Random Eagles Stuff
Posted: November 2nd, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 62 Comments »There isn’t one overriding topic at the moment so I’m going to address a handful of things.
First up, my postgame column is up at PE.com. There is a lot of similarity to the DGR, but I always try to mix in a few new points of interest.
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One question that a few people have brought up is whether to expect a contract extension with DeSean Jackson. This seemed like a no-brainer in August, but the situation has gotten a bit complicated since then.
Jeremy Maclin has emerged as our best WR this year. Jackson remains the more dynamic weapon, but how to you quantify that? Who do you compare him to when structuring a deal?
Jackson deserves a big deal…but how big? You can’t pay him $10M per season based on what you’re seeing this year. Jackson has a few drops. He ran a sloppy route on Sunday that almost led to an INT. Jackson still impacts games, but he’s not made many impact plays this year. His speed alone scared defenses and coaches.
I do think Jackson has improved some this year. He’s blocked well. He’s been better in the Red Zone. He’s shown a lot of maturity in the way he’s handled himself. DeSean isn’t complaining to the press about the contract situation. He defended the coaches during the losing streak.
I think DeSean likes Andy quite a bit. I know he loves playing with Mike Vick. My guess is that DeSean really wants to stay here. The trick is just finding a dollar amount that works for both sides. I don’t know if that will get done in the next 2 weeks.
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Any other Eagles going to get contract extensions?
LG Evan Mathis would be an ideal target, but he signed a 1-year deal and I don’t think you can extend those guys. The rule used to be that you had to wait until the new league year started to give them a new deal. Sam can confirm if I’m crazy or not on this.
Mathis has been a very good addition. He is a terrific LG in Howard Mudd’s system. I’d love to see him kept around so the line can play together for 3 or 4 years. This group is really growing on me.
DT Antonio Dixon is a guy I’d love the team to extend, but he’s currently injured and both sides may want to wait and see how things go.
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Jumping back to the OL for a second…Danny Watkins is starting to look like the guy the Eagles thought he would when they drafted him. The critics were brutally hard on Danny this summer. He obviously had some major issues to deal with, but it was never a question of talent. He has that. Danny just adapted to the NFL slower than was hoped.
Danny always kept the right attitude and worked his tail off. That is starting to pay dividends. The difference in him and Kyle DeVan is night and day. DeVan is the savvy veteran who relies on technique to get by. He has serious physical limitations. Danny is gifted. He’s bigger, stronger, and more athletic than DeVan. Danny just has to learn the nuances of playing RG.
He’s made huge strides in the last couple of weeks. He should continue to get better. The Bears will be an interesting test because that will be Danny’s first 4-3 opponent of the year. That should make life easier because he’ll have DT across from him all game instead of LBs moving around and trying to confuse him.
Did the Eagles make the right pick? Who knows. You can debate that in a number of different ways. Bottom line is that Danny is the starting RG and is playing better each week. He is the weakest link on the O-line right now, but that says less about him than it does the others. I think you can make a case that Peters, Herremans, and Mathis could be Pro Bowl guys. Jason Kelce isn’t playing like a rookie. He is truly a unique guy and is the most interesting C I’ve ever seen play for the Eagles.
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I’ve gotten a few questions about MLB / next year.
Casey Matthews is a player the team still likes. I don’t know if they see his future at MLB or OLB. They obviously wanted him in the middle this year, but that didn’t work out. They may feel like a full offseason will get him ready for next year. Casey is playing on STs right now. If the team is involved in future blowouts he might get back on the field. Matthews bashers hate to hear this, but it is true…the kid got better each week. He does have a future here. I don’t know if that is as a starter or backup/STer.
Luke Kuechly of Boston College is the draft prospect I’m most excited about. He’s a natural MLB and tackling machine. He’s also a leader. I love the thought of adding a guy like that.
I’m not as high on the big name guys, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles agree with me. They may decide that they do want to get a special guy in there. The Vontaze Burfict fans think the defense would greatly benefit from his attitude and emotion. That stuff is so overrated that it is crazy. Ask 31 NFL teams if they would rather have Ray Lewis, the fiery leader, or Haloti Ngata, the impact DL. Ngata would be the choice of 31 teams. Dawk is a fiery, emotional guy, but Denver’s defense is terrible. Focus on getting the best players. Attitude can help, but isn’t as important as people want to think.
Alabama has a star ILB named Donta Hightower. Bama lists him at 6’4, 260. He might remind you of Jeremiah Trotter. Hightower is an ILB in the base D. He moves to DE in the Nickel/Dime. He has the athletic ability to play 4-3 MLB. He is an impact hitter. He’s okay in coverage. The problem is that Donta is special when he’s allowed to attack on a regular basis. That makes him a better fit for a 3-4 team that will blitz him a lot. I think he’ll have more value to 3-4 teams than to 4-3 teams.
The Eagles could love Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o. He has the size to play MLB. He is athletic enough to cover and play in space. He’s not as reckless as Burfict, but is an intense, physical player. He’s still not a great tackler and that bugs me.
So who would I like if Kuechly isn’t an option? Tough question. There aren’t a ton of good choices. MLB Jerry Franklin of Arkansas is growing on me. MLB JK Shaffer of Cincinnati is growning on me as well.
I haven’t figured out Bobby Wagner from Utah State yet. How much do I like him and is he an OLB or ILB? I watched a bit of Vandy MLB Chris Marve and wasn’t all that impressed with him.
There are some players I’m still working on. Texas MLB Keenan Robinson impressed me in the past. Jake Knott is a Junior at Iowa State. I’ve not seen him at all this year. UNC has a Junior named Kevin Riddick that has been hurt and missed a couple of the games I’ve seen.
I’ve got a lot more research to do. There’s no question that right now Kuechly is my primary target. He’s only a Junior and isn’t a lock to come out. If he does, he won’t be a Top 10 pick. Luke is a MLB at a time when that position isn’t what it used to be. I think he would be more of an early 2nd rounder, which would be perfect with our pick from the Cards.
regarding the future picks, it sounds like you are looking at replacements for MLB. i am assuming this comes with the idea that chaney would be moving to SAM and our squad would be rolle, , chaney. or something else?
would we look to bring in someone to replace fokou at SAM? if thats the case, i highly doubt it would be a high round pick since fokou isnt on the field much these days.
SAM – Chaney
MLB – new guy
WLB – Rolle or maybe Casey
We could bring in a MLB and WLB to both compete for jobs. Keenan Clayton seems to be on the outside looking in. Rolle is doing some good things, but hasn’t played so well that you promise him anything.
We need better LB play in 2012. That means at least one new guy who can start right away.
wouldn’t there be more risk involved in moving chaney to SAM? now we’re looking at possibly 3 new starters….again.
assuming chaney finishes out the year at a decent level, why should we be looking to replace him or move him around? wouldn’t it be better to bring in another guy at one of the other two spots that could compliment his skills?
Tommy, it looks like the comment system went a little haywire when i typed “””. the angle bracket things seemed to have treated it as some sort of html tag or something. lol
What about an extension for Shady? Could Todd get one or did he have escalators by moving to tackle? It would be okay for Trent to want a new contract but that might be more of a off-season signing.
Marshall Faulk had a comment on Twitter about Castillio and help with the defensive adjustment
https://twitter.com/#!/marshallfaulk/status/130845990432419840
Now correct me if I’m wrong, but it hasn’t really been that major changes has it? Much of it has been getting the right players on the field and everybody just playing better. Other than that we are playing more man and press coverage. I’m not sure he needed a lot of help figuring out these things.
Faulk is an idiot. The adjustments have been pretty minor. Tackling is the biggest change.
We’ll deal with Shady in the offseason. He will get a monster deal.
I don’t want to compare Shady to Chris Johnson, but I think you need to be wary about the deals you give to backs. Especially if Andy sticks with the 20+ touches a game thing Shady has been doing lately.
I guess the biggest credit to Shady, and bodes well for his longevity, is his ability to avoid big hits.
When Chris Johnson hit 2000 yards two years ago, I wrote a note to Peter King — who predicted another big year for him in 2010 — saying that history was completely against Johnson.
No running back who’s broken the 2000 yard barrier has followed with anything remotely close the next year. (There may be one exception whose name escapes me at the moment.)
Unlike McCoy, Johnson’s undersized. I think he’s taken a huge beating the past 3 years. And we’re seeing it now. The vertical explosion seems gone.
McCoy a different type of runner. And he never seems to take a big shot. I think he’ll be at the top of his game for the next 4-5 years.
Eric Dickerson’s first 4 years were pretty special but his worst was after his 2000 yard season where he missed to games on the way to 1250 yards. However, his first 4 years are eclipsed by Barry Sander’;s last 5 where he rushed for 2166, 1898, 1700, 2358, and 1780. Fee Nom EE nal!!!
That’s the 1 guy I couldn’t remember who’s season after 2000 yards was damned good.
Wow, those are unreal rushing numbers, especially considering Barry was more or less the only threat on offense.
From the Shows What I Know archive. I didn’t like the Watkins pick, glad to be wrong. Didn’t like starting Kelce over JJ, glad to be wrong. Didn’t like Juan as DC or Matthews at all, with the jury still out, hoping I am wrong. Oh yea, also thought that Smith was going to be a big acquisition.
Signed,
Happy to be 0-5.
Remember . . . we haven’t seen a guy like McCoy since the days of Gale Sayers!!!
No way I have forgotten. The McCoy = Sayers comparison will be my crowning glory… or something.
@Tommy: Also hurting the DJax negotiations is Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is in year 3 of a 5 year contract (1st round pick). If you give DeSean 10M, and Maclin gets better stats, how do you not pay Maclin more? Can we afford two 10M WRs?
Yeah, exactly. I want ’em both, but making that work financially isn’t simple. (unless Sam says so)
I disagree. In fact I really think that Desean will settle for a 7-8 Mio a year. And if he’s not stupid he will accept that. The colts managed to have both Harrison and Wayne (along a very expensive QB named Peyton).
The Eagles better lock up their top 2 WR long term.
Article 27, Section 2 says: “A Qualifying Contract may not be extended or renegotiated in any manner”.
So that’s that for Mr. Mathis.
Nice post from Jimmy at Blogging the bEast.
http://bloggingthebeast.com/2011/11/02/the-comedy-in-the-redskins-signing-tashard-choice/
I’ve been asked by people about the Skins. I like the overall direction of the team, but they’ve got no QB and continue to make odd moves like this. I just don’t fully trust Shanny.
“Matthews bashers hate to hear this, but it is true…the kid got better each week. He does have a future here. I don’t know if that is as a starter or backup/STer.”
Improving from awful to less than adequate is not exactly something to get excited about. Feel free to argue that point, but clearly the Eagles felt he was less than adequate or else he would still be starting. And honestly, I don’t hate Matthews (or even fault him for his struggles), I just never felt comfortable with handing a 4th round pick a starting role from day one. He didn’t earn it and proved that he didn’t deserve it. Going forward, with a year to practice and learn the defense, I would love to see that Matthews can make significant strides and challenging someone for the starting role. In fact, I like that the Eagles believe in him and I would hope that they don’t give up on him after only a few games in his rookie season, but to me, the key will be that he legitimately wins the starting spot rather than being blindly trusted with that role. I just hope the failed decision to start him so early does not have a lasting affect on his confidence.
“Jeremy Maclin has emerged as our best WR this year. Jackson remains the more dynamic weapon, but how to you quantify that? Who do you compare him to when structuring a deal?”
I think this is a great point and one that will be difficult to figure out. Will the Eagles ultimately decide to resign both WRs to long term deals? Can they afford that? Also, I know a lot of people argue that Maclin benefits a ton from DeSean Jackson’s presence. While I certainly don’t think Jackson being on the other side hurts Maclin’s numbers, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on that. Personally, I think that claim takes a lot away from what Maclin is capable of on his own. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts based on what you see from studying the tape. Is Maclin really benefiting a lot from Jackson or is he managing to find his own success?
My point on Matthews wasn’t that he was playing at a high level. Clearly he wasn’t. He was getting better, something most people ignored or didn’t want to acknowledge.
No player will be given a job in 2012. This year was special because of the lockout.
I’ve gone over this a few times, but it bears repeating. In a normal offseason the young/new players learn in the mini-camps and passing camps of May and June. They report to Lehigh a few days early and get reps there before the veterans arrive. All of these activities give the coaches a chance to be very hands-on because they aren’t dealing with a full squad.
Training camp is when players compete for positions.
This year there was no time to compete and train. The Eagles rolled the dice on Matthews and lost. He wasn’t given the job for the hell of it. They didn’t have time to have a standard competition. 2012 will be very different. Casey and the other backups/young guys will have to earn snaps at that point.
The logic the Eagles used with Matthews was that in a normal offseason, Matthews would have gotten a bunch of snaps in the mini camp, progressed throughout the offseason, and by the end of TC would have won the battle for starting MLB. Therefore, in the shortened offseason, they wanted to give him as many snaps as possible in TC to get him comfortable in the system with the idea that he would play well once the season started. While I am not saying that this approach was completely illogical, I will continue to believe it was extremely wishful and used poor logic. The more logical approach would have been to accept that the offseason was shortened, meaning that the normal focused reps that Matthews would have gotten in minicamps would not be there, and that expecting him to start week 1 was way too ambitious of a goal. Instead, they needed to make sure there was competition there and if Matthews somehow won out, great, if not, in theory the veteran you had competing at the position would be at least adequate. I will point out that this approach worked for Rolle and Kelse extremely well.
The difference between how you view it and how I view it is that you use the shortened offseason as an excuse for the lack of competition while I view it as the reason competition was even more necessary.
Kelce didn’t compete for a job. He was the starter from the get-go.
Rolle didn’t compete for a job. He emerged from the back of the pack to steal the job.
The Eagles did roll the dice with Matthews. They took a risk. This isn’t me sugarcoating it. The chance didn’t work. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s no way for you or me to phrase it. Reality is that the team didn’t think there was enough time and reps to have a legit competition between him and a veteran. They thought he had the kind of make-up and background to play as a rookie. That plan failed. Casey proved to be more of a project than they anticipated.
Teams take chances every year. Some work, some don’t. This one didn’t work.
Green Bay had 2 UDFA rookies starting in the Super Bowl last year. The old rules about rookies don’t apply the same way today. This is a different NFL and one that confuses me every time I think I’ve got it figured out.
You can argue that the snaps Jackson got with the starters in the preseason and TC were for show, but the fact is, Kelce was not given every snap with the starters and if Kelce did fail, Jackson was a viable backup. On top of that, Kelce had a chance to not only learn from a veteran, but also feel the pressure of earning a spot. As for Rolle, that is basically exactly my point. You’re saying he didn’t “compete” for the job in the sense he wasn’t in an open competition which is fine, but any backup is trying to do everything they can do start in the NFL, so in that sense he was competing. He was not handed the job, he earned it (or at least outplayed the guy ahead of him).
My point is not that a rookie can’t start. I absolutely think they can. I just think that outside of a 1st or 2nd round pick at a position of desperate need (which still involves taking a risk), relying on a rookie to start from day one, especially in a shortened offseason is a HUGE (and in my opinion, dumb) risk. If the rookie earns the spot, great. If he is forced in there because of injuries, that’s tough, but still understandable because you were not relying on the guy. Those scenarios are completely different though than what happened with Matthews.
Perfectly said…there was no backup plan…was plain bone headedness by the FO and of course Castillo wanting to have dinner with the Matthews family
but…with matthews, if he failed, we had chaney to move back to his place. In both cases, we had another guy there that could be put in place.
yea, we had jackson there ready to go, but i think we all knew from the beginning that he was the square peg trying to fit into the triangle shaped hole of the OL. there are absolutely no guarantees he would have been any better than mediocre this year. sure, he has SOME experience, but he’s big and slow and just as familiar with this OL as Kelce.
Tommy, you know talking up Watkins is just catnip for a classic Morton post. I have to admit, the guy has grown on me. Is it possible that Morton is a plant by Tommy to get us riled up? Morton = Bizarro Tommy. Man oh man! This place is so different after a big divisional win.
I will swear on a 12-pack of PBR that I’m not Morton.
My money is on ATG, Sam, or Dave Spadaro.
It would be fun if Dave was trolling your blog 😀
Being a cheerleader all the time has got to be tiring. I’ll buy that theory.
Gotta be Dave
Morton has a few decent points to make, but his view point is always that the grass is not only greener on the other side, but that we’ve got nothing but weeds. Seriously, I have never heard anyone else have such a hard on for other teams drafts. Drafts that never really happened. The Steelers are not magical drafters.
I think they try to sign Machlin and Desean….Banner will figure it out. They compliment each other very well (as mentioned by other posts) Andy loves the hail mary plays and without Desean, those don’t happen. (I could almost see Andy and MM getting bored not being able to try a 60 yard play on the first play of the game) Desean forces defenses to respect the bomb and keep a safety back, which REALLY opens the middle of the field for Machlin, Avant and this new TE we have Celek.
As far as the draft, I really think like Tommy said, Rolle and Chaney are your outside guys. As much as you like Luke, I think they need a Manti Te’o type banger in the middle. Chaney and Rolle are on the small side….it would be nice to have a 250lb’er in the middle to bang with those guards. All in all this team is pretty well set for next year. We have three high picks, and you can all but bet, that one of those 2nds will turn into a 4,5,and 7th!! I’d like a ILB and a DT in the first and 2nd. A DE in the 3rd and after that, just depth.
Don’t forget about Shady. He is benefitted by the safeties being 20 yards deep at the snap, too.
“MLB JK Shaffer of Cincinnati is growning on me as well”
I’m of the opinion that we should draft a Cincy player every year.
Joe: Hey Andy its the fifth/sixth round. Who you wanna take?
Andy: How about that fifth string corner from Cinci?
Joe: Seriously?
Andy: He’s gonna be an all-pro in two years
RE: MLB draft prospects.
I had the chance to watch both the ARK game and the ND game this weekend.
Based on my limited sample, my conclusion is:
ARK’s MLB — Jerry Franklin — is noticeably more athletic than Manti Te’o.
Franklin wears number 34. When I turned on the game, I saw him in coverage and thought he was the safety. Then on the next snap, I saw him lined up at MLB. Wow. And he seems to have great instincts and lateral quickness.
Who knows. Just one game. But Franklin looked impressive — more than Te’o.
So how does the Mathis deal work? He is released and resigned? Can the Eagles say, we want you long term. Don’t sign with anyone else. Kinda like they did with MJG a year or two ago?
He’s not released. He just becomes a FA. The Eagles can agree to a deal with him, but he can’t re-sign until the first or second day of the new league year (early March). We had this situation with a vet a few years back. Guy agreed to a deal and just had to wait to sign/make it official.
Mathis will hit free agency, but the Eagles have the luxury over 31 other teams that they can legally talk with his agent about a new deal, but he cant sign it before FA (Sam correct me if im wrong)
That’s correct.
TY 🙂
Tommy,
Regarding drafting a MLB in 2012. I suppose he HAS to be a better prospect than Casey, and if we don’t grab Kuechly, is there really anyone who is that – better?
If we don’t want to spend a 1st/high 2nd on a LB, is there anyone on the 32 other teams that you like?
I REALLY hope that we can get an impact DT with our 1st, and then Kuechly and OLB Lewis? from Oklahoma with the other 2nd…
Or how about Kuechly and Zack Brown with our two first picks??
One can dream, right? 😉
Zach will go before Luke. More of an athlete/playmaker.
I really think this could be the year the Eagles to roll the dice on a LB early. It is a clear need and there will be some good targets in the draft.
I’ve got no problem with Casey Matthews getting a shot next year. I’d even be OK with them naming him the starting MLB going into camp. But I will have a problem with it if they just give him the job and don’t bring in any competition like they did this year. Make him earn it.
They hopefully draft a MLB early in 2012 years draft.
I’d be ok in this scenario as long as the competition they bring in is legitimate. It has to be a guy who has either started in the NFL in the recent past and was adequate at the very least or an early draft pick. Some guy that nobody ever heard of that came cheap but the team tries to sell us that he has shown “promise” will not cut it for me. In my opinion, LB is easily one of our top needs, we should at least invest something towards it.
And with the way draft picks come so cheaply now, they can no longer sell everyone on the idea that there is depth later in the draft which also translates to saving some cash to spend on vets and top free agents.
You can use a 1st round and trade up into the 1st and not hinder yourself financially. So if the players are there, do that.
I noticed something in watching the ‘post game celebration’ video. They had a couple interviews afterwards; McCoy, Asomugha, Rolle. My question is in regards to something Rolle said “….We didn’t blitz the whole game, we just played tight coverage…”
Id there any truth to that? Did the Defense not send one single blitz? If this is true that is simply amazing considering the pressure the DL got.
We had 4 blitzes.
Brian has yet to learn that every comment of his will be taken literally and dissected carefully. He needs to be more careful with his stuff.
According to PFF we only blitzed more than 4 four times…
Is Chaney staying at MLB implausible? Has he given indications that strong side is his natural spot?
I’m an ASU alumn, so I’ve seen all of Vontaze’s games… Freshman year you just saw how talented he was. Sophomore year he really played pretty great, but ruined so many great plays with stupid mental mistakes. A lot of it stemmed from immaturity.
This year I’m not sure his accolades are really justified, and I would not give him a first round grade from this year unless you looked strictly at talent and potential (he’s unlimited there). He’s growing up and working harder, but he still has some areas to improve in my mind. Maybe I’m biased as an alumn, but I think it would serve him best to stay in college another year – if not for physical reasons then for the continued maturation process.
I’ve enjoyed this week so much. The Cowboys fans in my department are getting tired of my random “E-A-G-L-E-S” e-mails.
Tommy:
The upbeat and at times euphoric tone of the commentary and general excitement is setting up many of us (me included) for a big letdown when the Eagles lose again (which I’m assuming will happen at some point in the next 9 games . . . though maybe not).
One thing Reid’s excellent at is keeping his emotions level, which translates down to the players. (Compare Reid to Buddy Ryan and even Dick Vermeil. You knew when they were way up and when they were way down. Reid, though we know when he’s not pleased, really keeps a lid on the emotions.)
Reid is — and it’s kind of an entertaining image — like the test pilots/astronauts depicted in the book and movie “The Right Stuff.”
They always maintained, as Gordo Cooper’s wife said, an “even strain.”
I think there’s an argument to be made that this skill is the most important for a head coach. ‘Cause you can always find assistants with creative offensive minds (Martz) or wily defensive schemes (Williams). But who aren’t good HCs.
Tommy,
I think we all want a MLB with one of our first two picks but are there any half decent SAM backers in the 3-4 range to come in and push Chaney?
Audie Cole of NC State is big SAM … goes about 6’4, 240.
Travis Lewis of OU could play SAM for us. Playmaker. 6’2, 232.
Kenny Tate of Maryland would be an interesting SAM. Former SS. 6’4, 225.
I wonder if Danny Trevathan from UK could be SAM for us. Athletic guy who can cover.
All the stuff I’ve seen on Cole was when he was inside as a MIKE against spread teams, and I wasn’t that impressed but granted it’s tough to make a huge difference playing out of position.
I LOVE Lewis. Wasn’t sure if he was big enough for SAM though.
Tate tore his ACL and is applying for a medical redshirt
I’ve thought I’d seen Cole playing at MIKE as well.
Does he have the athleticism to play MIKE for us?
2 words: Sean Spence.
Why is everyone so convinced that moving Chaney back to SAM is the right thing? I know he didn’t spend alot of time there, but supposedly that’s his natural position. Didn’t look very natural to me. Consistently out of position and taking poor angles. He’s back to playing much better in the middle. He may never be Ray Lewis, but I don’t see why he can’t be a decent MIKE. He seems better in coverage and filling holes decently. Why not look to replace Fokou with a natural play-making SAM?
Tate is interesting and could easily put on 10lbs to beef up. Plus he play around the l.o.s alot at UMD. Problem is that he’s undergoing season ending surgery right now and is trying to gain red-shirt eligibility to return to UMD for the 2012 season. I think I’d stay away from him.
Zack Brown is a stud. Keenan Robinson from Texas started at OLB last year for Texas. I think he can easily play on the outside.