
2) Selectivity. They tend to pick and choose opponents carefully, either applying the hit-and-run approach against mere commentators supportive of opponents, or focusing heavier attacks on key opponents who are known to directly address issues. Should a commentator become argumentative with any success, the focus will shift to include the commentator as well.
3) Coincidental. They tend to surface suddenly and somewhat coincidentally with a new controversial topic with no clear prior record of participation in general discussions in the particular public arena involved. They likewise tend to vanish once the topic is no longer of general concern. They were likely directed or elected to be there for a reason, and vanish with the reason.
4) Teamwork. They tend to operate in self-congratulatory and complementary packs or teams. Of course, this can happen naturally in any public forum, but there will likely be an ongoing pattern of frequent exchanges of this sort where professionals are involved. Sometimes one of the players will infiltrate the opponent camp to become a source for straw man or other tactics designed to dilute opponent presentation strength.
5) Anti-conspiratorial. They almost always have disdain for 'conspiracy theorists' and, usually, for those who in any way believe JFK was not killed by LHO. Ask yourself why, if they hold such disdain for conspiracy theorists, do they focus on defending a single topic discussed in a NG focusing on conspiracies? One might think they would either be trying to make fools of everyone on every topic, or simply ignore the group they hold in such disdain.Or, one might more rightly conclude they have an ulterior motive for their actions in going out of their way to focus as they do.
6) Artificial Emotions. An odd kind of 'artificial' emotionalism and an unusually thick skin -- an ability to persevere and persist even in the face of overwhelming criticism and unacceptance. This likely stems from intelligence community training that, no matter how condemning the evidence, deny everything, and never become emotionally involved or reactive. The net result for a disinfo artist is that emotions can seem artificial.
Most people, if responding in anger, for instance, will express their animosity throughout their rebuttal. But disinfo types usually have trouble maintaining the 'image' and are hot and cold with respect to pretended emotions and their usually more calm or unemotional communications style. It's just a job, and they often seem unable to 'act their role in character' as well in a communications medium as they might be able in a real face-to-face conversation/confrontation. You might have outright rage and indignation one moment, ho-hum the next, and more anger later -- an emotional yo-yo.
With respect to being thick-skinned, no amount of criticism will deter them from doing their job, and they will generally continue their old disinfo patterns without any adjustments to criticisms of how obvious it is that they play that game -- where a more rational individual who truly cares what others think might seek to improve their communications style, substance, and so forth, or simply give up.
7) Inconsistent. There is also a tendency to make mistakes which betray their true self/motives. This may stem from not really knowing their topic, or it may be somewhat 'freudian', so to speak, in that perhaps they really root for the side of truth deep within.
I have noted that often, they will simply cite contradictory information which neutralizes itself and the author. For instance, one such player claimed to be a Navy pilot, but blamed his poor communicating skills (spelling, grammar, incoherent style) on having only a grade-school education. I'm not aware of too many Navy pilots who don't have a college degree. Another claimed no knowledge of a particular topic/situation but later claimed first-hand knowledge of it.
8) Time Constant. Recently discovered, with respect to News Groups, is the response time factor. There are three ways this can be seen to work, especially when the government or other empowered player is involved in a cover up operation:
a) ANY NG posting by a targeted proponent for truth can result in an IMMEDIATE response. The government and other empowered players can afford to pay people to sit there and watch for an opportunity to do some damage. SINCE DISINFO IN A NG ONLY WORKS IF THE READER SEES IT - FAST RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR, or the visitor may be swayed towards truth.
b) When dealing in more direct ways with a disinformationalist, such as email, DELAY IS CALLED FOR - there will usually be a minimum of a 48-72 hour delay. This allows a sit-down team discussion on response strategy for best effect, and even enough time to 'get permission' or instruction from a formal chain of command.
c) In the NG example 1) above, it will often ALSO be seen that bigger guns are drawn and fired after the same 48-72 hours delay - the team approach in play. This is especially true when the targeted truth seeker or their comments are considered more important with respect to potential to reveal truth. Thus, a serious truth sayer will be attacked twice for the same sin.

Provocateurs

1. Want to establish "leaders" to set them up for a fall in order to stop the movement.
2. Suggest doing foolish, illegal things to get the activists in trouble.
3. Encourage militancy.
4. Want to taunt the authorities.
5. Attempt to make the activist compromise their values.
6. Attempt to instigate violence. Activisim ought to always be non-violent.
7. Attempt to provoke revolt among people who are ill-prepared to deal with the reaction of the authorities to such violence.

Informants

1. Want everyone to sign up and sing in and sign everything.
2. Ask a lot of questions (gathering data).
3. Want to know what events the activist is planning to attend.
4. Attempt to make the activist defend him or herself to identify his or her beliefs, goals, and level of committment.

Recruiting

Legitimate activists do not subject people to hours of persuasive dialog. Their actions, beliefs, and goals speak for themselves.
Groups that DO recruit are missionaries, military, and fake political parties or movements set up by agents.

Surveillance

ALWAYS assume that you are under surveillance.
At this point, if you are NOT under surveillance, you are not a very good activist!

Scare Tactics

They use them.
Such tactics include slander, defamation, threats, getting close to disaffected or minimally committed fellow activists to persuade them (via psychological tactics described above) to turn against the movement and give false testimony against their former compatriots. They will plant illegal substances on the activist and set up an arrest; they will plant false information and set up "exposure," they will send incriminating letters [emails] in the name of the activist; and more; they will do whatever society will allow.
This booklet in no way covers all the ways agents use to sabotage the lives of sincere an dedicated activists.
If an agent is "exposed," he or she will be transferred or replaced.
COINTELPRO is still in operation today under a different code name. It is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the Freedom of Information Act.
The FBI counterintelligence program's stated purpose: To expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and otherwise neutralize individuals who the FBI categorize as opposed to the National Interests. "National Security" means the FBI's security from the people ever finding out the vicious things it does in violation of people's civil liberties.

Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.

1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.
   
2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "How dare you?" gambit.
   
3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If, in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors." (If they tend to believe the "rumors" it must be because they are simply "paranoid" or "hysterical.")
   
4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspects of the weakest charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors (or plant false stories) and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real and fanciful alike.
   
5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nutcase," "ranter," "kook," "crackpot," and, of course, "rumor monger." Be sure, too, to use heavily loaded verbs and adjectives when characterizing their charges and defending the "more reasonable" government and its defenders. You must then carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have thus maligned. For insurance, set up your own "skeptics" to shoot down.
   
6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money (compared to over-compensated adherents to the government line who, presumably, are not).
   
7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can be very useful.
   
8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."
   
9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or "taking the limited hangout route." This way, you create the impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one originally taken. With effective damage control, the fall-back position need only be peddled by stooge skeptics to carefully limited markets.
   
10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as ultimately unknowable.
    
11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. E.g. We have a completely free press. If evidence exists that the Vince Foster "suicide" note was forged, they would have reported it. They haven't reported it so there is no such evidence. Another variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker and a press who would report the leak.
    
12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. E.g. If Foster was murdered, who did it and why?
    
13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or publicizing distractions.
    
14. Lightly report incriminating facts, and then make nothing of them. This is sometimes referred to as "bump and run" reporting.
    
15. Baldly and brazenly lie. A favorite way of doing this is to attribute the "facts" furnished the public to a plausible-sounding, but anonymous, source.
    
16. Expanding further on numbers 4 and 5, have your own stooges "expose" scandals and champion popular causes. Their job is to pre-empt real opponents and to play 99-yard football. A variation is to pay rich people for the job who will pretend to spend their own money.
    
17. Flood the Internet with agents. This is the answer to the question, "What could possibly motivate a person to spend hour upon hour on Internet news groups defending the government and/or the press and harassing genuine critics?" Don t the authorities have defenders enough in all the newspapers, magazines, radio, and television? One would think refusing to print critical letters and screening out serious callers or dumping them from radio talk shows would be control enough, but, obviously, it is not.
    

Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) vs Arizona Cardinals (7-6)

The Jalen Hurts era started in Philly with a bang as the Eagles knocked off the number 1 seed Saints being a strong rushing attack led by Hurts and Miles Sanders. The defense was the real winner in this game as they completely shut down the Saints offense for most of the game. But the win came at a cost, Rodney McLeod tore his MCL and will be out for the season and a number of other defenders left the game and will be questionable going into the game this week. The Eagles also lost starting RT Jack Driscoll for the remainder of the season to a MCL sprain.The Eagles with their rookie QB at the helm will travel to Arizona this week to take on the Arizona Cardinals who need a win to stay close in the playoff hunt. The loss of McLeod will be felt as the Cardinals come in with an impressive passing attack led by Kylar Murray and WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. Jim Schwartz will need to come up with a game plan to shutdown the Cardinals big time WRs with a banged up secondary. At the same time they will need to slow down the Cardinals running game where Murray is also dangerous, but Kenyon Drake is the real threat. The Eagles will also unfortunately still be fighting for a playoff spot by winning the NFCE shitpile, but will be eliminated this week with a Washington win and an Eagles loss. Here is to an injury free game.

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to Join us on Discord during the game!
New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!
Score Prediction Contest

Date
Sunday December 20th, 2020

Game Time	Game Location
4:05 PM - Eastern	State Farm Stadium
3:05 PM - Central	1 Cardinals Drive
2:05 PM - Mountain	Glendale, AZ 85305
1:05 PM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Open Air
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 61°F
Feels Like: 61°F
Forecast: Clear. Clear throughout the day.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 0%
Wind: 3mi East MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Arizona -6.5
OveUnder: 49
Record VS. Spread: Eagles 5-8, Cardinals 6-7

Where to Watch on TV
FOX will broadcast Monday’s game to a national audience. Brandon Gaudin will handle play-by-play duties and Aqib Talib will provide analysis.
Week 15 TV Map

Radio Streams
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Cardinals Radio
Arizona Sports (98.7 FM) is the flagship station of the Cardinals Radio Network.Dave Pasch handles the play-by-play duties, Cardinals FB Ron Wolfley provides color commentary for the Cardinals.

National Radio
NA

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Cardinals Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 138(Streaming 825)	SIRI 81(Streaming 800)
XM Radio	XM 381 (Streaming 825)	(XM 226 (Streaming 800)
Sirus XM Radio	SXM 381 (Streaming 825)	SXM 226(Streaming 800)

Eagles Social Media	Cardinals Social Media
Website	[Website](https://www.azcardinals.com/
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: SnapAZCardinals

NFC East Standings

NFC EAST	Record	PCT	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Net Pts	Streak
Football Team	6-7	.462	3-3	3-4	3-2	4-5	287	275	12	4W
Giants	5-8	.385	2-4	3-4	3-2	4-6	238	291	-53	1L
Eagles	4-8-1	.346	3-3-1	1-5	2-2	4-5	277	328	-51	1W
Cowboys	4-8	.308	2-4	2-5	1-3	3-6	298	400	-102	1W

Series Information
The Arizona/St.Louis/Chicago Cardinals lead the Philadelphia Eagles (59-57-5)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
November 10, 1935 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL. Chicago Cardinals 12 - Philadelphia Eagles 3
Points Leader
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the Arizona/St.Louis/Chicago Cardinals (719-680)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 1-0 vs. the Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury: 0-0 vs. the Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Pederson vs Kingsbury: First Meeting of the coaches.
Quarterback Record
Jalen Hurts: Against Cardinals 0-0
Kylar Murrayl: Against Eagles: 0-0
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Jalen Hurts vs Kylar Murray: This will be the first matchup between the QBs in the NFL
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead: 3-2
Record @ State Farm Stadium: Cardinals leads series: 3-0

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 23 - Cardinals No. 14
2020 Record
Eagles: 4-8-1
Cardinals 7-6
Last Meeting
Sunday, October 8th, 2017
Eagles 34 - Cardinals 7
The Eagles scored early and often in this game, for their first blowout win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Carson Wentz found tight ends Trey Burton and Zach Ertz for early touchdowns, and later connected with wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 59-yard touchdown to finish the first quarter. Following Smith's touchdown, the Eagles unveiled their baseball home run celebration for the first time all season. The closest the Cardinals came was in the second quarter when they trailed 21–7 following a John Brown 13-yard touchdown. In the mid third quarter, on 3rd and 19, Wentz found wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 72-yard touchdown pass, on which Agholor juked rookie safety Budda Baker and finished the play with the Nestea Plunge. The final score was 34–7, and Wentz threw for four touchdowns, including three first quarter touchdown passes.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here for box score

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
10/08/17	Eagles	Cardinals	34-17
12/20/15	Cardinals	Eagles	40-17
10/26/14	Cardinals	Eagles	24-20
12/01/13	Eagles	Cardinals	24-21
09/23/12	Cardinals	Eagles	27-6
11/13/11	Cardinals	Eagles	21-17
01/18/09	Cardinals	Eagles	32-25
11/27/08	Eagles	Cardinals	48-20
12/24/05	Cardinals	Eagles	27-21
11/17/02	Eagles	Cardinals	38-14

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Cardinals	Cardinals

2020 “Expert” Picks
Week 15 - "Expert" Picks

2020 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Cardinals Season Stats

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	251	437	57.4%	2620	16	15	72.8
Hurts	25	45	55.6%	309	2	1	82.5
Murray	309	461	67.0%	3231	23	10	94.7

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Sanders	132	746	74.6	5.7	5
Drake	201	848	70.7	4.2	9

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Fulgham	33	467	46.7	14.2	4
Hopkins	94	1155	88.8	12.3	5

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Graham	7.0	43
Reddick	10	37

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Singleton	87	55	32	1.0
Hicks	101	67	34	0.0

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
Singleton/McLeod/Mills/Riley	1	4
Peterson/Kirkpatrick	3	10

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
Johnston	58	2794	66	48.2	42.5	20	4	0
Lee	45	1979	58	44.0	38.7	16	2	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	18	13	72.2%	54	18/20
Gonzalez	22	16	72.7%	56	38/39
Nuggent	4	4	100.0%	56	2/2

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Scott	20	438	21.9	46	0
Edmonds	18	417	23.2	54	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Ward	17	116	6.8	22	0	15
Kirk	20	132	6.6	24	0	6

League Rankings 2020

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cardinals Stat	Cardinals Rank
Total Offense	326.1	26th	389.5	4th
Rush Offense	126.2	9th	151.2	4th
Pass Offense	199.8	28th	238.2	18th
Points Per Game	21.3	26th(t)	27.5	10th
3rd-Down Offense	37.4%	28th	42.5%	14th
4th-Down Offense	37.0%	28th	70.6%	6th
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	61.1%	13th	68.8%	7th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cardinals Stat	Cardinals Rank
Total Defence	347.9	14th	344.5	12th
Rush Defence	127.3	24th	119.5	18th
Pass Defence	220.6	9th	224.9	11th
Points Per Game	25.2	19th	23.3	13th
3rd-Down Defence	37.6%	9th	41.3%	16th
4th-Down Defence	37.5%	4th	62.5%	23rd(t)
Red Zone Defence(TD%)	66.7%	26th(t)	53.3%	6th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cardinals Stat	Cardinals Rank
Turnover Diff.	-10	29th(t)	+3	12th(t)
Penalty Per Game	6.2	21st(t)	7.2	32nd
Penalty Yards Per Game	48.3	16th	55.9	24th

Connections
Cardinals MLB Jordan Hicks was drafted in the 3rd round in 2015 NFL Draft and played 4 seasons with the Eagles.
Cardinals LB Hassan Reddick is from Camden NJ, and attended college at Temple in Philadelphia.
Cardinals RB James Saxon played one season for the Eagles in 1995.
Cardinals LB Coach Billy Davis served as defensive coordinator of the Eagles from 2013-2015.
Eagles S Rudy Ford played two seasons with the Cardinals from 2017-2018.

2020 Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Cardinals
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	WR DeAndre Hopkins(Starter)
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)	OLB Chandler Jones (Starter)
TE Zach Ertz	FS Budda Baker (Starter)
C Jason Kelce (Starter)
LS Rick Lavato (Starter)

General
Referee: Craig Wrolstad
Jalen Hurts started his first career game in Week 14 vs. New Or-leans, leading the Eagles to a 24-21 victory over the 10-2 Saints. Hurts, the Eagles’ youngest starting QB since Jack Concannon in 1964, became the second QB in NFL history to beat a team on a 9+ game winning streak in their starting debut, joining Ron Jawor-ski (12/20/75 vs. Pittsburgh with L.A. Rams - snapped Steelers’ 11-game streak). He also became the first NFL QB since 1950 to throw a TD pass and rush for 100+ yards in their first start.
Miles Sanders (746 rushing yards, 5 TDs), ranks 2nd among NFL RBs in rushing average (5.7), behind Nick Chubb (5.9) (min. 125 attempts). In Week 14 vs. New Orleans, Sanders recorded an 82-yard rushing TD, marking the 4th-longest rushing play in Eagles history. He is the first NFL RB with 3 rushes of 70+ yards in the same season since 2012, when Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson each accomplished the feat.
Philadelphia’s defense ranks 2nd in the NFL with 43.0 sacks, trail-ing only Pittsburgh (45.0). Since Week 10, Fletcher Cox ranks 1st among NFL DTs with 4.0 sacks, while Javon Hargrave is tied for 2nd with Aaron Donald and Leonard Williams with 3.5 sacks.
Dallas Goedert is one of three NFL TEs with 250+ receiving yards (261) and 2+ TDs (2) since Week 11, joining Travis Kelce (481 yards, 3 TDs) and Darren Waller (386 yards, 3 TDs).

Draft Picks

Eagles	Cardinals
WR Jalen Raegor	OLB Isiah Simmons
QB Jalen Hurts	OT Josh Jones
LB Davion Taylor	DT Leki Fotu
S K’Von Wallace	LB Kamal Martin
OT Jack Driscoll	DT Rashard Lawrence
WR John Hightower	LB Evan Weaver
LB Shaun Bradley	RB Eno Benjamin
WR Quez Watkins
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
LB/DE Casey Toohill

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Cardinals
DT Javon Hargrave	WR DeAndre Hopkins
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman	DT Jordan Phillips
CB Darius Slay	LB Devon Kennard
	LB De’Vondre Campbell
	DT Trevon Coley

Notable Off-season Departures

Eagles	Cardinals
S Malcom Jenkins	RB David Johnson
CB Ronald Darby	DE Rodney Gunter
RB Jordan Howard	DT Cassius Marsh
WR Nelson Agholor	DT Zach Kerr
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai	DT Cararun Reid
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill	CB Bradon Williams
RB Darren Sproles	WR Pharoh Cooper
DT Timmy Jernigan	WR Damiere Byrd
LB Nigel Bradham	LB Joe Walker
	OT William Sweat

Milestones
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Jerome Brown
Eagles TE Zach Ertz needs 40 yards for 6000 career receiving yards.

Food for Thought
The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Cardinals Championship Bout

Eagles fans recall Super Bowl LII with wonder and relish in it. These days, that date seems so very long ago, but there was another magical Championship game I’d like to remind you of, as the Eagles and Cardinals face off (and the Northeast just got a snow dump), the Eagles’ first championship. Sure, this team the Eagles will face is not the Chicago Cardinals or the St. Louis Cardinals or the Phoenix Cardinals, but it’s the same franchise of course.
As far as snowy games, fans typically recall the Eagles’ fun snow game of 2013 against the Lions in which players made snow angels in the endzone, but there was an even more memorable one, one which Eagles RB Steve Van Buren didn’t even think was going to take place. With a blizzard harrowing Philadelphia: “I was sure they wouldn’t be able to play and went back to bed,” Van Buren told [Joe Jonas]. “Then, ‘Greasy’ (coach Earle Neale) called and told me the game was on and to get a move on. I had to take a trolley, then the El, and then a second trolley. When that trolley bogged down in the snow, I had to walk down Lehigh Avenue through the drifts about two miles to the park. I got there just a couple of minutes before the kickoff.” source. Van Buren and the Eagles proceeded to run amok all over the Cardinals that fateful day.
Where the Cardinals managed 34 rushes for 96 yards, Van Buren led the Eagles to a 57 for 225 line day (let’s disregard Eagles QB Tommy Thompson stumbling toward a 0.0 passer rating: 2/12 for 7 yards and 2 INTs). Despite the Eagles controlling the game--in fact, the Eagles scored on the 1st play of the game, but it was called back for Offsides--it wasn’t until a minute left in the 4th that either team scored, a 5 yard rush by Van Buren. In victory, the Eagles exacted revenge on the Cardinals for losing the championship matchup the year prior 28-21.

Matchups to Watch
Arizona rushing attack vs the Eagles front seven
The Eagles have repeatedly struggled this season with teams who have mobile quarterbacks, who are able to escape the pocket. They did well last week against Taysom Hill, however this week they will take on Kylar Murray who is a lot closer to Lamar Jackson than Taysom Hill. The Eagles gave up 100 yards and a TD when they faced Jackson this season.again Like Jackson, Kylar Murray has the ability to break off big runs, as he is second to Jackson in rushing yards by a QB this season. Murray has over 700 rushing yards and a league leading 10 rushing TDs by a QB this season. Pair that with the impressive running attack of Kenyon Drake and the Eagles front seven will have their hands full on Sunday. With a talented receiving corp of the Cardinals the Eagles will not be able to stack the box and it will be on the front seven to keep contain and stay in the lanes to keep Murray and Drake in check. If they don’t and allow the Cardinals to establish the run look for the Cardinals to pound the run and look for a big play off play-action to one of their talented WRs.
Eagles banged up secondary vs the talented receiving corp of the Cardinals
In their win over the Saints, the Eagles lost their two best players in the secondary in safety Rodney McLeod and CB Darius Slay. McLeod unfortunately tore his MCL and will miss the remainder of the season and Slay suffered a concussion and while he has progressed through the protocol he has not been cleared as of the time of this writing. If Slay misses the game the Eagles will most likely lean on Avonte Maddox to cover All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins which is not good news for the Eagles. Last time the Maddox was asked to cover an All-Pro he was absolutely torched by Davante Adams. Hopkins is also questionable for the game, but is trending towards playing.Eagles DC Jim Schwartz will need to get creative with his coverages and hope his front four can continue to wreak havoc like they did last week where Hill was under constant pressure. If given time, Murray will cut up this secondary and have some big plays against the Eagles backups.
Jalen Hurts and Doug Pederson vs Vance Joseph
Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have the job of stopping the Eagles rookie QB who ran all over the Saints number one ranked defense last week. Doug Pederson said earlier this week that the Eagles simply shot themselves in the foot in the second half against the Saints, but rewatching the game it looks like the Saints made some adjustments at halftime that were effective in slowing down and confusing the rookie QB. Unlike the Saints, Joseph will have a full game tape to review and prepare for Hurts. Of course, Pederson and Eagles know what they put out on film too and will have to adjust to how they played in the second half against the Saints. It’ll be up to them to have a counterpunch ready to go depending on how the Cardinals play the rookie quarterback. Hurts was far more effective with his legs than his arm against the Saints, so I would not be surprised to see Joseph put a spy on Hurts to limit his ability to run. If the Cardinals do spy him, it will most likely go to former Eagles Jordan Hicks who is extremely athletic for an LB and should be able to match Hurts speed and athleticism. With the spy that’s one less player in coverage, which should open some up some things in the passing game if Hurts can take advantage of it. The Eagles have a lot of offensive coaches on the staff and it is their job to put him in the best position to be successful, but that is something they have failed to do with a number of guys on the offense this year, so it remains to see if they can do it with Hurts when the other team is gameplanning for him. If they can and that is a big IF Hurts will still need to execute and continue to show the same poise he did last weekend.

Special thanks to abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-4-1) vs Dallas Cowboys (2-5)

Sunday Night Football will host the most popular match in its history as the Dallas Cowboys will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Prime Time Sunday Night. It will be the 15th Sunday Night meeting between the clubs. The match up however is far from what it was on paper before the season started. Both teams are dealing with injuries all over the field with Dallas dealing with the biggest injury after losing Dak Prescott for the season with a fracture and dislocated ankle. The Cowboys will also be without Andy Dalton who is still in the league’s concussion protocol after an extremely dirty hit by Washington’s Jon Bostic last week. The Eagles are coming off their first division win and getting healthier as rookie WR Jalen Raegor will return to the lineup Sunday Night and give Wentz another speedy threat in the receiving corps just as he is finding rhyme with his other speedy rookie John Hightower. If Wentz can get the passing game, the Eagles should have no problem putting up points against the porous Dallas defense. Even if Eagles RB Miles Sanders can’t go, the Eagles should still be able to move the ball on the ground with Boston Scott and Corey Clement as the Cowboys have the last ranked run defense in the league giving up 178 yards per game on the ground. For Cowboys they will see what they have in 3rd string QB Ben DiNucci. Schwartz will most likely look to pressure the young QB and rattle him into making mistakes. However, if DiNucci can stand in there and avoid the pressure he still has a number of dangerous targets who have the ability to gash the Eagles defense which has been weak this season. The Eagles are heavily favored, but this is an NFCE matchup on a national stage, so we can most likely expect a sloppy game with turnovers that ends closer than it should. Go Birds!

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
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New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!
Score Prediction Contest

Date
Sunday, November 1st, 2020

Game Time	Game Location
8:20 PM - Eastern	Lincoln Financial Field
7:20 PM - Central	1020 Pattison Ave
6:20 PM - Mountain	Philadelphia, PA 19148
5:20 PM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Open Air
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 52°F
Feels Like: 52°F
Forecast: Light Rain. Rain in the afternoon and evening.
Chance of Precipitation: 67%
Cloud Coverage: 95%
Wind: East-Southeast 5 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Eagles -10
OveUnder: 43
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 2-5, Dallas 0-7

Where to Watch on TV
NBC will broadcast Sunday’s game to a national audience. Al Michaels will handle the play-by-play duties and Chris Collinsworth will attempt to provide analysis. Michele Tafoya will report from the sidelines.
TV Map - Week 8 TV Coverage Map

Radio Streams
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Dallas Radio

Dallas Cowboys Radio Network Brad Sham returns for his 42nd season in the Dallas Cowboys radio booth. Beloved by Cowboys fans, Sham's award winning play-by-play has provided the soundtrack to many of the most memorable moments in Dallas Cowboys history. Babe Laufenberg returns as the Network's full-time color analyst. A fixture on the sideline, veteran reporter Kristi Scales provides instant updates from the field.

National Radio
Westwood One will broadcast the game nationally with Tom McCarthy handling the play by play and Ross Tucker will provide analysis.

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Cowboys Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 83 (Streaming 825)	SIRI 81 (Streaming 823)
XM Radio	XM 225 (Streaming 825)	XM 226 (Streaming 823)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 225 (Streaming 825)	SXM 226 (Streaming 823)

Eagles Social Media	Cowboys Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: cowboys

NFC East Standings

NFC EAST	Record	PCT	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Net Pts	Streak
Eagles	2-4-1	.357	1-2-1	1-2	1-1	2-2	163	196	-33	1w
Football Team	2-5	.286	2-2	0-3	2-1	1-3	133	165	-32	1W
Cowboys	2-5	.286	2-2	0-3	1-1	2-4	176	243	-67	2L
Giants	1-6	.143	1-2	0-4	1-2	1-5	122	174	-52	1L

Series Information
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (69-53)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 30th, 1960 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. Dallas Cowboys 25 - Philadelphia Eagles 27
Points Leader
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (2650-2401)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 3-5 against the Cowboys
Mike McCarthy: 4-1 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Mike McCarthy: McCarthy leads 1-0
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Cowboys: 2-4
Ben NiDucci: Against Eagles: 0-0
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Ben NiDucci: First Meeting
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Cowboys lead the Eagles: 10-7
Record @ AT&T Stadium: Series tied: 6-6

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 21 - Cowboys No. 29
Record
Eagles: 2-4-1
Cowboys: 2-5
Last Meeting
Sunday, December 29th, 2019
Eagles 17 - Cowboys 9
This was the game Wentz needed to win, his spirit growing after the Eagles rallied on the final drive in two straight weeks to beat the Giants and Redskins and thrust themselves back into the playoff picture. He rallied the Eagles with a pep talk in the tunnel before they hit the field for perhaps the biggest game of the 26-year-old QB's career. Perhaps fueled by the emotional edict, Wentz came out connecting on almost every pass, and a maligned wide receiver group that suffered a season-long case of the drops suddenly made plays. The Eagles took a 17-3 lead when Wentz hit former college quarterback Greg Ward for 24 yards and Miles Sanders scored on a 1-yard run on the final play of the third quarter for a 17-3 lead. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys fought back and Dak had the Cowboys in position to tie the game when Sidney Jones broke up Dak’s 4th down pass to Michael Gallup and Jerry Jones exited the box with 1:15 on the clock as the Eagles prevented Dallas from clinching the division with the win.
Click here to view the Video Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
12/22/2019	Eagles	Cowboys	17-9
10/20/2019	Cowboys	Eagles	37-10
12/9/2018	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/11/2018	Cowboys	Eagles	27-20
12/31/2017	Cowboys	Eagles	6-0
11/19/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	37-9
1/1/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	27-13
10/30/2016	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/8/2015	Eagles	Cowboys	33-27
9/20/2015	Cowboys	Eagles	20-10

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Cowboys	Cowboys

2020 “Expert” Picks
Week 8 - "Expert" Picks

2020 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Giants Season Stats

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	163	278	58.6%	1760	10	10	74.3
Prescott	151	222	68.0%	1856	9	4	99.6
DiNucci	2	3	66.6%	39	0	0	109.7

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Sanders	71	434	86.5	6.1	3
Elliott	113	458	65.4	4.1	5

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Fulgham	23	357	89.3	15.5	3
Cooper	53	583	83.3	11.0	2

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Graham	6.0	24
Smith	4.0	13

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Gerry	57	32	25	1.0
Smith	75	39	36	0.5

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
Singleton/McLeod/Mills	1	3
Awuzie	1	1

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
Johnston	32	1630	66	50.9	45.3	12	2	0
Jones	21	905	54	43.1	41.4	5	1	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	12	8	66.7%	54	11/11
Zuerlein	12	10	83.3%	46	14/16

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Scott	9	167	18.6	25	0
Pollard	17	394	23.2	67	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Ward	9	50	5.6	11	0	11
Lamb	12	85	7.1	27	0	4

League Rankings 2020

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Offense	345.4	25th	418.0	3rd
Rush Offense	188.6	15th	101.9	24th
Pass Offense	226.9	24th	316.1	1st
Points Per Game	23.3	T-23rd	25.1T-18th
3rd-Down Offense	43.4%	15th	42.5%	17th
4th-Down Offense	36.4%	26th	53.9%	22nd
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	60.9%	T-20	60.9%	T-20th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Defense	350.9	12th	408.1	27th
Rush Defense	130.4	24th	178.3	32nd
Pass Defense	220.4	7th	229.9	12th
Points Per Game	28.0	2nd	34.7	32nd
3rd-Down Defense	42.1%	19th	50.5%	27th
4th-Down Defense	50.0%	T-12th	83.3%	28th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	75.0%	29th	64.3%	16th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Turnover Diff.	-5	T-28th	-13	32nd
Penalties/Game	5.7	T-16th	6.4	T-24th
Penalty Yards/Game	45.3	16th	51.3	20th

Recap from Last Week’s Games.
Eagles - The Eagles faced off against the division rival Giants who were coming off their first win of the season and were looking for a 2nd for first year coach Joe Judge. The Eagles have moved to 2-4-1 on the season after rallying to defeat the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, 22-21. After New York gave its best punch of the night -- a 97-yard touchdown drive headlined by Daniel Jones -- to go up 21-10 with just over six minutes to play, Philadelphia scored 12 unanswered points to earn the win. Carson Wentz led a 71-yard touchdown drive to give the Eagles the lead with just 40 seconds to play after connecting with running back Boston Scott on an 18-yard reception. Along with the comeback, he finished his night with 359 yards passing, two touchdowns and one interception while completing passes to eight different Eagles receivers. He also ran for 15 yards and a touchdown. As for the Giants, they mustered just 325 yards of offense and struggle to protect Daniel Jones throughout the contest
Cowboys - The situation went from bad to worse for the Cowboys, who had no answers for Washington's defense. After a goal-line stand on Washington's opening drive, a strip sack by Landon Collins on Andy Dalton led to an early Washington safety. Washington then marched down the field, extending their lead to 9-0 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Antonio Gibson. The Cowboys responded with their only points of the afternoon on a Greg Zuerlein field goal. However, Washington would score two more touchdowns in the second quarter to put the game out of reach for Dallas. With this loss, Dallas dropped to 2-5 on the season. Quarterback Andy Dalton would leave the game in the third quarter following a late hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic, who was subsequently ejected. Rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci would finish the game in place of Dalton, who was evaluated for a concussion.

Connections
Eagles S Jalen Mills was born in Dallas and grew up in DeSoto, TX and went to Desoto High School.
Cowboys DB Coach *Al Harris * played 5 seasons for the Eagles from 1998-2002.
Cowboys DT Justin Hamilton played one season for the Eagles in 2017.
Cowboys Assistant Director of Video Stephen Gagliardino began his NFL career in 1995 as a ball boy with the Philadelphia Eagles when he was 16 years old, working training camp and game days at Veterans Stadium. He did that for four seasons before moving over to the Eagles video department in 1999, where he worked full time as an intern for three seasons (1999-2001).
Many Cowboys fans were born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia Area, however have no ties to Dallas nor have ever been to the city.
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott played together at Mississippi State University when Prescott was a red shirt freshman.
Eagles OT Lane Johnson is from Groveton, TX and has family who are Cowboys fans including his grandmother who was told “Shut up, if you want to see 75” while she was rooting for the Cowboys.

2020 Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Cowboys
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	OT Tyron Smith (starter)
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)	RB Ezekiel Elliott
TE Zach Ertz	G Zack Martin (starter)
C Jason Kelce (Starter)	C Travis Fredrick
LS Rick Lavato (Starter)	LB Jalen Smith (1st Alt)
SS Malcom Jenkings (1st Alt)	WR Amari Cooper (1st Alt)
OT Lane Johnson (1st Alt

General
Referee: Jerome Boger
Philadelphia hosts Dallas for the first time since Week 16 of the 2019 season, when the Eagles defeated the Cowboys, 17-9.
Carson Wentz is tied for the 5th-most offensive TDs (10) in the NFL since Week 4, trailing only Tom Brady (13), Kyler Murray (12), Deshaun Watson (11) and Justin Herbert (11).
In 7 games against the Cowboys, Wentz has completed 174-of-255 attempts (68.2%) for 1,713 yards (244.7 ypg), 12 TDs, 2 INTs and a 99.4 rating (100+ rating in 3 of last 4 games vs. Dallas).
Travis Fulgham ranks 2nd among NFL WRs with 357 receiving yards since Week 4 (when he was promoted from the practice squad to the Eagles active roster), behind Robby Anderson (362). Fulgham’s 357 yards are the most by any player in their first 4 games as an Eagle since Terrell Owens in 2004 (364).
Brandon Graham is tied for the 3rd-most sacks in the NFL (6.0), trailing only Myles Garrett (9.0) and Aaron Donald (8.0). Graham ranks 3rd with 9 TFLs, behind T.J. Watt (12) and Vince Williams (12). He is the only NFL player with 6.0+ sacks and 9+ TFLs.

Draft Picks

Eagles	Cowboys
WR Jalen Raegor	WR CeeDee Lamb
QB Jalen Hurts	CB Trevon Diggs
LB Davion Taylor	DT Neville Gallimore
S K’Von Wallace	CB Reggie Robinson II
OT Jack Driscoll	C Tyler Biadasz
WR John Hightower	DE Bradlee Anae
LB Shaun Bradley	QB Ben DiNucci
WR Quez Watkins
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
LB/DE Casey Toohill

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Cowboys
S Will Parks	QB Andy Dalton
DT Javon Hargrave	TE Blake Bell
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman	OT Cameron Erving
CB Darius Slay	DE Aldon Smith
	CB Maurice Canady
	K Greg Zuerlein

Notable Off-season Departures

Eagles	Cowboys
S Malcom Jenkins	WR Tavon Austin
CB Ronald Darby	WR Randall Cobb
RB Jordan Howard	WR Devin Smith
WR Nelson Agholor	TE Jason Witten
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai	OL Cameron Fleming
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill	C Travis Fredrick
RB Darren Sproles	DE Michael Bennett
DT Timmy Jernigan	DE Kerry Hyder
LB Nigel Bradham	DE Robert Quinn
	DT Maliek Collins
	DT Christian Covington
	DT Daniel Ross
	CB Byron Jones
	S Jeff Heath
	K Kai Forbath

Milestones
Eagles QB Carson Wentz (15951) needs 49 yards to reach 16000 passing yards.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz (970) needs 30 yards for 1000 career rushing yards.
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (49.5) needs 1 sack to move up to 6th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Greg Brown
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (27.5) needs 2 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DT Jerome Brown

Stats to Know
Gingers Under Pressure
Everybody knows there are some fantastical magical forces at play when it comes to redheads. They are a curious bunch. This week, we were almost set to witness the Battle of the Gingers in a matchup of piss-poor teams. Surely, the two were going to be under immense pressure to assert himself as the Supreme Ginger...and thus, we will be discussing the two under pressure, even though Andy is surely going to miss this coming game after a dirty hit to the head against the WFT. In 2020, a season demolishing both Dallas's and Philadelphia's Offensive Lines, not a single other NFL QB has been under pressure as much as Mr. Wentz (118 pressure dropbacks). His pressured dropback % is at least slightly better (36.9%), good for 9th-highest. He's also experienced the 6th-highest sack rate (23.7% of pressured dropbacks resulted in sacks) and the 7th-lowest Completion % when pressured (40.0%), 12th-lowest NFL Rating when pressured (51.0%), and 9th-lowest Adjusted Completion % (59.7%). Meanwhile, Sir Dalton in limited snaps thus far has done something spectacular - he has a 100.00% Adjusted Completion % when under pressure (8 completions on 17 attempts and 72 pressure dropbacks), which PFF defines as the % of aimed passes thrown on target (completions + drops / aimed). 8 completions for 58 yards and 1 TD, spectacular! While all 4 NFCE teams' Offensive Lines feature in the top-10 league wide for most pressures allowed, at least Dallas's per-snap Pass Block Efficiency rating is borderline top third, while the Eagles are 2nd-worst in both metrics. And here enters QB Ben DiNucci. Good luck. The question of Ginger Supremacy will have to wait for another day.

Matchups to Watch
Eagles Defensive Line vs what is left of the Cowboys Offensive line
This has been one of the premier matchups in football over the last few seasons, however it is a shell of what it once was due to injuries. The last few years the Cowboys had one of the best offensive lines in football, but they lost one of their best players in the offseason when Travis Fredrick retired for health reasons after missing 2018 with Guillain-Barré syndrome and returning to play last year. His replacement Joe Looney is currently on the IR and could return this week, though a more likely return date for him is week 9. The Cowboys are also missing starting RT La’el Collins who started the season on the IR for his hip, but later needed season ending surgery and All-Pro Tyron Smith recently underwent season ending neck surgery. Smith’s replacement Brandon Knight recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and landed on the IR. The Eagles DL which has been one of the strengths of the team this season should feast. Brandon Graham, who is tied for 3rd in the league with 6 sacks, is currently slated to go up against an undrafted rookie and Fletcher Cox is slated to go up against a rookie 4th round pick. This is one of the best DLs in the league vs one of the worst OLs. The Eagles DL need to take advantage of this matchup and pressure rookie QB Ben DiNucci into making mistakes.
Darius Slay vs Amari Cooper
These games are the reason the Eagles went out and acquired Slay this offseason. In four games since Amari Cooper has arrived in Dallas he has torched the Eagles secondary with 25 catches for 422 yards and 5 TDs. According to Mike Clay, Slay and Cooper have faced off twice before while Slay was in Detriot, first in 2015 where Slay covered Cooper on 20 of 27 routes limiting Cooper to 0 catches on 3 targets in the game. Slay faced Cooper against last season where he shadowed Cooper on 26 of his 30 routes limiting him to 3 catches on 8 targets for 38 yards. Both players are having great seasons as Cooper is on pace for 1300 yards, though most of those were with Dak Prescott in the lineup and Slay has been as advertised shutdown opposing number 1s on a weekly basis. If Slay can shut down Cooper it will limit DiNucci’s to Gallup and Lamb who are both also extremely explosive, but taking away one of those weapons for the rookie QB will be huge and could force him into mistakes on plays where Cooper is the first read.
Eagles Rushing Attack vs the Dallas “run defense”
Unfortunately for the Eagles, it looks like Miles Sanders will miss his second straight week with a sprained MCL, which I am sure he is bummed about because he could have had a huge day vs a run defense ranked dead last giving up 178.3 yards a game. Last week the Redskins had more rushing yards in the first half than they have all season vs Dallas and Redskins RB Antonio Gibson had a career day. With Sanders out the Eagles will rely on RBs Boston Scott and Corey Clement who have not had the same success as Sanders on the ground this season. Clement has not been the same since an injury in 2018 which caused him to miss most the season and the 5’8 Scott is more of a change of pace back, but both have speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield. If the Eagles get the run game going, I don’t see Dallas being able to stop this offense as the running game will set up play-action-pass and RPOs which have caused the Dallas secondary to bite this season and allow for big plays. This could be especially dangerous with the return of Jalen Raegor who can fly. Raegor who is always dangerous with the ball in his hands may see a couple of runs himself on a jet sweep or a toss play.

Special thanks abenyishay for his help in creating this Game Preview.

Elephants

Winning at fantasy means making predictions and acting on them prior to other players. To do that, you don't always have the privileges of hindsight and deduction. You will need foresight and inference. I hope to offer a some good if not somewhat inferential arguments for why some early moves on this weekly (if I have time) post.
Fantasy thinking is often over-obsessed with statistical correlations at the expense of firm causal understanding of what is happening on the field. The forest is often lost for the trees. A combination of understanding the game of football, recognizing interconnected changes that will influence teams, and eye testing the games themselves is the best antidote to the groupthink, herd-mentality of fantasy football expertism which, time and again, proves spotty at best in anticipating changes.
Last week I posted this as "Eye-tested Takes" but I realized that's not what I was aiming for. A variety of posters and services watch the whole game and give you maximally thorough takes on every snap. I won't offer much of an opinion on players/teams I don't watch. I'll always watch enough. However, a lot of what I'll make as the case for picking up (or dropping) a player will be based on obvious things that are happening that rankings-myosis may miss.
There's always an elephant in the room that no one want's to acknowledge. This post gives fantasy advice that accounts for the elephants on the field.

Things I'm right about (so far):

1. Rivers Noodle Arm = Colts Lean into Jonathon Taylor:

With the quality of that offensive line, Mack going down, and Rivers looking like shit, Jonathon Taylor may end-up being a top-5 back this year. TY Hilton and Parris Campbell are going to disappoint you.

A bunch of commenters disagreed, insisting Hines was the guy to get and Taylor as a top-5 was nuts. This is an instance of the eye-test making people too smart. Yes, Taylor netted 22 yards on 9 carries week 1. Who cares, he was great in college (larger sample size) and more importantly, Rivers looks SOOO spent that Taylor is the only obvious bell-cow RB for what is probably the best O-line in the league. You want that. Rivers threw it 25 times in week two (down from 44). Taylor had 26 carries, 2 receptions, 110 yards, and 1 touchdown. It was obvious what had to happen in Indy but fantasy groupthink herded everyone toward Hines.
If you had the audacity to ignore me on this (/s), the good news is there's still time. His trade value has skyrocketed on most charts but he's not quite valued as a top back yet. If you get the feel someone is under-valuing him, don't wait longer because his first 2 TD game is going to make him inaccessible in a trade. The Colts defense is also looking good enough to maintain a lead throughout a game, opening-up more run play calls. (Rivers sucking is going to do that all the time anyway).
And if you still don't believe me, watch his highlights from this week and you'll see why he could be such a focal point. He does a lot of things that coaches like to lean-into: great ball security, adds 2-3 yards to the end of runs, explosive speed when he has big holes.
2.Browns Offense is fine:

Don't panic about the Browns offense. Baker Mayfield looked like trash but the running offense actually looked pretty good at times...Stefanski is the guy you need to believe in... The biggest takeway from the game isn't the Browns offense is bad, its that the Ravens defense is great.

Both Browns running back scored multiple TD's and registered more than 150 yards each week 2. Baker continued to suck and it didn't matter. Stefanski's offense is good and his coaching career is a testament to his talent. All-Ivy-League Football Player. First coaching job was in the NFL. They wouldn't let him leave for 14 years because they knew he was a talent.
So don't run from Chubb or Hunt yet. And if you have them both, start them both and don't feel bad (unless you have a clearly better option like Zeke too...then probably favor starting Kareem Hunt the larger your ppr value, but its a tough call). The Browns are a perfect storm that make both startable: (a) Both Chubb and Hunt have top-5 rb talent and it comes across when you watch them on the field. With good combinations of strength and speed, each one is TD risk on every snap. (b) Sefanski divides snaps very well. Both are getting touches-a-plenty. They just signed they're "back-up" RB to a new contract (I mean, how often does that happen in the modern NFL?). KS also divides snaps by drive, unless a drive gets very long, so even if Chubb is doing well, he's going to give Kareem Hunt a whole drive. (c) starting both is fading Baker which is smart. The Browns are going to increasingly realize that their offense is more effective with Baker doing less. They may even move to Case Keenum (their back-up, legit didn't know that last week) and that's fine for Chubb/Hunt.
I wouldn't run from OBJ or Jarvis Landry yet either, though Baker's ineptitude has got to make you worry. Think about what Minnesota offenses did over the years with Diggs, Theilen, etc. Both OBJ and Landry are going to be solid bets for big-play TD's (like OBJ's last Thursday) here and there but likely not breaking the top-10. Still, the talent ceiling is high with both so a buy-low scenario where you get them in a trade could pay-off if you bet on Stefanski more than Mayfield.
3. Deandre Hopkins is the WR1

Deandre Hopkins will be the #1 fantasy receiver this year... And most importantly, the offensive situation in Arizona is the perfect storm for his fantasy situation. Kyler Murray is good, but he's not working his way through progressions yet.

Hopkins nabbed a TD but only had 9 targets this week. I'll admit that I only watched Kyler Murray's highlights so forgive me if its there and I didn't see it, buuuuut...He's not completing passes to 2nd and 3rd reads. Its one read then run. That's great for Hopkins' stats because the further into the season they get, the MORE Hopkins is going to be involved on plays designed to chuck it to him, no matter what. Hopkins is one of those guys that's always open, and Kyler is a smart player who knows that AND knows he's not good enough yet to start looking for someone else if Hopkins is "covered". That may hurt the Cardinals at some point. But Hopkins is getting fed this season.
And obviously, a rash of injuries at WR has made this look to be a better prediction. Hopkins is already a stud in that offense and he's still learning it. His stock is only going up from here.
Its true the WR's new offenses typically do poorly. A couple of reasons why that's not true of Hopkins: (a) he's physically the most gifted receiver in the league. Randy Moss kicked ass his first year with the Patriots. Some players are talented enough that it doesn't take time, as long as they're smart as hell like Randy Moss or (b) Hopkins is an intelligent dude. He negotiated his own contract and didn't fuck it up. He wants to be G.M. Big brained guy, he'll pick up quickly. You can see that on the field, he's constantly looking back at Kyler to make sure he did the right thing on each play. (c) HOF'er in the WR room: Fitz will get him up to speed fast.
Quick note about Kyler Murray: He's tearing it up. One encouraging thing that you might not see how little he's allowing himself to be tackled. As a fantasy owner, that's encouraging because it suggests he can sustain a high running floor and not get injured. And there's an added assurance that he's putting those slides for zero yards (for example) on tape because the coaches see that too and are more willing to call more of those plays down the stretch. Still, I wouldn't compare him to Lamar Jackson last season yet. Lamar Jackson was throwing TD's to his 4th and 5th read in week 1 against the Dolphins last season. Murray may hit a scheme ceiling where defenses, especially good ones, start to take away his 1 and 2 and contain his run game (though it is strong and he has good vision).

Things I was totally wrong about: zero things!

HA! Next section!

Things I'm not right about yet but pretty soon I will be:

1. Joe Burrow AJ Green is going to be good.

If you watch the game, you see Joe Burrow fitting the ball into tight windows in clutch situations. In fact, he wasn't finding a lot of open receivers, he was throwing the ball well/correctly into great coverage and making lemonade. Also, AJ Green is looking fully healthy and like his old self.

Well, AJ Green was targeted 13 times and caught...3 of those passes for 29 yards. So clearly, the chemistry between them was oversold by me last week. Still, 13 targets is encouraging and so is the Bengals inability to run the ball. No matter how much they try, they're wretched run-blocking always leaves them down late in games and in 3rd-and-forever situations. They just let a rookie throw it 61 times.
Another consideration is that Denzel Ward was covering Green all night:

A.J. Green has had an up-and-down career vs. the Browns. Thursday’s game was on the down side, and it had mostly to do with Denzel Ward.
Green had three catches for 29 yards. Overall, Ward broke up three passes against the Bengals. And according to Next Gen Stats, Ward was making life difficult for Joe Burrow all night, forcing eight tight window passes in 11 targets as the nearest defender.

Green is still pretty low on trade value charts but stands to have a huge upside as Burrow's primary target.
2. Rodgers is back.

...are there really any physical traits that are important to his game that would fade significantly at 36 year's old? I didn't see any missing zip off of his throws. I did see fucking darts getting tossed all over the field into tiny windows.

Aaron Jones is the #1 fantasy RB right now so obviously saying Rodgers is fully back is pre-mature. However, he is impressing with some very, very pretty darts.
Also, the elephant on the field for the Packers is that Aaron Rodgers is a player driven by ego. Not a knock on him, he's just a guy who needs mojo to play at his finest. Maybe it required the stimulation of an insulting draft pick to prod him back into his HOF form. I'm not saying Rodgers can be a top 3 QB this year with Jackson and Murray running so well, but 4 or 5 doesn't seem out of reach.
Rodgers is pff top-graded QB right now btw.

Fresh takes:

1.The Ravens are the best defense in the NFL.
The loss of Earl Thomas is doesn't matter as much as what has been gained with Patrick Queen and L.J. Fort. Queen is incredibly fast and explosive underneath, getting into the backfield and making big plays. And L.J. Fort (top rated pff lb right now) combine to give them rangey-coverage, tackling, and pass break-up ability over the middle they didn't have before which has further weaponized they're depth at CB (Humphrey, Peters, Smith). Peters specifically is a ball hawk that's found a great home in Baltimore; he couldn't scheme well anywhere else but Harbaugh has found a way to give him the freedom to ball hawk. Over the long haul, Harbaugh has maintained a great defense, regardless of departures/changes, for years and years. When he has this much talent, his defenses are typically dominant.
Be warry of starting iffy players against them at any position.
They're worth trading for, I think the turnovedef TD potential makes them worth it.
2. J.K. Dobbins will break-out out as the preferred option in the Ravens backfield.
Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards have both proven to be reliable RB's for the Raven offense. But Ingram is 30 with over 200 carries in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Edwards has been reliable, a home-grown UDFA. But at 238lbs and without elite speed, he's leaving many big runs on the table.
Dobbins didn't attend the combine. But ran a 4.44 40...in high school:

Dobbins posted a 4.44s 40-yard dash, 4.09s short shuttle and a 43.1-inch vertical jump as a high school senior at the event. There are also many reports that Dobbins squatted over 700 pounds.

He has power running balance and break-out speed that NONE of the other backs in Baltimore have. 4th rounder Justice Hill was their attempt of to develop that speed last year but didn't break out.
A couple of elephants make this one a good bet:
(a) Lamar's durability -- right now, he's taking a bunch of carries because he's the only one in their backfield that has the speed to break huge runs. If Dobbins can fill that role, Lamar Jackson can afford to take fewer chances and John Harbaugh can opt to only drop him back to pass 7 times in the second half when they're winning, like what happened in week 2.
(b) that defense -- Baltimore's defense is going to be great enough this year to take over games, making steady doses of run plays inevitable as they'll spend a lot of games up by 2 scores. Yes, they were up like that a lot last year but their only homerun hitter in the backfield was Lamar (see above, Justice Hill wasn't getting it done).
Here's an example: this is a shot from Gus Edwards' 22 yard scamper last week:
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https://preview.redd.it/mhhhpzmkrxo51.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=3cdf46ac4bcce3e503729f909c0e787f85459eb9
The Ravens offensive line is good at opening holes like this. While it didn't prove important in this game (BAL was up 30-16 at the time), each run like this where a more explosive player could scored is an opportunity cost for the people calling plays. And its not just points left behind, its points scored while Lamar is watching like a fan. Its points that could allow more aggressive defensive play calling. If you're a coach for Baltimore, you don't necessarily want Lamar to have a gaudy stat-line every week if you're winning. If he can throw 16 passes in a game and then sit-out the 4th quarter, that's ideal from the franchise's perspective (though not so much for Fantasy managers). Each Ingram/Edwards run that coulda been a touchdown means there's more time on the field for Lamar, larger portion of the game where they're not playing a dominant lead, and higher chance that they'll lose because points were left on the field. They need someone else hitting home runs in the running game.
Am I fading Lamar because of all of this? Not yet. Eye test = that guy is a singular talent. His throwing motion is smooth like Vick's, just a gifted, effortless release. He's also great at mostly avoiding contact (though all contact is bad contact if you're his coaches). Great decision maker too. Makes multiple reads on plays. Can't say enough about how great of player he is. Still, Baltimore is well put-together enough that they may be able to functionally win without him. So don't be surprised if, especially approaching the playoffs, Baltimore starts calling plays that don't involve as much Lamar. What's scary is that they may be a complete football team without him and he's the reigning MVP.
Finally, Dobbins had two carries last week. One was for a 44 yard gain where the blocking was good but not nearly as good as the image above. Even if the transition to him isn't fast, he could force the issue like Chubb did his rookie year, gaining 100 yards on 3 carries in a game.
No matter what, the Ravens will run by committee but there will come a point where the player to start out of the trio is Dobbins without a doubt.
3. Minshew is the truth and his team situation makes him a great fantasy player.
Minshew isn't the most talented QB in the league. But above all things, he is competitive and scrappy. The Jags are good but not great so he's going need a lot of that scrappy-iness (lol, just say that sentence out loud, you'll hear it). James Robinson is very good and they're going to lean on him a lot. But when the time for much needed yards and points, it seems like the Jags tag Gardner Minshew II's Id in at offensive coordinator. Minshew isn't likely going to be top-5 qb but he might make the top 10 and is likely easier to get than other top targets.
Part of the reason DJ Chark isn't getting the production folks hoped is because Minshew is effectively spreading the ball around. Good for the jags, bad for fantasy owners. I wouldn't panic.
One of his targets I picked-up to stash is Laviska Shenault Jr. He's getting a legit number of carries each week and averaging over 10 yards per reception. He's an interesting pick-up because he doubles as handcuffs for Robinson. Seems like his carry count could go up to 10ish no problem if the Jags lost Robinson. So pay attention to what position he's listed in your league, scoring rules about how carries count in ppr, etc. But he passes the eye test, very shifty and fast on the field.
4. Teams that are quickly turning into dumpster fires that you should across-the-board fade:
Jets
Gase is the worst. Never underestimate the ability of a shitty boss to ruin a workspace and make everyone fucking hate themselves, even though they're well compensated to play a game for a living. Listen, I know there's always gems on bad teams. But I have high blood pressure. So tuning into games with players I need to play well and watching the offense go 3-and-out 5 times in a row...I'm literally too old for that shit now so I try to stray-away from dumpster fire teams.
Vikings
Kubiak has got some big Stefanski shoes to fill and he's doing a bad job so far. I wouldn't panic about Dalvin Cook yet but another bad couple of weeks and I'd start shopping him. See the Browns thing above: Stefanski may have made the Vikings offense look better than it actually was for a decade. Combine that with the defense whose secondary would be better if they were scare crows and you're looking at a team that can't plan to run the ball for more than a quarter or 2.
Teams to be worried about:
Broncos
Whew, the injuries. They're basically just starting with new team. We'll see how things go.
Detroit
Matt Patricia may have lost this team. And coaches like him don't recover team faith/confidence well in a loss-spiral.
Texans
BoB is going to crash that plane into a mountain while we all watch. Poor Watson, just watching Deandre Hopkins ball-out. One thing you can still bet on for awhile out of the Texans offense; Bill O'Brien is ego- and career-invested in David Johnson doing great things. He'll role with him when he shouldn't to prove to everyone that he was right to trade Nuk. Its dumb. But he's dumb.

Fortune Favors The Bold (FFTB) Predictions

WARNING: What you're about to read is not necessarily good fantasy advice, but things for me to say "told you so" about a week from now. I take no responsibility for any money you lose (and all responsibility for the money you win). Still, Alexander the Great said, Fortune Favors the Bold.

1. JK Dobbins scores more fantasy points than CEH this week. (This prediction is backed-up by the time-honored tradition of spitting in one's hand and shaking on it so this shit is serious. Its also painful because I'm a Chiefs fan.)
   
2. Laviska Shenault scores a running and a receiving touchdown tonight.
   
3. Jonathon Taylor is the RB1 this week and its not close.
   
4. Danny Dimes throws 3 TD's this week against the 49ers.
   

I'm probably wrong about most of this shit but FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD!
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Thanks for reading! If I continue to be kind mostly right and people find it a good read, I'll keep posting these each week. Good luck!
​
EDIT: Thanks for the awards and upvotes strangers! I'll bring the column back next week. Appreciate the comments too, thanks for the banter, shit-talk, and criticism. I'll be spittin in palms again soon.
EDIT AGAIN: Thanks again for the feedback. This is fun and I'm going to enjoy doing it again next week. Some of the comments have suggested that the post doesn't really go out on many limbs. I'll do that more in the future. I've also added an extra section with a few "FFTB predictions" for this week.

UPDATED DEC '20! Some users quoted are no longer using those names.
MANY thanks to cptnobservant for poking me with links and stuff to FIX this post up. Kudos!
KNOW YOUR STATE LAWS ON RVs! https://www.rvtripwizard.com/rv-info/state-road-laws.php
You are responsible in doing things legally correct. Anything found here is a suggestion from people varying from experts to hobbyists. It is up to YOU to be legal.
Remember as you read this, I could be wrong. That semi famous YouSkooler probably did it wrong, too - I can think of one couple who just pushed along making mistake after mistake and now are paying for it on the road as they travelblog (they also split up). So take what you read here as a guide but not as gospel. What is right for your build is right for your build. Just stay safe and legal.
Remember this - there is a reason why everyone does something the way they do. From beds in the back to insulation, certain things can't really be cheaped out on... unless it is a conscious decision to be different, or you are trying a new product that compares with the old way, odds are someone has tried it.
Ask questions. Someone, somewhere, has run into your issue. Hopefully one of the awesome people here will have the answer.
SHOULD I BUY A SKOOLIE?
If you are here, the answer is yes. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
But... MAYBE not the first one you can afford. Do some research. Would you buy that 1984 used Toyota hatchback with 350,000 miles for 2200 bucks? It's in your price range, and it LOOKS good buuuuuut... there are a lot of buses out there, and yours is just waiting for you.
Why a Skoolie? Well, they are solid machines. They get the same MPG as an RV, and you can make yours the way YOU want, without cheap parts, an engine maxxed to its capacity, and a vehicle that can actually take a roll without turning into confetti.
Plus they are cheap to buy, and keep a better resale value.
This post is to try and have a one stop place for info. And if a post online is older than 2019, disregard anything it says. Even if it turns out to be right, it's best to think anything (Text based, video is fine, because you can see what might be outdated there such as how to install a VHS player) 2 years or older is outdated as a general rule of thumb. Except this one if it has been recently edited.
HOW DO I FIND A SKOOLIE?
Craigslist, ebay, your local school district. Google, really. Also, promotion time - /skooliemarketplace and this post of mine which has questions and considerations.
DO I NEED A CDL?
Short answer: Most likely not, even with air brakes! Federally (USA), you do NOT, as long as you get rid of all the seats toot suite and your bus is under a certain weight unloaded. There is a state or two that is a little more restrictive on licensing, so if you are in the USA, check with the BMV/DMV or the web.
Is it a good idea to learn about the CDL process? Sure.
SHORT BUS, LONG BUS, AND YOU
Taken from a discussion between me and ShortBus-Nectar . I was being my usual anti shortbus self, and ShortBus-Nectar had a thoughtful reply (edited by me):
I do agree that van body anythings are more expensive to do engine removals/overhauls than other vehicles with more accessible bays. This also applies to a truck vs van with the same driveline (Like F350 vs E350). I don't agree that van body fronts are expensive to maintain outside of the horror stories you hear about engine replacement.
... I said not all short or van-front buses can be covered under a blanket statement, I meant that not every engine/transmission combination is prone to massive services, and there are other considerations as well. I used the 6.0 as an example because basically every 6.0 on the road will eventually need heads, along with all the other stuff that needs to get replaced when they go (EGR cooler, etc) and its crazy expensive to do it all in one shot. Whereas something like a mechanical 7.3 or a 6.5 have issues, but not frequent services requiring the removal of the engine, followed by a build killing bill. Not trying to turn this into a discussion about which engine is better, I have no love for any manufacturer after spending 15 years as a tech.
You have another good point with the cost of tires on a larger bus. Likewise service for the brakes and basically everything else will have a higher cost in parts and labor. I do all my own work, but if I had to take it somewhere, I could go to basically any shop and they could service it. With a full size bus, most small shops will turn you away or might not have the tools to do the job. Manufacturers in the "light truck" industry are not required to provide service information to companies like Alldata, Mitchell, etc so most shops will have zero technical information to aid in diagnostics. Heavy duty shops tend to charge more per hour than general service shops.
I'm not saying go out and buy any van body you see, but I wouldn't avoid checking them out.
WHAT ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION SHOULD I GET?
http://www.buslandia.net/blog/2016/10/11/which-engine-tranny
And then, to look deeper under the skoolie hood...:
http://www.buslandia.net/blog/2016/12/26/which-enginetranny-does-this-bus-have
MostImprovedPlayer, many thanks!
TIRES, RUST, AND YOU.
Rust is bad, but not as bad as rust holes. A rusty floor takes 24 hours of work to fix up. But that means you have to remove your floor, which means you have to look under the bus with a strong flashlight.
If you are buying an already converted bus, and want to know how the underbody was when they purchased it, grab a magnet on a stick, and sweep the floor from below. Bondo isn't magnetic.
Rust holes take days, unless you know how to weld. Bondo smells funky.
Big bus tires are expensive. If you can find a good bus under $5000 with excellent tires, you are basically buying tires with a free bus on them.
This doesn't count for short bus van front styles.
HOW DO I CHECK MY POTENTIAL BUS FOR STUFF?
From Ashandrik
Here's my kind of defacto answer for these kinds of things. The rust comments assume you're somewhere that salts the roads in the winter. This also assumes you're a novice at this stuff and not a diesel mechanic, body work expert, etc.
New tires on a full size skoolie can run between $1600 and $3000. Ask me how I know... Haha. Don't just check tread on tires. Also check for dry rot, small cracks in the sidewalls that may seem minor, but actually mean the rubber is breaking down making it more prone to failure. Most tires should also have a date of manufacture stamped on them. Even tires sitting in a cool, dry, dark warehouse are aging, albeit slower than if they're out in the hot sun. So, that date matters even if the seller tells you they're new-old stock and just put on the bus. Tires over 10 years old are probably garbage or approaching it. Also, keep an eye out for super shiny tires. Some assholes will throw a little Armor All on the tires before you go look. If they're not brand new, they shouldn't shine like they are.
As for rust... One of the best places to check for rust are on the back door frame and where the rubber flooring ends. You'll also see it most in the stairwell(s). Don't be afraid to crawl under the bus and check. Take a flat head screwdriver (and a flashlight and/or headlamp) with you. If you see a rusty spot, poke and scratch at it. That'll tell you how bad the rust is. If it's just a thin layer that scratches off and shines underneath, then great. If your screwdriver plunges all the way through the metal, it's fucked. Check the frame for both heavy rust and straightness. Check the brakes on the tires from behind. If the bus has airbrakes, the chambers that hold the air bladders get rusted to fuck there. Check the exhaust too. That's another problem area.
I would even consider driving down south to buy a bus. I bought mine in Texas, and she's rust free. Almost as pure as the day it rolled off the assembly line. I could own this bus 10 more years and never have to worry about rust.
As for engines... First of all. Tell them not to start it before you get there. You want to do a cold start. First thing you do when you get there is have them open up the dog nose so you can feel the engine. If it feels like it's been running, tell them you'll stop back another day when it's been sitting a while. Check the coolant. It should be green or orange. If it's any other color, the bus hasn't been maintained properly. If it looks brown, kind of like, like peanut butter, then there's a head gasket leak letting oil into the coolant. This is bad. Walk away.
Check the rest of the fluids. Check the airfilter. If anything seems grosser than it should, take that into consideration.
A cold engine should still start easy (as long as cold doesn't mean below freezing). Less than 10 seconds of cranking should get it going cold, and it should start in a couple cranks after it's warm. Diesels aren't mysterious, moody creatures. They pretty much sound as healthy as they are. If it sounds rough, it probably has problems. If it sounds smooth, it probably is. It should have a nice even rumble. If you hear any pinging, ticking, etc., it might mean a problem. Look for white or blue smoke out of the tailpipe when you first start it. If it's blue, that means engine oil is getting into the cylinders, and you probably need an engine rebuild. Walk away. If you get a white cloud, then you might have some air intake or injector problems. I'd probably walk away from this one too unless the rest of the bus was near perfect, met nearly all my preferences, and was cheap (<$2,500).
Mileage probably isn't a big deal. Most diesels can hit 500k before they need a rebuild, and another 500k after that. If you put a million miles on your bus, congratulations! Go buy a new one and start over. Haha. Or just drop a new engine in for a few grand.
Get maintenance records if you can. Call the school district the bus was from if the seller doesn't have them. Sometimes their maintenance folks will still have them.
Take it for a drive. If they argue with you over not having a CDL and won't back down, make them drive it for you. Sit halfway in the stairwell and listen, if they're driving. Listen to how it shifts. Feel for vibrations that seem unusual. If a bus has been sitting for too long, the tires might be out of balance. Make sure you get some highway time in. Many school buses find speeds over 55mph to be difficult or impossible. This is something you should know before you buy your bus. See how it handles turns. Wiggle the steering wheel a bit while you drive. Don't do it enough to swerve the bus. You're feeling for play in the steering. You should have about 30 degrees of play. Anything over 60 degrees means worn out steering components. My bus had a bad power steering pump and a worn out pitman arm. Repairing the pump cost me over $500, and I haven't done anything about the pitman arm yet. I will probably end up spending a couple thousand to put a whole new front steering system on my bus eventually...
Check all the lights, in the dark if possible. The clearance lights at the top of the bus are hard to tell in the daytime if they're on or not. When lights on older buses go bad, it can be the sockets that failed instead of the bulb. Depending on the age of the bus, finding matching replacements might be time consuming (driving to half a dozen junk yards in hopes of finding a $12 light socket), and replacing all of them so they match is expensive (up to $50+ per light sometimes).
Check the seal around the windshield. Check for rust inside the bus around the windows and doors. Sometimes a little water gets in, and you have to reseal those areas. These kinds of problems probably aren't deal breakers, but it's good to know.
As for preferences in buses...
Try to find a bus with belly boxes. They are infinitely useful (general storage, mounting your generator, house battery boxes, etc.), and adding them later is a royal pain in the ass, unless you are or know a body work expert. Belly boxes also generally imply the possibility of highway gearing that would mean higher top speeds and better gas mileage on the road. Buses that have belly boxes are generally special ordered by school districts for long-distance field trips (football games, state competitions, band trips, etc.)
My personal engine preference goes (best to worst): Cummins 8.3, Navistar DT466, Cummins 5.9 (what I have), Navistar T444e. The T444e is the only one I'd really avoid, but know that with the Cummins 5.9 you're going to have to do some tinkering to get the kind of power I'd be comfortable with (enough for highway speeds and hills). Rear Differential ratios will determine your highway speeds more than anything else. Aim for a 4.33 or lower. I'm almost positive mine is like a 5.57, and that's why my top speed is stuck at 55mph.
Transmission: The most common transmission is the Allison AT545. It's an automatic transmission, and it's rock solid. However, it doesn't have overdrive or a locking torque converter. This means slightly worse fuel economy, not as good highway speeds, and overheating issues in hills and mountains. I would avoid the AT545 if possible, but you might find that impossible. They are ridiculously common. What I would want is basically any other Allison transmission. The AT643 is better, but a 1000, 2000, or 3000 (particularly the 3060, which happens to be the most common of these) would be the best. It doesn't matter which of those your bus has as long as it came that way from the factory. They are just rated for different weights.
Air brakes are much better than hydraulic brakes, but some states require a CDL for any vehicle with them. Each state has different rules about CDLs. In Texas I didn't need one because my bus was an RV that carried less than 14 passengers. If you do need it, getting your CDL isn't hard, but if you get a ticket with one, the penalties are a lot harsher. Avoid it if the law allows.
Air ride suspension is amazing, but chances of finding a bus with it is pretty much zero. So consider it a perk if you find one that has it. Brag about it to your friends until they hate you. I would. Haha. Last thing to talk about is price and some purchasing options. You can get good buses on auction from government organizations (especially schools, of course) for around $1500, sometimes less. The downside of this, is you have to buy a little more blind. You often can't test drive them or do much more than look around them. Many of them don't come with batteries and assume you'll be towing them home. You are also given NO leeway in when you can take them. Third party sellers are often much more expensive, but they've vetted the buses and possible done enough to get them running again. They are likely to let you test drive them, and they will let you pick up the bus at your convenience. I know /SkoolieMarketplace lists buses as they become available, and CascadesDad put a lot of info up on this subreddit's sticky.
Good luck!
WHAT ENGINE? WHAT TRANSMISSION? WHAT DO I NEED TO DRIVE PIKES PEAK?
Honestly, the only engine to stay away from is the Ford Powerstroke 6.0 (short bus). All other forms of the 6.0 are fine, if a little wimpy. Pushers push, are quieter, and don't haul things as well. Front end engines haul well and handle a bit better.
The transmission is all about what you want to do with it. Mountains? Flat? Haul? Odds are, there is no one perfect transmission for your needs. Be aware of that. Google is your friend here - remember, everyone either loves or hates your transmission of choice, so no matter what you pick, someone will say it's terrible. Look for what's good about it, and decide from there.
NONE of them, excepting maybe the infamous Ford Powerstroke 6.0, is a zippy engine capable of hauling butt.
ALRIGHT I HAVE A SKOOLIE, NOW WHAT?
TIME T'PLAY! Start thinking hard on your design, and where you are going to put the remarkably large amount of waste product that it will generate. Seats, metal, insulation, bits and bobs, screws, lenses, lightbulbs, skin and blood, and whatnot.
Seriously consider not putting in sideways facing seats. In the USA they don't really care (unless you are or have a child), but in other countries, riding on a sideways seat is illegal!
A lot of old posts that spread false or misleading information still exists. The only place that will have the answer is your local D/BMV or its website. If you are not satisfied with the answer you get from the person on the other end of the phone, look up your revised code. Here's Washington state's.
REGISTERING MY SKOOLIE AS A MOTOR HOME
The quickest way is this way: https://www.reddit.com/skoolies/comments/85lt6w/skoolie_insurance_how_to_immediately_registe
Seriously.
INSURANCE!
You CAN get insurance.
First off, only ask for insurance on what the title says it is. If it says commercial right now, get commercial. If it says RV, get RV. Do NOT say, "Oh it's a bus that I am converting in my spare time." Insurance agents get wobbly with what may be's. Just show the title, and say this is what I have, this is what I want. Get the bus converted, get the title changed, get the insurance you want.
You may have to investigate getting the bus titled in Vermont as an RV. See a few lines above.
Sidenote: if this will be your primary residence, let the insurance provider know. Especially if you bought the bus with a mortgage (which you can do for primary residences!). If they pull some BS about "You need another vehicle, this can't be your home AND be a primary way to drive places" drop them and move elsewhere. They are not right.
DESIGN AND DESTROY!
Know your state laws re: bus color and lights. Know your state laws re: seatbelts (resource here https://rvshare.com/blog/things-need-know-rv-seat-belt-laws/.) Consider how passengers will travel. Sideways seats are not good for kids, and may be illegal to use with safety seats. It is up to you to be legal.
SEATBELTS NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE FRAME (or a seat designed to hold belts from a seat maker). This is where reusing the bolts from the bus seats can be a great idea.
Measure your bus. Use graph paper to start a build design, and remember:
WATER - POWER - KITCHEN - BATHROOM - BEDROOM - TRASH (liquid and physical) - ELECTRICAL - SEATING (more may be added, but keep these in mind).
Also, remember comfort for when you are traveling. Sitting side mounted for hundreds of miles is exhausting on bulky wooden homemade seats. And really, recycled bus seats are not comfy sideways. And like I said, it's not a great idea in general, and wrong for kids. Lap belts sideways in a forward facing accident change the shear rates and really... bench seating is not comfy for rides. Consider doing it somehow else. I know, it really messes up the space on the bus.
Are you going to bring your bus to bare rims and metal? That usually is the best way to go - it allows you to see holes, places that need attention, and then allows you to fill in insulation as needed. You also get rid of some of the disgusting materials that have been subject to kids. And, as we all know, kids be gross.
Don't be afraid of cutting holes in your bus. You are gonna need to for plumbing, and power. Remember to think carefully on roof cuts.
Any cut can be fixed with welding, but remember to try and get a welder to fix all at once. Find a local fabricator and talk with them, unless you know how to weld, or have a welding buddy. And practice safe welding.
If you decide to remove the rear heating fan, know that they are looped into your engine system. You will need to examine the system, and be prepared to loop the lines near the front. If your bus is old or rusty down below, wear good eye protection or a face shield. And watch out for coolant.
Check in with your local community college or technical school if you need welding done.
MUST HAVE TOOLS
Impact Drill. Chop saw. Hammer. Angle grinder. With these, you can build a skoolie to rival the gods! Well, you can do most of the work. I once saw a family using handsaws to cut things.
My goodness.
A tool I love that isn't required but is nifty, is a pocket jig. Also, a bit that extends and bends for your drill - helps you get to hard to reach places.
Battery operated tools can travel with you, but you need to buy ones with good batteries. If your batteries don't hold a charge, buy a new battery. If it still doesn't hold a charge, you need a new tool. Modern battery powered items are amazing.
Also, buy tons of drill bits. And if you have issues removing bus screws in the ceiling or walls? Try a square bit.
Self tapping screws are worth it, too.
WOOD?
Wood. I used 2x3s to cut a bit of weight. You use what you feel right with. You CAN use metal framing.
BUILDING YOUR DESIGN (BUILDING BOXES AND YOU)
Every carpenter I talked to about skoolie builds (one of them) said that every piece of furniture starts life as a box. Get used to building boxes. Boxes can become chairs, beds, shelves, tesseracts - the possibilities are endless.
BY THE POWER OF SKOOLIESTROKE, I HAVE THE (ELECTRICAL) POWER!
A playlist of all the electrical questions you might have.
Electrical can be as simple as an extension cord that goes out one of your windows, to 50 amp fuse boxes.
Here's a quick overview.
gilliganphantom's youtube channel has one of the best pre planning videos for running electrical out there.
Also, instead of romex wire, people tend to use extension cords for wire runs. There is talk of extension cords being more robust in a vibrating world. I use both, never had an issue myself. That doesn't mean much, really... but just know either is viable for a time.
Wire stripper
wire crimper
Those two things are great, used in conjunction with butt connectors you should have code worthy splices. And lots of electrical tape.
When it comes to batteries, it's all about uniformity and amp hours. There's a lot of complicated math that talks about power usage and what not, and honestly, I am terrible at it.
Lead acid batteries put off gasses when charging. Deep cycle batteries are what you want, and this is an area you shouldn't cheap out on (but you can!). LiPo batteries are both amazing and can be dangerous. Your house batteries (those are your power my stuff batteries, not the power my bus type) need to be safely contained. It's a good idea to have a fire extinguisher nearby rated for electrical fires.
Ashandrik talks about Solenoids, and why they are a good idea:
"I used a 200A Cole Hersee Battery Isolator Solenoid. You can use anything similar, but make sure the amperage capacity is higher than your alternator puts out (my alternator was rated at 160A). 160A is really common on skoolies, but some buses that had a lot of accessories in them (charter buses mostly) have two alternators at 240A each.
I wired the control contacts (the ones on the top) to switch on my bus' control panel. You don't want the bus trying to use the house batteries to start from. You'll damage them. So, with the switch, I can turn it on after the bus has started. You could also wire it into a 12V source that is only one when the bus is running, but I didn't want the batteries connected until a few minutes after the bus had started and the starter batteries were topped off. This way I never have to worry about any deep draws between the starter batteries or the house batteries.
The other benefit of the switch is that if I'm ever in an emergency situation where I decide damaging my house batteries to get the bus started is worth it, I still have that option. I also let the house batteries top off the starter batteries if I sit for a while. If I have a net gain of solar or if I'm on shore power, I can turn on the switch for a couple hours to act as a battery maintainer."
Carolina_tiny_homes suggests a DC to DC inverter. They are expensive, but will extend the life of the battery and pay for itself in no time.
Depending on your power usage, you may not need house batteries. It's a discussion for another day.
CAPTURING THE SUN AND MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU
SOLAR AND BATTERY HAS COME A LONG WAY IN TWO YEARS. DO NOT BUY USED.
Solar power is free energy. Setting up Solar is not. It's cheaper to build your own system, but easier to buy pre-built. No matter what system you go with, there will be positives and negatives.
From c4pken:
Rule of thumb. If you can turn it off, do it. That's how you save power and passive draining. Ideally have a switch that takes it off the breaker.
Things you can't control or use a lot... try to see if there's a DC version.
Using an Inverter does get you AC power, but at the cost of 15%-20% energy loss during the inversion process.
This is why we made DC refrigerators, depending on where you're at, you can recover the consumption for all our appliance through a single 200W panel over a day.
...Lights and even a TV doesn't take too much juice out of a solar setup. Solar doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. It doesn't even need to be overbearing, know and understand what your needs are and then work from the consumption up.
(( check out www.c4pinc.com for more info, or the blog for more specifics ))
WATER? HOT AND COLD, WASTE AND CLEAN
Plumbing. It's simple, good water comes in, bad water goes out. Like the tides. Water can be hot or cold. You can use a propane tank to heat your water. You can go with a tank or tankless. With the water flow, tankless may be the way to go, especially with space issues.
When designing, remember in and out and leave space for that.
Also, leave space to work on your pipes. Pex is so easy to work with https://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbing/pex-piping-everything-you-need-to-know/view-all/.
You are going to have leaks. Vibration will cause joints to shift. Make them easy to get to.
Toilets in a skoolie - if you do traditional black water toilet, it is just like putting one in your house. If you use an expensive but well worth it composting toilet, plumbing is not needed. You can even use a bucket and Walmart bags and Ice Tea bottles.
Just be aware, getting sick in a composting toilet is a special kind of treat.
GREY WATER, BLACK WATER AND WHY PEEING IN AN OPEN TUBE IS BAD
I talk about this disaster all the time. One of the earliest skoolie builds I ever saw had a pvc pipe that went directly through the floor and dumped onto the ground below. It was in the middle of the bus. People used it to pee directly out of the bus, parked or while driving.
THIS IS NOT GOOD.
illegal.
Urine loves to mess with metal. Splashing happens. So plan to have places for waste product to go, and know that your grey water tank (Soapy water, shower water, stuff like that) has to be slightly higher than your black tank so accidental back fill doesn't flow into it.
When you do a water dump, you do your black water first, then close it and do your grey water second. You don't want black water to backfill your grey... because odor.
I will try and find a good resources for grey/black/drinking tanks here. But really, they are easy to do. Mounting is interesting, and you may wish to think of mounting (or cutting holes) these BEFORE you finish the floor. Or at least putting the mounts in, if you end up going through the floor.
Here's a post I did when a user wasn't so sure of a bucket full of poopgoop:
Composting toilets are a weird thing. In the USA we are used to flushing away all effluvia - anything else is just not done.
Even holes in the ground are suspect (like camping at a state park) and portapotties are just NASTY.
Even portapotties have fluid in them. So what is a composting toilet?
Well, I can't answer that easily. But I can link you to a blog I found that answers questions you may have:
https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/compost-toilet-big-questions
...
Here's NaturesHead's FAQ, this company is generally considered the luxury brand composting toilet. They are usually very expensive.
https://natureshead.net/faqs/
Wanna make your own composting toilet? Check out what MajerGlazer says:
"After 8 months of use, it held up great. We mounted it outside our vehicle (trailer tongue) for storage and transport but overall, limited smells were given off. We chose coconut fibers bought on Amazon since it was way easier to store and does the same as peat/sawdust. It came in small compressed bricks that you add a small amt of water and fluff and presto, you have your cover.
Use a bag in your setup, it will make your #2 cleanups infinitely easier. We also liked have an external liquids collection to keep things neat. We could connect the bottle (any size gatorade or juice container) and use inside but a lot of the time would drain to mother nature. Feel free to ask me anything.
Also, my original design had a small flaw when men were using the potty. The funnel worked great for ladies but some man parts were cramped near the funnel. I would have mounted a bit lower in the bin to give the parts some space."
Youtube has a ton of videos on composting toilets.
HEATING AND COOLING?
A/C is one of the most difficult things to have when boondocking. Heating is easier, due to the fact that it can be done with propane heaters. More to come when I collect resources!
Fans are easier and can do quite well.
INSULATION!
Blown or pink stuff? Rigid or foam? How about sound insulation? Links coming!
FYI, larger bus builders tend to go with blown stuff.
Rockwool or Denim? I use both, and they are very similar in sound proofing and R value. I like working with the denim MUCH more because less itch. But if you know Rockwool, you pretty much know denim.
KITCHEN?
Do you really need large ranges and stuff? Can you get by with butane cooktops? Propane? Electrical? Induction?
I personally use a coleman stove and a hot plate in my skoolie. I have a butane burner and a rice cooker (It died spectacularly in Colorado last year. RIP Rice cooker. I only used you once) as well.
I have a chest fridge/freezer and it has a built in battery. I LOVE IT.
PROPANE, AND PROPANE ACCESSORIES
Propane is a lot like plumbing, and you test for leaks the same way - system under pressure! Each joint needs easy access, and to test a joint, you put soapy water on it and look for bubbles. Run your propane to your kitchen and hot water tank. And furnace. It will most likely run in parallel with your water.
Here's a skoolie conversion that does the propane - they are fun to watch, but I wouldn't call them experts. It's a great jumping off place, especially if you watch all their videos. They learn so much by mistake, which is how many of us learn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmy1uGzFgoo <-- Ian Robinson
Outdoor Propane tools can cause a bus fire, so make sure you know your propane setup and your state laws on propane canisters.
WIRELESS INTERNET AND YOU
Alright, so how to do you get your internets on the road? Well, all phone companies have some sort of option, and you really need to be careful with your usage and be aware of what is available.
There are multiple solutions, and change yearly.
PAINTING THE ROOF The best thing to do is paint your roof white. There are those that think the temperature changes are negligible, and sure, we are dealing with a game of inches. But when you are looking at a difference of 4-10 degrees, it can make a HUGE difference in your power usage in cooling or heating.
So paint your roof. Use silicone or latex. Make sure it is RV roof paint, though general white paint can work.
https://www.reddit.com/skoolies/comments/93zg7p/roof_coatings/ A discussion on the pros and cons of latex versus Silicone roof paints.
https://www.reddit.com/skoolies/comments/93nsoh/henrys_tropicool/e3f7jyx/ A discussion on WHY you paint the roof white.