More Odds and Ends
Posted: January 6th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 39 Comments »Lots of oddball stuff going on today. First up, Director of College Scouting Ryan Grigson is going to be interviewed by the Colts and Rams for front office vacancies. Grigson has a good reputation around the league. Losing him would be frustrating, but you always want your guys to be offered promotions. Good luck to him, but I’d love to find a way to keep him.
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Interesting note from Doug Farrar (formerly of Football Outsiders) on Twitter.
Think the Packers missed Cullen Jenkins this year? He led all DTs in run defeats, run stop rate, and allowed just 0.7 yards per run play.
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Philly Sports Daily had a report up that I forgot to comment on. They found out from a source that Todd Bowles is open to joining the Eagles. He was a candidate to be the Defensive Coordinator last year, but the Dolphins denied the Eagles permission to talk to him. Bowles was Assistant Head Coach / Secondary last year in Miami. Prior to that he was the Secondary coach with Dallas. Bowles is a Temple grad and played in the league from 1986-93.
I don’t know if I would fire Castillo to hire Bowles. He’s never been a DC in his career and would be learning on the job. He has a strong background, but all young coaches must adjust to being a coordinator. We just spent the 2011 season having Castillo learn on the job. Bowles is much better prepared to be a DC than Juan was, but I’d hate to throw away the 2011 season for a move that wouldn’t be a substantial upgrade.
I would love for the Eagles to hire Bowles to take over the secondary. Johnnie Lynn isn’t a compelling CBs coach. Bowles would be a terrific positional assistant to add to the mix. I don’t know how realistic that is. Bowles is talking to a couple of teams about open HC spots. Those could be simple exploratory interviews rather than serious interest interviews.
If the Eagles decide to replace Juan Castillo, I want more of a slam dunk hire. Sean McDermott proved you could have a high quality background and still not be the right guy for a job. Bowles could be great, but there are no guarantees.
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Temple RB Bernard Pierce is going pro. I hope the Eagles don’t take him…for Bernard’s sake. Coming here as a backup isn’t a good thing for workhorse runners. I’d love a guy with his size and skill set, but seeing him get 8 carries a month would be frustrating.
Speaking of the draft, I posted a LB prospect update over at ScoutsNotebook.
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Ray Diddy and Hyperbole Baldinger got together for a “rip the Eagles” session. Highly flawed logic in parts of the piece.
Didigner starts off by spending several paragraphs talking about how he doesn’t buy the Eagles hot finish as anything to be taken seriously. Okay, that’s fair. I have no problem with him on that side of things. I think he’s overly dismissive, but that’s just my opinion.
Ray then segues in the season finale vs the Skins.
On defense, the tackling which was a problem much of the season isn’t any better. Evan Royster, a slow-footed sixth-round pick from Penn State, ran through them for 165 total yards and averaged 5.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Royster had a 28-yard run up the middle on which four Eagles – safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, linebacker Brian Rolle, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and nickel back Joselio Hanson – all missed tackles. In fact, no one tackled him. Royster stumbled and fell or he may have gone the distance.
Very slick of Ray to say that “Royster ran through them for 165 total yards.” That is true, but deceiving. Royster ran for 113 yards. He had 52 on receptions. It still adds up, but Ray’s wording makes it sound like Royster had 165 rushing.
The run defense in the game was a huge problem. Hmm. Let me think. Were any players missing? I seem to recall Mike Patterson, Jamar Chaney, and Kurt Coleman being out. That’s the run stuffing DT, the MLB, and SS. That’s the middle of the defense. Patt is the best run defender. Kurt might be 2nd.
Since the bye week, the run defense had given up 110 or more yards just twice (CHI, SEA). We weren’t a dominant run defense, but things were very much cleaned up. With the middle of the defense missing, the Skins went for 130. If you asked me before the game what missing our guys would have meant, I’d have told you we were going to struggle vs the run.
Was tackling an issue on Sunday? Heck yeah. It had been good in recent weeks, but we didn’t play well on Sunday. The score was 34-10, but it was a sloppy performance by the offense and defense. I don’t think anyone would dispute that. It was a meaningless game and the Eagles played like it was meaningless. The effort was okay, but the performance was sloppy all day long. The tackling in the previous 3 weeks was nothing like what you saw Sunday. That point isn’t brought up, of course.
Both Didinger and Baldinger rip on Jarrett. I’ve got no issue with that. He didn’t play well. He’s fair game.
Baldinger goes into some coverage breakdowns. It is tough for me to say much about this because we’re trusting him and Ray. I don’t trust Brian. Smart guy. Problem is that he loves to say “edgy” things. Someone has convinced him that being controversial is the way to go. He’s blown things out of proportion for years, good and bad. That’s why I call him Mr. Hyperbole. Last year he was ready to put Jamar Chaney in the Hall of Fame after his 16 tackle performance vs the Giants.
I don’t dispute that there were some blown coverages. I’d just have to see them in context to try and understand them. With a rookie like Jarrett on the field, I’m sure there was more confusion than usual. Nnamdi-Nate-Jarrett-DRC had never started as a group. I’d be shocked if there weren’t mistakes.
One of the plays that they refer to is a blown coverage of TE Logan Paulsen. They talk about the ball being thrown over his head. They conveniently left out the fact that the pocket collapsed on Rex Grossman on the play and he threw while leaning backward. It wasn’t anything like a normal pass. Again…context is important.
This is my favorite part.
“I was talking to some (Eagles) coaches and front office people before the game,” said Baldinger, who broadcast the game on the Compass Media Network, “and they really are excited about this winning streak. They think they’ve turned it around. But how can you look at this (tape) and say that?”
Let’s break this down. Baldy talked to some people before the game. They felt good about the team because of 3 straight good showings. Then the team plays a sloppy game. Baldy reviews the tape of said game and wonders how anyone could watch the sloppy performance and think the team had turned it around. Yo Baldy…you talked to the guys BEFORE the slopfest. Ugh. The man was smart enough to go to Duke, but he doesn’t see the logical flaw in that? Astonishing.
It blows my mind that Baldy and Diddy spend all that time ripping the defense and saying how the Eagles can’t hang with either the Saints or Packers, both of whom the Eagles rank ahead of in Pts and Yards allowed. And that DVOA stuff.
They did mix in one paragraph about Vick. That’s the real difference. Brees and Rodgers had all time seasons. All time. Their defenses stink. Vick has an okay defense, but the Eagles offense underachieved in a major way. I know, I know…that story isn’t as fun as pointing out a blown coverage by Nate Allen. I’d love for Diddy and Baldy to review some Saints and Packers tape and talk about their defenses. Last Sunday Green Bay allowed 575 yards and 41 points. The Saints gave up 301 yards and 17 points, but 164 yards came on the ground (6.8 ypc!!!). You can’t win in the postseason with that, right Ray?
The Packers and Saints are much better teams than the Eagles. We all agree on that.
However, they have very porous defenses that aren’t a big deal because their QBs can win shootouts. That logic doesn’t apply to the Eagles. Because the guys don’t like Juan as DC or the LBs or the Safeties, our defense sucks. The fact Vick hasn’t won a shootout all year is Castillo’s fault. Or Nate Allen’s. Makes total sense.
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And now for the lighter side of things…a great PBR ad. NSFW. Frank Booth at his finest.
Tommy I just had a dream. We trade for Lance Briggs and then draft Luke Kuechly with our 1st round pick.
How much did Briggs cost us?
a 2nd round pick and Samuel, then I woke up and realized that Samuel does not fit the tampa 2 because he cannot tackle.
Tommy I read everything you write all year round but you’re getting a little Spads-like lately. The Lurie PC defense and now this – really giving away the independence you once had before writing for Eagles website.
Me writing for PE..com has nothing to do with what I write here. They don’t tell me what to write for their site, let alone here.
I get very frustrated when people rip the Eagles, but do a sloppy job. The team went 8-8 and had a very disappointing season. There is plenty of material to work with to be critical. Why can’t people do a better job of that? Emotion.
Didinger has been anti-Reid/current FO since at least 2008. I don’t think he’s forgiven them for passing on Felix Jones. Could go back further than that. He seems to be dying for change.
Ray can be anti-Reid. That’s fine. Just be smart about it. He has forgotten more football history than I’ll ever know. He’s a great writer. I expect more from him. Simple as that.
Ray D may know a lot of football history, but I’m not impressed with his film study. Give me Jaws any day.
Ray D is also stuck in the past, he still thinks it’s the 1990s and hasn’t come out of his coma and realized the game changed dramatically after 2003.
I would love to draft Luke in the first round and possibly Audie Cole in the 4th. Adding a FA LB to the mix to possibly compete for SLB. Tommy what do you think about Bobby Wagner from Utah State?
I am seeing some mocks, having the cardinals taking Luke as their 1st round pick…because Stewart Bradley was such a bust…Tommy, you think they may c-block the eagles if luke declares?
Also, what do you think about Jared Crick as a 2nd round pick for the Eagles?
Also, one last question, assuming Desean resigns, and Luke is drafted before the Eagles, and/or returns to BC, who do you think should be their second choice at #15? Ashlon Jeffrey?Zack Brown? Kendall Wright?
ARZ has bigger needs than an ILB in the 3-4. I think taking a guy like Kuechly would be dumb. Then again, the Cards don’t always do what I think makes sense.
Crick? I want to know more about his health. I think he’s a better DE than DT. Based on his size, doesn’t fit us. The Eagles could disagree and like him at DT.
Zach Brown would be my choice from that group. No interest in Alshon Jeffrey.
Tommy, if Kuechly stays in school don’t you think drafting Brown to play Sam and leaving Chaney in the middle with the little ball of hate at Will would also be a good option?
Unless Jamar makes some upgrades to his game this offseason, no way can they leave Jamar in the middle…He has shown he is a backup at best. I would rather have Disco Stew back in the middle over Jamar if that was our only option. If Luke wasnt availble and we get brown, I would keep my eye on Tulluch and pray he doesn’t resign with the Lions. I would think he would resign, but if for some reason he hits the market, Brown/Tulluch/Rolle would be a great LB crew, with Matthews/Chaney/Jordan/Fokou/Lloyd/Clayton (other potential draft picks) all competing for B/U spots.
I agree Brown/Tulloch/Rolle OR Chaney would be ideal but the Birds had their chance to get Tulloch last year for only 3mill. Now after proving he can produce in two different defenses he’s going to want even more and I doubt the Eagles FO will re-evaluate him so high that they are willing to meet his expectations. Again, I hope they will but I doubt its likely.
I think Chaney did a good job in the middle again this year. The Sam experiment with him was awful. And yeah he might not be a Pro-Bowl talent but he’s definitely the best option we have at MLB on this roster and may be better than any option in the draft, if Kuechly doesn’t go pro. We can take a second, third or fourth round swing on Cinci’s Schaffer, NC State’s Cole or Burfict. But Chaney should be given some credit and I think if we can’t get Tulloch than Chaney is the next best option.
Although, London Fletcher hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. He might be an interesting stop-gap if Kuechly doesn’t declare. But again I also doubt the FO would sign a 36 yr. old FA. And are we looking for a one or two year stop-gap or an end to the continual LB carousel in Philly?
If they really like Kuechly but he doesn’t come out, then there’s always the possibility they pick up a stop-gap guy and try to get him next season.
The Birds did not have a chance to get Tulloch, he was asking for $10M bonus and $6M a year, when he found no takers, he signed for one year with Detroit b/c Schwartz was his former DC. He would not have come to Philly for similar money.
Which do you think is the more sustainable model: Vick suddenly becomes one of the best three QBs in the league and the team wins a lot of 45-41 games OR This mediocre-on-its-best-day defense gets better personnel and a competent DC and the Eagles win a lot of 21-17 games? Which do you think is more likely to occur? And remember, if the defense had only blown three fourth quarter leads instead of five (or, alternatively, hadn’t gotten used like $2 whores by bad teams like the Cardinals and Seahawks), the Eagles have a home game this weekend. Vick, and the entire offense, absolutely needs to play better but to suggest this team is 8-8 because Vick isn’t Brees or Rodgers is simply nonsensical.
Whoa, dude.
Of course I want the defense to be better. Who wouldn’t? We do need the ability to win tight games. We do need the ability to shut down good teams. My goal is for us to win the Super Bowl.
My point is that Diddy/Baldy rip the Eagles defense to shreds, then compare us to teams with worse defenses. They aren’t being logical in their analysis.
I have written about the need for LB help for months now. I think if you find the right couple of LBs this defense can be pretty good, even with Juan at the helm. I’ve written recently how I’d love to hire Spags in some capacity because I would like to see the coaching talent upgraded.
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This team went 8-8 due mostly to turnovers. Vick was the #1 culprit in that area so I do think he should shoulder a lot of the blame for 2011. We knew the defense would be erratic. We expected the offense, with a stable scheme and elite talent, to carry the team. That didn’t happen. Even worse, they turned the ball over.
“And remember, if the defense had only blown three fourth quarter leads instead of five the Eagles have a home game this weekend.”
And you’re sure that this is all on the defense?
Week 2 @ Atlanta: Up 31-21 with 14 minutes to go. Not exactly a blowout at this point, and with a raw defense that haven’t had much time to get to know each other, you’d think that the Eagles would keep their foot on the gas and try to put the game away. No, they were shut out for the entire 4th quarter: Final score 35-31.
Week 3 vs NYG: Up by 2 with 10 minutes to go. Offense fails to convert a 4th and 1 and then Kafka throws 2 interceptions. Giants take advantage of the short field and win the game. Eagles again fail to score in the 4th Q.
Week 4 vs SF: Yet again the Eagles fail to score in the 4th Q (you might be starting to see a pattern here) and don’t manage to hold on to their 3 point lead. Oh, and don’t forget Maclin’s fumble when the O finally started to put a drive together.
Week 9 vs CHI: Up by 4 with 14 minutes to go, but surely the rest of the team gave the D some help to hold on, right? Oh yes, there was the drive that stalled at the PHI 26 giving the Bears a short field and leading to a touchdown. And then there was the fake punt attempt at midfield, giving the Bears a short field and leading to a touchdown.
Week 10 vs ARI: It’s 14-14 going into the 4th Q. The Eagles should easily take the game from here, right? The O is going to pull something special out of the bag? Not quite. The offense had 4 plays in the Arizona half in the 4th Q of this game, and the only reason they got this field position in the first place is because of an Asomugha INT on the ARI 26. How does the O thank their team mates for this big play? That’s right, they go 3 and out.
I’m not trying to say that the D doesn’t take some of the blame for these blown 4th Q leads, but the reason we lost these games is because players on BOTH sides of the ball screwed up.
Draft Kuechly and trade Asante and the defense looks in pretty good shape. If we’re going to compete next season, the O needs to improve more than the D does.
I think this was the crux of the failure in 2011.
AR KNEW his defense would struggle with Juan, it would have struggled with Allen (look at Denver’s first five games), it would have struggled all season with Jauron (Cleveland’s DVOA is worse in 2011 after adding Taylor and Sheard to Haden, Rubin, Ward, Gocong et al).
But he figured what I thought at the beginning of the season, the explosive 28-30 ppg offense would carry them to the bye at 4-2 or so, covering up for the defensive struggles (like NE and GB). Then the defense would start to jell and they go 8-2 down the stretch like they usually do. 12-4, ok, maybe 11-5.
Instead, the offense sputters and they go into the bye 2-4, saved by, uh, the defense shutting down the Redskins in game 6. They start off strong after the bye, then the turnover machine, aka VY, costs them 2 of 3 games, and they finish 6-4 instead of 7-3 or 8-2.
If they start 3-3 and finish 7-3, they’re 10-6 and there is no gnashing of teeth. With the offensive talent on this team, that should have been a no-brainer.
You forgot the missed 33- and 39-yard field goals in the second half against SF.
I also remember some criticism of Reid for being too agressive with that 4th & 1 call against the Giants, which affected him the next week, when he got too conservative against the 49ers.
Agree though that the offense was supposed to carry the D early this season and really didn’t deliver. They tanked the first half of the Buffalo game too, the O did … plus the INT return cost them 7 points. That was on Vick/Kelce.
Baldy also said after the McNabb trade that McNabb was always horrible and the only reason he was decent was because Andy covered up his frailties. Or it was something to that affect. And just recently he labeled Kelce as deserved for the Pro Bowl. Obviously he played well, but I don’t know if he was in the top three of centers this year for the NFC.
He really has become a sensationalist. It’s why I rarely read ESPN articles without a lot of skepticism. They are essentially mandated to be that way from some things I’ve read.
He was actually right about mccnab tho
Funny item from The Onion.
http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/andrew-luck-repeatedly-mentions-how-good-his-neck,26962/
You realize, of course, that Heineken and Budweiser were behind the untimely deaths of PBR’s best spokesmen, Patrick Swayze and Dennis Hopper, right? There was a massive cover-up. Keep up the good fight, Tommy.
Here’s an ad from Breckenridge Brewery that pokes fun at Coors’ stupid “cold activated” blue mountain gimmick that’s been shoved down our throats all season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQXIMWsYr7Y It made me laugh.
Nice. That Coors gimmick is so dumb that even I am not impressed.
With all due respect, Tommy, just because there are other factors in being terrible against the run, like a few guys being out, doesn’t mean that we aren’t in adequate against the run regardless.
Attributing poor performance to injury is a two way street. Did I miss the part where Evan Royster is the intended starting RB for the Redskins? Where that team has had excellent health all season and every one of their top offense players against the run were playing?
Every team has injuries by week 17. In fact, the Eagles were pretty healthy by league standards. If you want to grade taking injuries into account, I think you need to be careful that you also make sure you adjust performances against units that were more banged up by the end than we were. Those give an equally bad measure of the quality of the unit.
By the way, I think the idea that Kurt Coleman might be our second best run defender is, at a minimum, the biggest indictment of the people building the roster that has been put forth.
Our run defense remains an issue because we need LB help in a major way. Put a good MLB in this defense and that will make a huge difference. I have talked about the need for a MLB for months. I gave Jamar Chaney a few games to see what he could do and the guy just never made substantial improvements. He got better, but he’s not good enough.
The run defense in the season finale was bad. It had been better in previous weeks, but the Skins got the best of us. Jarrett was a major letdown. And I don’t know what to make of Royster. He was good in backup role vs NE, NYG and then lit up the Vikings and us.
The skins have been running pretty well the last few games. Except maybe the gmen game. First helu then royster. Pretty sure u could plug any decnt RB in there and he would have success. I do think our run d looked way better b4 that game.
What makes me want to move on from Juan the most is that nnamdi said we were helping Juan along the way. Really? The players were helping Juan? It just makes me feel like NFL players might not buy into him. And might just do their own thing and not follow him. With a talented roster we need a guy that people will buy into
RE: Coleman
The SS should be one of your key run defenders. Andre Waters might have been the best run defender on Gang Green. Zordich was terrific vs the run in his era. Mike Lewis was good vs the run in his day.
Ideally you’d like to have a LB who could be classified as a run stuffer. The Eagles don’t and that’s why I’m so adamant on getting a good MLB.
Sure. My point wasn’t meant to be about the position. It was meant to be about the player. (Also, I think Trent Cole is our best run defender. Just so that’s clear.)
Agreed on Cole. Problem is that he can’t impact every play because he’s out wide and also rotated.
I wasn’t thrilled about the Jarrett pick (reach), but to be fair, it’s hard to judge a defense with inexperience at LB and S. Good defenses rarely have more than a couple rookies and second year players in their top 15, and those rookies are often top 20 picks. Throw in the lockout and it’s no surprise this defense struggled.
They did improve after the first five games (Redskin game is hard to take seriously, good or bad, because no one on either side except maybe Royster was motivated), they shut down the Giants and Cowboys when those games meant something. And they held rushers to 4.0 YPC after that rough start, only Forte and Lynch put big numbers on them (Bush’s 100 yard game was a garbage time stat against a prevent), and they did that to almost every defense when healthy. As far as Royster, I think Shanahan is a mediocre HC, but the one thing he does well is find RBs who fit his offense, look at the Denver RBs who gained 1000 yards for him over the years.
They need to bring in more talent at LB (other than Luke, it’ll have to be free agents), and look at another SS. But their overall finish wasn’t a fluke, people talk about the weak schedule, but I looked at the top defenses and their games against above average offenses, and the only defense that really played a bunch of good offenses was Miami. Teams like Cincy and Cleveland feasted on bad offenses. Overall, the Eagles faced a normal quality of offensive opponents, and like most top ten defenses other than the Steelers, got smoked by the best and handled most of the rest.
So their statistical finish wasn’t an anomaly created by weak opponents, a conclusion supported by FO, where they finished 12th in defensive DVOA, but 7th in weighted (toward the end of the season) DVOA.
Yes, the Packers and Saints stand way ahead of us. Bummer is that the scheduling gods denied us a chance to play them and directly test what may have been the focus of some offseason priorities. After losing a close one to the Packers, we went out and retooled a defense to feature 3 pro bowl corners and a fierce Washburn pass rush. That sounds like trying to match up with their pass-heavy offenses & superstar QBs. But we end up playing the run-solid (but with good QBs) Bears and Falcons. Not saying the plan would have worked (look at the Pats game), but a playoff game with GB or NO would have provided some more food for thought.
And Tommy, were only a fan of PBR, or also their lower-shelf Red White & Blue?
Tommy,
Do you feel it’s important that if we get a new DC or whatever, that this person isn’t necessarily at the stage of his career where he’s a potential HC candidate for other teams?
I ask this because we talked about guys like Ray Horton last year and after a year in AZ he’s already being interviewed for the Rams. Wouldn’t we prefer someone that isn’t looking to leap forward after a year or two?
Ideally you want stability at DC, but you also don’t want to turn down the right guy for fear of losing him. You need a plan in place for how to replace him.
If they make a change, it would be great to find someone who could be here for a while.
Hiring Spags and Bowles (DBs) would be a dream for me. I think Bowles gets a DC job somewhere. If he doesn’t, then he has a legit shot here, especially if Spags is the DC.
After reading your review of LBs, I’m convinced they’re going to focus on LB in free agency. Can’t depend on Luke being there even if he decides to come out, and every other LB who will be available is a real question mark as a rookie (most rookies don’t have much impact on defense). So I can see them targeting two or three LBs, one major signing, and maybe a Grant, Goff as well. Right now Hawthorne and Lawson seem like the best bets, Erin Henderson is another. Depends who actually hits the market.
Need to watch Lawson play. Not completely sold on him. I’ve been a big Hawthorne guy for a while. Good player.
Hahaha, that paragraph about baldy talking to them b4 the game then saying how can they b excited after watching the tape is hilarious. I actually really like baldy and think he knows his stuff. He does like to say edgy things tho. Didinger on the other hand seems very overrated to me. I never bought into him.
They r nowhere near as bad as the talk show hosts tho. I love how talk show host try to say stuff like “Andy Reid disrespects the fans when he doesn’t give good press conferences”. Really? I don’t need him to give crazy press conferences. I think they r insulting Philly fan intelligence by trying to get us to go against Andy just because he makes their job a little harder. Too bad the African honey badger could care less what they say
Baldy is a smart guy. That’s why I get so frustrated when he does go over the top. He should be a great resource for fans. Instead, he’s very hit and miss.
If I trusted him more, then hearing him talk about blown coverages would be very important.
Jaws is unbiased. He’ll praise, he’ll rip. When he would watch tape and talk about Donovan not finding open receivers, I believed him. Jaws isn’t over the top. He’s not looking to make headlines with some wild opinion.
I like Didinger. But I also thought the article was a little like “trying to shake things up.”
Not much to add but I found it amusing that he wrote an article saying how much they didn’t improve and it was 100% based on talent. No mention of scheme or coaching.
So basically, if I were to buy into this article, I would also conclude that if they simply improve the talent at LB and/or safety, all will be well.