LT Options

Posted: March 31st, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 65 Comments »

Last night I watched a couple of games of Demetrius Bell.  In summary, there is a reason that he’s still on the free agent market on April 1.

There are times when Bell looks really good.  He’ll get into his pass set quickly.  Plays with good pad level.  Moves his feet.  Looks balanced and ready to block.  You see that and go “That’s a LT.”  There are other plays when he is too upright and his footwork is very forced.  He looks stiff and awkward.  Defenders are able to get under his pads and move him around.  I didn’t get to see him block in space or on the move very much so I don’t have a good feel for how he would handle all of our screens.

Bell has proven to be an adequate LT, but nothing more.  And he’s had durability issues.  Bell only played in 7 games last year (6 starts).  It isn’t like you can point to his intangibles as a huge strength.

The one thing we don’t know is how Bell would handle playing for the Eagles.  He would be coached by a legend in Howard Mudd.  He would play in a system that is different.  Bell might look like a different player if allowed to come off the ball aggressively instead of having to retreat on every pass play.  Bell would also be joining a line with a lot of talent and guys who have set roles.  Buffalo had a ton of injuries, which led to a lot of shuffling on their O-line.  And Bell would play beside Evan Mathis, a veteran LG who is a very good player.  O-linemen can be helped a great deal when they play beside good players.

UPDATE:  Eagles fan Adrian Ahufinger cut up a D. Bell game and posted it on YouTube.  Here is Bell vs KC.   Be sure to follow Adrian on Twitter to see if he posts any other good videos.

* * * * *

I also watched a bit of Marcus McNeill.  He is infinitely more talented than Bell and would be a very good LT…if healthy.  McNeill has serious neck issues.  He played the entire 2008 season with a problem and then had fusion surgery after the season.  McNeill suffered a neck stinger in a game last year and had to leave.  It affected him a few weeks later again.  He then had another fusion surgery on Dec. 6.

McNeill says the recent surgery corrected everything.  Yet, the Chargers released him.  And he remains on the market when teams are desperate for LT help.  That tells you that NFL teams are scared of his situation.  McNeill has to pass a physical before you can sign him and even think about getting him on the field.

In a fantasy world, McNeill would come in and pass his physical.  He could then take over at LT and we’d have King Dunlap behind him in case anything did go wrong.  That would be the best case scenario.

Bell is a viable option, but I can’t enthusiastically say I’d love it.  I do wonder if playing for Mudd and in the new system might bring out the best in him.  It could also do the opposite as well.  Not all guys handle the system well.  And not all players handle Mudd’s coaching well.  Winston Justice wasn’t his biggest fan.

I do not like any of the 1st or 2nd round OTs for the Eagles in terms of fit/value.  If I’m investing pick 15 on a LT, he better be a terrific prospect.  Jonathan Martin is interesting, but not so good that I’d love him.

My favorite OT prospect for Mudd is Boise State’s Nate Potter.  Unfortunately he’s had some shoulder and back issues that could take him off some draft boards.  He only missed a handful of games in 4 years so it isn’t like the issues kept him off the field.  The question is how his body would handle the NFL.  With the preseason, regular season and playoffs a guy can play 20-22 games in a year.  And doing that against NFL men is vastly different that blocking MWC kids.

There are other players available in the draft that Mudd could like.  The smart plan to me is signing McNeill or Bell and trying to get through 2012 as best you can.  King Dunlap  can start if needed.  I just don’t think he’s meant to be on the field 16 games a year.  Take a player in the middle of the draft.  Get him ready for the future.

Jason Peters is young enough to play for several more years.  We don’t need his long term replacement right now.  If there is a clear choice in the draft, then go get that guy.  And who knows…the Eagles may love Mike Adams or someone like that.  I don’t think that will be the case, but I certainly don’t know.

As for Jason and 2012…do not count on that.  Plan for him not to be on the field.  Should he return, that’s great.  Just don’t count on it.

As to the notion of shuffling the O-line…count me against that.  I think that makes you weaker at 2 spots.  I’d rather stick with the 4 guys we have now and add a LT.  If we get desperate in August, then shift.  The injury happened early enough to add a LT for this year.

* * * * *

A few people have asked about Ryan Harris.  The guy cannot stay healthy.  I would not trust him so why bring him in.  Pass.

* * * * *

A few people asked about Bobby Wagner after his Pro Day.  I think he is a definite SAM candidate for us.  He was down to 235 pounds, but showed great athleticism.  Ran 4.46.  39.5 vertical.  11-ft broad jump.  24 reps.  7.03 in 3-cone.  That shows speed, explosion, strength, and agility.  And he was the MVP of the Senior Bowl and a terrific player for Utah State.

He is only 6 feet tall.  That’s shorter than ideal for SAM, but last year we had 6-1 guys start most of the year.  Wagner has a better VJ than them and 32 1/2 arms.  I think that makes up for the inch he loses in height.  Wagner should be a 2nd round pick.

* * * * *

Gabe (aka Bounty Bowl) pointed out this hilarious nugget on Twitter yesterday.  It comes from a Reuben Frank interview with Howie Roseman.

Q: Drew Rosenhaus represents DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Evan Mathis and several other Eagles. How is it dealing with him so much?

Roseman: “I think we have a couple of agents who represent multiple players on our team, just like Drew [Rosenhaus]. If we went through our list, there are agents who probably have more players [on our roster].

Our relationship with Drew is good. It’s developing into a really strong relationship. In fact, we saw him when we were in Florida and we were out at the pool. I let him watch my kids for a couple minutes while I got a cocktail.

We’re encouraged by everything that’s gone on. And there’s no problem there. There’s no problem dealing with Drew. He’s a deal-maker, he wants to get solid deals for his players, he wants to keep them in the same place that they’re in. That’s not a concern at all.”

Drew Rosenhaus, babysitter.  Crazy.  Sure makes me feel better about Shady re-signing.

I am disappointed that Roobs didn’t immediately request a sit down with the Roseman kids to find out their take on Drew.


65 Comments on “LT Options”

  1. 1 Jonzee72 said at 11:06 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    Wow, getting TO fired really has changed Rosenhaus.

  2. 2 aerochrome2 said at 11:15 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    I saw this asked in the other thread, but how does a player on the PUP affect the cap? Does anyone know?

  3. 3 Anders Jensen said at 11:37 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    I just asked @Eaglessalarycap, will tell when I get an answer

  4. 4 Anders Jensen said at 3:16 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I got an reply:
    “@Mjoedgaard Yes, Peters would still count against the cap if on the PUP or IR”

  5. 5 aerochrome2 said at 7:01 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Damn. Good we have a decent amount of cap left.

  6. 6 Thunder_lips said at 11:38 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    ARTICLE 45
    Section 1. Qualification: A player qualifying under the following criteria will receive an Injury Protection benefit in accordance with Section 2 below:
    (a) The player must have been physically unable, because of a severe football injury in an NFL game or practice, to participate in all or part of his Club’s last game of the season of injury, as certified by the Club physician following a physical examination after the last game; or the player must have undergone Club-authorized surgery in the off-season following the season of injury; and
    (b) The player must have undergone whatever reasonable and customary rehabilitation treatment his Club required of him during the off-season following the season of injury; and
    (c) The player must have failed the preseason physical examination given by the Club physician for the season following the season of injury because of such injury and as a result his Club must have terminated his contract for the season following the season of injury. This preseason physical may be given by the Club physician prior to the beginning of preseason camp, so long as such fact is clearly communicated in writing to the player at the time of the physical exam. The preseason physical examination given for qualification need not be the entire Standard Minimum Preseason Physical Examination, but shall be that necessary and appropriate to evaluate the injury for which the benefit is sought.
    It is agreed that a player who qualifies for Injury Protection under Subsections 1(a) and 1(b) may be waived prior to being given a pre-season physical examination, but the waiving Club would retain Injury Protection liability unless and until the player signed a contract with and passed the physical examination of another NFL Club. In other words, a Club cannot evade Injury Protection liability by early waiving.
    Section 2. Benefit: A player qualifying under Section 1 above will receive an amount equal to 50% of his Paragraph 5 Salary for the season following the season of injury, up to a maximum payment of: $1,000,000, in the 2011–12 League Years; $1,050,000, in the 2013–14 League Years; $1,100,000, in the 2015–16 League Years; $1,150,000, in the 2017–18 League Years; and $1,200,000, in the 2019–2020 League Years; in each case unless he has individually negotiated more injury protection or a larger guaranteed salary in his contract. A player will receive no amount of any contract covering any season subsequent to the season following the season of injury, except if he has individually negotiated more injury protection or a larger guaranteed salary in that contract for the affected year in question or if he qualifies for the Extended Injury Protection benefit described below. The benefit will be paid to the player in equal weekly installments commencing no later than the date of the first regular season game, which benefit payments will cease if the player signs a contract for that season with another Club. A player will not be entitled to such benefit more than once during his playing career in the NFL, and such benefit shall be reduced by any salary guaranteed to the player for the season following the season of injury.

    Good info in there, but our situation is different because Peters was not injured in a game or practice. I believe he would only be due whatever fully guaranteed money he negotiated in his contract for this year. Even money guaranteed against injury wouldn’t be paid out because it was not a football injury.

    Also….

    ARTICLE 13
    Section 5. (h) Injury Protection. Beginning in the 2016 League Year, any type of Injury Protection liability shall be included in Team Salary for the League Year for which such Injury Protection applies, or the League Year in which such Injury Protection is paid, agreed to be paid by settlement, or awarded, whichever is later.

    So it sounds like even if we did have pay him, it would not count against the cap (it’s not 2016 yet).

  7. 7 Thunder_lips said at 12:19 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Found one more tidbit (because what else am I going to do on a Saturday besides dive into the NFL CBA?)

    Section 3. Nonfootball Injury:
    (a) A player who is placed on a Nonfootball Injury or Illness list (“N-F/I”) will not be entitled to any compensation under his contract while on such list but, except as provided below, his contract will continue to run while in such status.

  8. 8 aerochrome2 said at 1:21 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Thanks for the info. hopefully they figure out how to make the best out of this cap wise. I’d hate to see it slow down other deals

  9. 9 nopain23 said at 11:23 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    Hey T
    Panthers just traded for Bruce Campbell.I remember he had a monster combine would he thrive in Mudd’s system?….

  10. 10 TommyLawlor said at 11:44 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    He certainly has the athleticism, but he doesn’t have the football skills. You also wonder how coachable he is. Smart? Does he listen? Is he just more athlete than player?

  11. 11 Kammich said at 12:08 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    He was awesome as Ash in the “Evil Dead” movies.

    Oh, wait… you mean the tackle from Maryland? Nevermind.

  12. 12 Kammich said at 12:26 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Flummox! I didn’t realize they traded Campbell for Mike Goodson. Strike another prime candidate off the list for back-up running back. Justin Forsett is beginning to look like the only good option.

    I wonder if Oakland will make Taiwan Jones available?

  13. 13 Alex Karklins said at 11:51 AM on March 31st, 2012:

    So Roseman no longer suspects that Rosenhaus will kill and cannibalize his children? I guess that’s progress.

  14. 14 TommyLawlor said at 2:43 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Maybe Rosenhaus is just setting a trap.

  15. 15 NoDecaf said at 12:02 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Rosenphallus saw the light when he staged, I mean saved that drowning boy weeks after TOpera.

  16. 16 TommyLawlor said at 2:43 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Ha. Forgot about that.

  17. 17 Kammich said at 12:11 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I say we just stack Marcus McNeil on top of King Dunlap and field the NFL’s first 14-foot tall left tackle.

    McNeil would be a low-risk signing. If everything is alright with his health, he has proven that he can play at a high level. I mentioned in the last thread that the worst case scenario is that he’d be another Ryan Harris. The best case scenario is that he could be another Jared Gaither, who was let go by the Ravens due to back problems and then waived by Kansas City mid-season, only to be picked up by San Diego and play better than just about any tackle in the league.

    I wonder what kind of cocktail Howie drinks. He strikes me as an appletini kind of guy. I wouldn’t know, the only “cocktail” I’ve ever had was when I accidentally spilled some pepsi into my Jack Daniels.

  18. 18 Eric Weaver said at 12:22 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I think if you can get 10 games from him and 6 from Dunlap that’s far better than just Dunlap and a rookie.

  19. 19 Baloophi said at 4:07 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    If we draft Brandon Mosley and put him on top of the stack we would own Auburn’s left tackles from the last half decade. Might be tough to throw over though…

  20. 20 TommyLawlor said at 4:51 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I’m working on his draft profile. Could be a Mudd guy.

  21. 21 D3Keith said at 8:16 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I agree totally that the risk/reward is there with McNeill. We tried risk/reward last year with Steve Smith and Ryan Harris and they didn’t work, but the damage is done and not ongoing.

    I picked up on the Roseman/Rosenhaus story too. So much in just one sentence, the cocktail, the kids at the pool, the idea that you’d trust any casual NFL acquaintance to watch your kids, um … getting drunk while around children and water.

    This is the guy I trust with my favorite team, however.

  22. 22 Arby1 said at 1:03 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Asked this over at Scoutsnotebook but Matt never got back to me: how does Bobby Wagner compare to Lavonte David in pass coverage? And who do you rank higher? I think of Wagner as a baller who will be very successful but maybe needs to play inside; David probably better in pass coverage.

  23. 23 TommyLawlor said at 1:25 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I think David is the better cover guy, but not by much. Bobby Wagner was used as a pass rusher a lot so he has less experience. Could be good cover guy in the NFL. David is natural in space. Good coverage instincts.

  24. 24 Kammich said at 1:39 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    “Dr. Mark Schwartz provided some bad news for Eagles fans to CSNPhilly.com, calling a ruptured Achilles tendon a career-threatening injury, and saying that if Peters has the typical time of recovery, he wouldn’t be able to play football again until at least a month after next year’s Super Bowl.

    “Of those who did return back, the average length of recovery was almost 11 months prior to returning, with a [minimum] of seven months,” Schwartz said.”

    Anyone else feeling nauseous?

  25. 25 Anders Jensen said at 2:01 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I knew about the recover length after all the talk about Ryans, but never heard it should be a career ender

  26. 26 wee2424 said at 1:53 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I think slot of our negative think towards Drew as eagles fans stems from the T.O debacle. Most of which was probably T.O, and Drew was stuck in a hard spot, because it is his job to back his client.

  27. 27 TommyLawlor said at 2:46 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    There is definite truth to this.

    I think Drew burned us with Donte Stallworth as well. Donte should have never left. He had 5 TDs in 2006. Has a total of 6 since he left.

  28. 28 wee2424 said at 4:08 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Forgot all about stallworth. His time with us was so short. Wasn’t aware that Drew was his agent also.

    Stallworths career definitely would have been better if he stayed here.

  29. 29 Kammich said at 5:04 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Yep. For one, he would’ve never had the hit and run incident that resulted in a man’s death. Have to think that Stallworth has never been the same since that happened. Bad situation.

  30. 30 D3Keith said at 8:00 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I thought Stallworth had a good season for us, but I don’t remember the Eagles being real pressed to get him back.

    Even though there was a season between the two, any chance that we’d have kept Stallworth long-term and not drafted DeSean, and I’m okay with how history has shaken out here.

    I thought Stallworth handled the Reyes death about as well as a public figure could.

  31. 31 Mike Kaye said at 2:45 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Absolutely love Bobby Wagner, that’s my guy.

  32. 32 GermanEagle said at 3:05 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I think with his name alone Bobby is predestined for greatness!

  33. 33 Mac said at 2:52 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    By the title of this article I assumed you had found a way to travel back in time, pick up a “prime” version of Lawrence Taylor and bring him back to 2012 to play for the Eagles.

    Imagine my disappointment.

  34. 34 TommyLawlor said at 3:53 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    The old bait ‘n switch. Gotcha!!!

  35. 35 Kammich said at 5:05 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Just leave a trail of cocaine to the Linc and he’d probably still be worth 4 or 5 sacks.

  36. 36 Baloophi said at 5:26 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    But then you run the risk of Michael Irvin showing up…

  37. 37 TommyLawlor said at 7:04 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Not necessarily a bad thing. Dude does know how to party.

  38. 38 Jeppe Elmelund van Ee said at 3:06 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Chris Steuber just put up a post, where he basically says that the Eagles should trade up to #3 to pick Kalil, surrendering this years #15, 46 and 2013 first round pick. If the FO feels like it can be a career threatening injury, should we make this trade?

    http://chrissteuber.com/features31.html

  39. 39 TommyLawlor said at 3:55 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Steuber’s opinion is completely irrelevant to me.

    Don’t panic. Sign a FA and then see if Mudd can draft/develop an OT. You can always use the 2013 1st rounder to draft an OT in that class.

  40. 40 GermanEagle said at 4:14 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    So you don’t like Steuber then…interesting! 🙂

  41. 41 Kammich said at 5:08 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Kalil is an elite tackle prospect. Deserves to go #3.

    But Jason Peters just turned 30. Herremans is 29. They’re both signed long term. Why the hell would we forfeit 3 premium picks to move up and draft a guy that would wind up in a logjam in 2013?

    I just don’t understand the urge to draft a Tackle high. We’re in bad shape for 2012, but the long-term outlook is still very strong. Don’t mortgage a draft and a half worth of picks based on panic.

  42. 42 TommyLawlor said at 7:03 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Yep.

  43. 43 D3Keith said at 8:07 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Exactly. Even if we had to overpay to get Bell or McNeill to agree to a short-term deal with an out after a year or two, we’d recoup the value in the fact that we could still use the No. 15 on a non-tackle, and perhaps a player that starts for us for six or eight seasons.

    I’m okay with them using a pick in this draft on a guy that can play T, but I like the FA route with Dunlap as Plan B because we know who they are and what their limitations/skill sets are. Particularly McNeill, if healthy, we get a good player. With a rookie — like Watkins last year — you just don’t know how soon you can count on him being NFL ready. Can’t waste games this year like we did last season.

    I really don’t want to see them package picks to move up. I’m sure Kalil is awesome, but we have a mid-round 1 and two mid-round 2s … all those guys could develop into starters who we’re paying $565,000 or whatever to for three or four seasons. That’s a huge opportunity to make the team better. Don’t blow it to patch over a major hole for one year.

  44. 44 Jon_88 said at 3:50 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Would one option be to sign both Marcus McNeill and Demetrius Bell on 1 year deals if they were willing to do it and perhaps even draft Nate Potter and let all three battle for the job.

    I mean whatever the eagles do no player is going to fully replace Jason Peters and by bringing in all three it would at least give us depth and an opportunity to find the best player to replace Peters and on 1 year deals it would be easy to cut either McNeill or Bell if they got injured.

  45. 45 TommyLawlor said at 3:57 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    The players would not agree to that. Both Bell and McNeill want to start. Bell is looking for a multi-year deal. If you convince him to sign for 1, you’ll pay him decent money and make him the starter.

  46. 46 Jon_88 said at 4:04 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Yeah I thought that would probably be the case. I was just thinking with other players signing 1 year deals such as Carlos Rogers and Stephen Tulloch last year it may be an option as they could help themselves in next years free agency market if they played well, especially as there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for them especially McNeill

  47. 47 Jon_88 said at 3:51 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Would one option be to sign both Marcus McNeill and Demetrius Bell on 1 year deals if they were willing to do it and perhaps even draft Nate Potter and let all three battle for the job.

    I mean whatever the eagles do no player is going to fully replace Jason Peters and by bringing in all three it would at least give us depth and an opportunity to find the best player to replace Peters and on 1 year deals it would be easy to cut either McNeill or Bell if they got injured.

  48. 48 austinfan said at 4:26 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    One thing to keep in mind is we’re moving to the two TE formation as our base formation.
    That puts less pressure on the OTs in pass protection, since the TE makes it harder for a DE or OLB to get outside on the OT. And the TE can chip on passing plays before going into coverage, or double team on some plays, keeping the DE off balance.

    Not sure Mudd is as effective with OTs as interior linemen, he did develop Blackshear and Diem as RTs, but Walter Jones was simply a great talent, hard to take credit for him, though he did help Tarik Glenn develop into a top notch LT in Indy. However, Ugoh, athletic 2nd rd LT never developed, and Charles Johnson was adequate at best (though to be fair, he was a 6th rd pick best suited to be an OG). And in Indy, Peyton made it much easier to play LT.

    Good news is you know Mudd will be reviewing the film of every college OT the next few weeks, and maybe a few TEs as well.

    Adrian Robinson, Cincinnati, 6’4 264, 39″ VT, 11’3 LJ, if he can’t catch . . .
    Matt Vellman, ND State, 6’7 256, 34″ arms, 35″ VT, 9’11
    Two guys with the size to think about moving them over.
    At worst guys athletic enough to give you a blocking TE (if they can block) who can handle DEs.

  49. 49 Mac said at 4:33 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    an excellent observation in a year with a weak OT class.

  50. 50 Anders Jensen said at 4:45 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    When was the last time the Eagles used a blocking TE?

  51. 51 TommyLawlor said at 4:54 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Alex Smith was a good blocker for us in 2009.

    Pure blocker? Jeff Thomason maybe. Could be forgetting someone.

  52. 52 Mac said at 6:54 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    The Pro Bowl LT we’re talking about here is a TE…

  53. 53 TommyLawlor said at 9:32 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Great point.

  54. 54 Kammich said at 5:11 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Robinson is definitely a sleeper. Great athlete, but virtually no production at Cincy. Could be one of those guys who emerges as a better pro than a college player.

  55. 55 the guy said at 5:36 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Anyone else fondly remembering when we were merely worried the Eagles would go into the season with a hole at MLB?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l7Wfg4YAAQ&t=7m9s

  56. 56 wee2424 said at 7:17 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Lol but we weren’t wondering who our starting LT was at the time. Sorry for being negative, but I’m pissed.

    The Shady Sheild is now missing its strongest peice of armor.

  57. 57 RC5000 said at 6:39 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Wagner would be a good pick as a young MLB behind Ryans, perhaps you have him compete with Rolle or at SAM – he fits what we have. Question is do we want a bigger SAM who sets the edge and isn’t wasted and do you want to keep adding these types of lbs one after the other.

    As a playmaker, I’m not sure it’s ideal to waste Wagner at SAM but he’d be a candidate. He certainly fits the profile of our other SAMs which I’m not sure that’s a selling point for me and he’s not as big as Kuechly…I think Chaney has 33 1/2 inch arms compared to Wagner at 32 1/2. Both virtually had the same vertical leap in their workouts.

    If you put McClellin there, you’re wasting his pass rushing but he’s 6-3, 260 with tremendous athleticism and agility and you’re hoping with his size, he can compete better inside setting the edge in the Wide 9 with his big hands and length. McClellin could naturally fill out more.

    Wagner seems like a solid 2nd rounder as does McClellin and may be there (chance he won’t be though as teams looking for playmakers might draft Wagner before we did if we were drafting him as our starting SAM).

  58. 58 RC5000 said at 6:46 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Nice post on the OT situation Tommy…Is Potter going to be there at our 3rd round pick? He seems like a natural for the Mudd scheme at least at right tackle anyway. Teams like Denver (who has Clady on the Left side and obviously Peyton now), Washington might have some interest but can Potter fall even further than the 3rd round.

  59. 59 Jeppe Elmelund van Ee said at 8:30 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Just watched the Bell-tape vs Kansas, and even though he is certainly not an elite LT, I think he is capable of helping out this year.

    I hope we get him on a reasonable one year deal, so that I can sleep relatively well again!

  60. 60 TommyLawlor said at 9:32 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Bell is an adequate starter. Given the circumstances, that’s what we need.

  61. 61 D3Keith said at 9:47 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    I watched the first half, to the 5:09 mark of a 9:16-long video. All his blocks aren’t pretty, technique-wise, and there were a couple holds that went uncalled and a falldown/whiff in there, but in the entire half, the guy he was blocking (quite often Tamba Hali) never makes a play or is first guy to the ball. Late in the half one of his assignments he blocks for about 5 seconds before the guy comes off and finishes off Fred Jackson.

    To my non-trained eye he looked better pass-blocking than on runs. I wonder how that affects us and Shady, and how much help we have to give, and if we don’t draft a TE and Harbor or Celek gets hurt, how much two-TE we can run, etc. …

    All in all, looks like we could do worse. I wish I had a King Dunlap cutup to compare.

  62. 62 Flyin said at 9:44 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Tommy,

    It seems draft scenarios and FA acquisitions have been addressed. Do you foresee any teams willing to trade a player the Eagles may have their sites on? Demeco was a surprise.

  63. 63 juggadore said at 10:01 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    we did just draft a tackle last year in the 1st round. can he play tackle? also, how will losing peters affect evan mathis?

  64. 64 Flyin said at 10:07 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    he is not an nfl tackle according to the guys in the know.

  65. 65 D3Keith said at 10:20 PM on March 31st, 2012:

    Also moving him weakens us at guard. If that’s our best idea, we should keep Watkins in his spot and start Dunlap, who at least had the body of an NFL tackle and some experience there.

    Remember when we thought that guy was complete garbage? He’s come a ways.