Chaos
Posted: April 26th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 12 Comments »I’m not going to pretend to have a good understanding of what is going on. I didn’t go to law school and haven’t regularly watched Perry Mason since I was a kid and it was on in syndication.
Either we’ll have an offseason starting up pretty soon…or we won’t. How’s that for clarity? As clear as mud. The timing of this situation is horrible. I think. Seems like a longshot to have the offseason start before Thursday, which means Kevin Kolb is less likely to be beneficial to us this year. I guess there is the possibility that a team like the Titans or Cardinals could offer us a 2011 2nd rounder and a 2012 1st. That would give us immediate ammo, pretty good value, and it would help those teams out right now. Don’t know how likely that is. Obviously we’d have until Friday evening to get those deals done. That extra 24 hours could be crucial.
This is a wild time for the NFL, media, and fans. Teams have to be ready at a moment’s notice, but there is no guarantee anything will happen anytime soon. Hurry up and wait, basically.
I do have faith in the Eagles front office. They tend to plan really well so I’m confident that we’ll be ready to strike when action does get underway. Andy’s plans don’t always work, but he’s always got a plan.
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I’m not going to address the draft questions here. I’m working on a lengthy draft preview that should cover most of the items. Right now I’m busy with that and also working on player profiles for ScoutsNotebook.
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A lot of people around the league think the Eagles are going to take CB Jimmy Smith or one of the OTs (probably Carimi). If Jimmy Smith is a smokescreen (and just what kind of smoke are we talking about?), the Eagles have done a masterful job. I think Smith is a legit target, but there is so much mis-information that we really don’t know that for a fact. As for OTs, the Eagles haven’t sold this notion. It is more media and fan driven. I’ll be shocked if we go OT in the 1st.
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Any other Eagles on the trading block? I still wonder about Mike Patterson. He’s not an ideal fit in the new system. If you move him, you can address DT in the 1st round and work that guy into the rotation. Taking a DT in the 1st with 4 guys already in place seems like a tough situation. However, if there is a really talented player on the board you have to be careful about passing on him. DT is one position where I’m at a complete loss as to what the Eagles want to do.
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Someone did ask yesterday about the difference in taking Martez Wilson (somewhat of a project) and Bruce Carter (torn ACL) if both might not contribute much in 2011. Fair question.
Wilson might be a quick learner. If so, he could get on the field this year. I have no idea if he’s a bright guy and takes well to coaching. If the Eagles were to select him, I’d hope they had confidence in his ability to learn quickly. We’ve seen polished players in college never pick up on how to play in the NFL. We’ve seen raw players in college thrive right away in the NFL. Guys who have special physical ability have the potential to pick things up quickly. They are so gifted that it doesn’t take rep after rep after rep to learn something. I’m not sure if Wilson falls into this category. That’s one of the key things teams have to evaluate. And again…I’m not sure that Wilson will even be on the Eagles draft board.
There is a good argument to be made for taking Carter. He’s got a great combination of size, skill, and athletic ability. Bruce could become an impact LB. The problem is that you can’t count on him healing from the ACL. That is a major risk. It doesn’t sound like he’s expected to have any problems. People said Cornelius Ingram was likely to need a 2nd surgery. Jack Ikegwuonu had a horrific injury that went way beyond a normal ACL tear. Carter had a typical injury and sounds like the surgery went well. Because of that, he’s got a chance to go in the late 2nd round. I sure won’t be mad if the Eagles take a chance on him.
I just have a bad feeling that the league won’t officially open for business next Monday…
*until* next Monday…
The owners goal with the lockout is to make the players uncomfortable to they seek a quick deal to end it. The owners maximize the discomfort to the players by forcing free agents to sit without contracts and other players unsure of what team they will be playing on. So, I agree, they are going to drag this out until the court shows its teeth. There is no reason to start things up Monday, or any time soon. Except, you know, for the quality of the sport being played. I can’t see that detail clouding their resolve.
Tommy,
Just heard Marcus Cannon has lymphoma…talk about very unfortunate news. Think he’ll be completely removed from most draft boards? Is he still considered draftable? (I know nothing about lymphoma). Hate to hear about talented players who as far as we know are good people get terrible news like this….
Ryan
My nephew has just recovered from non-Hodkins Lymphoma staged at 3. It will be at least a year but my nephew was fine for most of that time. Just couldn’t keep him off the golf course, plus he sat and passed his exams. Steroids are a wonderful thing medically. The radiotherapy at the end of the treatment was the one thing that really took it out him.
It is the most treatable cancer apparently, but as it a cancer of the immune system secondary illness is the real danger. Godwilling, Marcus should see an NFL training camp at a younger age than Danny Watkins. Who knows if he is draftable?
On the theme of chaos, one thing that struck me with recent drafts was just how unpredictable the Eagles’ moves were. I’d argue that we didn’t go into any offseason in the past with as much of a gaping hole in certain positions as the CB situation this year, but still, for all the mock drafts out there, the Eagles always seem to make a crazy move.
In at least the last four drafts, the Eagles have moved position and it’s never been to jump up to snag an impact player in an obvious hole for us (i.e., going into ’09 and ’10, no one thought that the Eagles’ biggest holes were WR and DE).
Maybe it’s just 4 coincidental situations, but for whatever reason, I’m convinced that the Eagles are not going to bring in Jimmy Smith. I’d say there’s a 20% chance we reach up to try and grab someone in the early teens (assuming Peterson won’t be on the board after ~pick 5 or 6) and a 70% chance we trade back.
Obviously, mock drafts never take trades into account; this is a big reason why I think they have less predictive power for the Eagles in particular.
“Right now I’m busy with that and also working on player profiles for ScoutsNotebook.”
I disagree with your assessment of Brandon James of Florida, QWERTY would have been far better 😀
Wow, that is really a shame about Marcus Cannon. I’ve been working on my full 7-round mock draft, and I had him going #63 to Pittsburgh. I guess I’ll have to change that. How unfortunate. I think one of the worst things about it is that he had to find out via the Combine medical tests… one day, you’re getting routine tests to gauge your potential to be a player in the NFL… and the next, you find out you have cancer. Thats a really tough emotional swing for a young man, I’d think.
Also pretty crazy to see Florida CB Janoris Jenkins dismissed from the team today after his 2nd drug-related arrest. There is already some rabid discussion about how high he’ll go in the supplemental draft this summer. Considering he was considered a top-20 talent heading into the 2011 college football season, I’d hazard a guess that someone could spring a 3rd round supplemental pick on him.
To help understand the chaos, I found links to these two articles on BGN. They are both must reads for fans trying to understand why we are suffering through this.
By Sally Jenkins, linked by B3Keith:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl-owners-are-wrong-and-dont-get-it/2011/04/26/AFPj63rE_story.html
Greg Easterbrook, linked by andyb (the beginning is must-read, the draft is amuzing, the FNL stuff tested my resolve, but the end was good again):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/110426_tuesday_morning_quarterback&sportCat=nfl
As to Janoris Jenkins, I wouldn’t mind seeing us trade a 3rd this year for someone’s second next year, then offering a second for the guy. We get him right away, and we still have a second next year. Essentially we draft him in the third. If we can get him to switch to getting high on weight room endorphins, we have a steal.
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
Is that because it contained two links, or because of that weird, spam-looking comment in the last thread?
I understand you have to protect your site from the vultures, just curious.
I’d venture a guess that it will take a 2nd round bid, at the very minimum, to claim Jenkins in the supplemental draft. Jeremy Jarmon garnered a 3rd, and Jenkins is (was) a guy being talked about as a top 20 pick.
Rumors are flying that Houston is trying to trade up for one of the blue chip CBs, preferably Peterson. Should they not be able to, I would think they’re one of several teams to which Jimmy Smith makes sense. If they cannot land any of them, then I would guess they’d at least offer their #2 in a supplemental draft for Jenkins. Kubiak is a guy that is literally holding on for dear life in H-Town. In that respect, bidding on Jenkins this year at the cost of next year’s pick might make even more sense than expending draft capital to move up in this draft.
So, I suppose, it would take our 1st rounder to be sure of getting Jenkins, unless I am severely overvaluing him. In other words, he probably won’t be an Eagle. I’d actually prefer investigating Aqib Talib if he is released, to a “cut-friendly” type contract. Of course, if we weren’t interested in Pac Man…
Great stuff on the podcast, Tommy. I enjoyed listening. And, by all means, stick some advertising up on the page.
As a reader, it won’t detract from my experience if the title says Iggles Blitz, brought to you by new and improved Preparation I (except for the part of how can something be new AND improved, but I digress) and you deserve some payback for the hours you put in.