Self-Improvement and Some Jameel McClain Talk
Posted: March 19th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 80 Comments »Suddenly there is a criticism going around that the Eagles are just bringing back the pieces from an 8-8 team and that is either dumb or shows that they don’t want to improve. Gimme a break.
The 2011 Eagles were underachievers. The team didn’t lack talent. Vince Young didn’t call it a dream team because he thought the guys all looked dreamy in their new green uniforms. The team was loaded. There was a ton of talent in place. The Eagles didn’t need a major overhaul. The team needed to go from underachievers to playing up to their ability. Simple as that.
When a team has overall talent, but doesn’t play up to it, you make minor changes. You tinker. The goal is to find the right group that has the right chemistry. Think of this like mechanics working on a race car engine. You don’t rebuild it. Then you’ll have a whole new set of problems to work through. You make minor adjustments to get the engine running at peak performance.
Extending Todd Herremans and Trent Cole – smart.
Working out long term deal with DeSean Jackson – this can be debated, but the fact they got him locked up and everyone is happy makes it a smart move.
Bringing back Evan Mathis – smart.
I think those of you complaining are mad about the timing more than anything. You want the Eagles to make new moves, not take care of old business. That, I get. The Eagles couldn’t do some of this stuff earlier. DeSean and Drew Rosenhaus I’m sure wanted to see how the WR market played out. Mathis had to become a FA before he could be re-signed since he was here on a 1-year minimum deal. And again, the team wanted the player and agent to see the market to help with the deal.
I do not know why the Todd and Trent deals happened when they did. That could have had something to do with the Eagles finding out what the cap figure was going to be so they knew exactly how to structure the deals.
The Eagles will add talent. Expect the hunt for a LB to take place in the next few days. Why the wait? The whole NFL has somewhat turned a blind eye to the LB market. The position is de-valued right now because of the passing game. Curtis Lofton is a terrific player and he’s young. 10 years ago he would have been signed on Day 1 or 2, unless he wanted to shop himself. 2012 is very different.
Aside from adding a starting LB, the Eagles are going to be picky in FA. They’ll add depth. The Mike Gibson move was the kind of thing you’ll see. Study recent Super Bowl winners. They had key FAs in place, but the guys were in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th season with the team. You don’t load up in FA and win right away. Last year was the big haul. Those are the guys who will offer the big impact.
Most of the offseason talent this time around will come through the draft. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and complaining about the picks that haven’t worked. Think of it this way. Howie and the guys will get it right and the team will benefit or they’ll stink it up and he’ll get fired. I think a lot of you would prefer option 2 to the first one, sadly enough.
The Eagles first order of business was to take care of their own this year. That was the smart thing to do. Heck, I had one offseason scenario where I didn’t have the team didn’t add any starters in FA. This team doesn’t have many holes in the starting lineup. Trying to make upgrades in FA would not be wise. You’re better off adding depth, focusing on the draft, and selectively adding starters. I say add one LB and that’s it. The rest of FA should be backups.
The team was highly erratic last year. The best way to change that is to get rid of the troublesome players and/or issues. That is why getting DeSean a long term deal is so important. His issues affected his play. That won’t be the case in 2012. That problem should be gone. Asante Samuel will be traded or cut. His freelancing led to some busted plays and big plays. Can’t have that. DRC will take his spot. Danny Watkins was slow to adjust to RG and the NFL. He figured things out by midseason. He should be a much better player in 2012. Nate Allen should be fully healthy, which will make a huge difference to the secondary. Jeremy Maclin hopefully won’t have anymore mystery illnesses. Juan Castillo won’t be learning on the fly this year. He’s got a season of experience under his belt and can learn from what went right and what went wrong.
LB must be addressed and will be addressed. That is the one area on the team that does lack talent and does need serious attention. Expect that area to come into focus this week.
* * * * *
Speaking of LB…Adam Caplan said something on Twitter that got a lot of people to thinking that Jameel McClain could be the Eagles target at MLB. First, I didn’t take his comments that way. I got the vibe that he was just throwing names out there as possibilities.
So what about McClain? I don’t like him a lot for the Eagles. He is a talented young player, but seems right at home in the Ravens 3-4. McClain spent 2 years blowing people up on STs. He has started the last couple of years at ILB in Bart Scott’s old role.
McClain is smart. You see him adjusting the defense and getting guys moved around. He didn’t have Ray Lewis beside him for a long stretch this year, but McClain’s play didn’t dip at all. Good ILBs must be smart/play smart. McClain is aggressive, but not reckless (opposite of Ernie Sims). He reads plays and is patient. Loves to attack downhill when he’s got the chance.
McClain has a solid build at 6-1, 249. He generally tackles well. Sometimes he’s more of a body tackler than I like. He gets his body in front of targets and catches them rather than wrapping up and putting targets down. Has pretty good speed, but isn’t anything special athletically. Good between the tackles LB, but I don’t know that I’d say he’s a sideline-to-sideline guy.
McClain is an ascending player. He’s coming off his best year. Started all 16 games and had 84 total tackles. Added 2 FRs, 5 PDs, 2 TFLs, and an INT. Not great numbers, but solid. His numbers get better each year. He’s getting more playing time and also is playing more like a veteran now that he’s got some experience.
Does a pretty good job of diagnosing plays. However, I think he benefits quite a bit from having Haloti Ngata and Terrence Cody in front of him. Those guys keep him clean and let him read plays, then run to the ball. This is where I have an issue with McClain as an Eagles target. He has never played MLB in a system where the DTs are getting upfield in a 1-gap attack. McClain is used to having the big guys control the LOS for him.
Also, McClain isn’t a natural LB. Played mostly DE at Syracuse. They did use him at LB some, but I think most of that was at OLB. He’s made himself into a solid LB in the NFL, but guys playing in the 3-4 don’t have to be as instinctive. They are allowed to attack more and mostly play behind a big NT. That’s far different than sitting in the middle behind Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson as they try to get into the backfield.
I certainly wouldn’t be mad if the Eagles added McClain, but I would hardly jump for joy. He would be a clear upgrade over last year, but isn’t my ideal target.
McClain is from Philly and sounds like a heck of a guy. He is very active with charities since he had a very rough childhood. His family was extremely poor so he is a firm believer in giving back. From that perspective, he’s absolutely the kind of person I’d love the Eagles to add. And I’ll never complain about the thought of having a Ravens player join the Eagles defense. Those guys are taught the right way to play.
* * * * *
Scouting report on the top D2 player in the draft. And the meanest.
Howie and the guys will get it right and the team will benefit or they’ll stink it up and he’ll get fired.
I’d argue that Roseman, and a good number of his draft picks, have ALREADY taken care of the stinking part but the firing hasn’t come yet. Worse, I think another mediocre season will give Lurie enough excuse to avoid cutting heads.
Pull your head out of your butt and look who we drafted last year:
Danny Watkins – starting guard
Alex Henery – starting kicker
Dion Lewis – solid backup, might be primary backup this year
Jason Kelce – starting center
Brian Rolle – starting WLB
Casey Matthews didn’t work out and everyone wants to call the entire draft a bust. We could see draft picks Curtis Marsh and JaJar get significant roles this coming season, too.
And this is just the draft…
What GM signed Nnamdi, Babin, and Cullen Jenkins? Were there 3 better free agency acquisitions in the NFL last off-season?
OK, “pull your head out of your butt” was a little harsh, but c’mon! The owner has already said Reid and Co. are on the hot seat. Let’s all stop with this “whoa is me, mediocre, blah, blah” talk. It’s so 2006.
That was not at all meant to be a “like.”
That those guys are starting is not evidence of their talent. It’s evidence that the Eagles didn’t have a better option. Watkins was terrible and Rolle saw his playing time reduced as the year went on. Lewis was one of the worst KR in the league and invisible at RB. Kelce was passable and Henery, really? You’re going to cite the kicker?
Watkins wasn’t terrible and improved as the year went on. Remember he got a late start. Kelce was more than passible. And why can’t we include the kicker? He was replacing an All-Pro.
It sounds like you’re just down on the players and not looking at the situation rationally.
+1
Ding!
5 of the Eagles draft picks from 2010 are off the team, a 3rd round pick (DTO), a 4th round pick (Lindley; spent all of last year out of football), a 5th round pick (Ricky Sapp), a 6th round pick (Charles Scott) and a 7th round pick (Jeff Owens).
The player for whom the Eagles traded Charles Scott, Jorrick Calvin, is out of the NFL and is playing for the New Orleans Voodoo.
None of the guys in that draft looks like an upper-division NFL starter (Nate Allen may get there). Brandon Graham’s opportunities are marred by injuries but the NFL’s a big boy league and sometimes you need to fix problems that aren’t your making, something Howie’s not been very good at.
If you believe that you should build through the draft, the Eagles have done a poor job in the last two. They’ve found few impact starters (Starting kicker, really? A totally fungible position if there ever was one) and they haven’t even built particularly good depth.
I am not a huge fan of the last few drafts. But I think the angry fans think other teams are these amazing drafters and we are terrible. That’s not the case. Obviously there will be a few teams that had really good drafts but only a few teams will have great drafts.
I also think that the angry fans look at picks like bunk and patt as bad picks. Not every guy is going to be Calvin Johnson. I do believe lately our D picks seem to not be good and they seem to not have any toughness. Or maybe it’s the scheme and the players are doomed when they get picked by us.
Lindley got resigned after the season.
Howie Roseman has had a few hits, but Casey Matthews is certainly not his only miss (it’s been only 2 years, so granted, both with his hits and his misses, it is still too early to really know if they will have a successful career).
Brandon Graham – I don’t know that you can call him a bust given that his injury has a lot to do with what has held him back, but he certainly has not provided the production you expect from a first round pick that you moved up to grab.
Nate Allen – Very up and down career so far. Injuries affected him, but also a guy you would like to get a lot more out of based on where he was drafted.
Daniel Teo’Nesheim – Hard to not call him a flat out bust, even though it is only 2 years since he was drafted.
Trevard Lindley – Again, bust (albeit we are talking about a 4th round pick)
We had a few hits later in the draft (Harbor, Chaney, Coleman, maybe you include Kafka as well), and the guys we missed on I am not to worried about considering where they were drafted.
As for last years draft:
Danny Watkins was not only handed the job, but they didn’t have a legitimate backup plan for him, so saying he is a starting guard is a bit misleading. By the second half of the season, he started to be a decent guard, but he still had his fair share of struggles. For a older, first round pick, I don’t know that I would call that pick a hit just yet.
Jaiquawn Jarrett – This will be a very important year for him, but so far, he is clearly more of a bust than a hit.
Curtis Marsh – A 3rd round pick that came here as a project. Remains a project.
Casey Matthews – A guy the team fell in love with for reasons still very unclear. I know they have their reasons, many of which at the time were probably solid reasons, but the one we seemed to hear from Juan was that he was a Matthews. That’s the type of stuff I expect from the Eagles message board, not from an NFL DC. Casey hasn’t shown he can be relied on to be more than a backup so far (again, we are basing this off of one year so things can change).
Again, there were a few guys that were certainly hits later in the draft (Henery, Kelce, Rolle), and a couple that may be solid backups (Lewis).
Still, in two drafts so far, Howie has not gotten great production from any of his draft picks in the first 3 rounds. Some may not have been his fault (injuries), but there are definitely reasons to be down on Roseman. I’m not saying I would have fired him already, necessarily, but Tracer Bullet is certainly not being unreasonable by doubting Roseman.
Reid must be an amazing coach then, because as terribly as they drafted the past few years (from your perspective) the team was 8-8 last year and a play here and there from being much better.
I think what a lot of people see is that there are a lot of good pieces in place, but they just didn’t come together rightly last year. The Eagles see that as well, which is why they aren’t looking to go out and try to throw money at the problem. Keep the pieces you have happy, add some other pieces here and there, and hope it comes together this year like it didn’t last year. Lots of young guys that should and will get better (Watkins, Rolle, Allen, Jarrett, etc.). It’s unfeasible to expect every player to step on the field and be stellar from day 1. Most guys it takes longer.
To me, the disappointment last year comes more from the pre-season hype than anything else. From the dream team nonsense to being the media’s anointed, everyone expected this to be a super team, when realistically there were holes that were filled by people who just flat out weren’t ready.
Just my 2 cents.
I don’t think an 8-8 record from a demonstrably soft and sloppy team is the strong evidence that you think it is.
Especially not since they were coming off an 11-5 season. Every team is “a play here and there” from being better.
We can revisit all those early games, many of which the Eagles were in control of and didn’t finish.
It’s all in the eye of the beholder, you see that inability to finish as a team weakness and sign of overall “soft”, and I see it as a young team not knowing how to close things out.
First off, I am actually happy with what the Eagles have done in FA. My comment was not meant to be “go out and sign everyone that is available!!!”. We clearly have a few holes to fill, but based on what is available in FA, there was no one that was a can’t miss-type player that filled a position of need. Even at LBer, no one is so good that you would be upset about missing them.
Second off, point out where I am being unreasonable about my summary of Roseman’s drafts so far. I acknowledged multiple times that we are talking about a 2 year sample, so those guys still have an opportunity to develop and prove themselves to be solid players. Still, in those two drafts, has anyone really proven to be impact players? Has anyone really become an above average starter?
All I am trying to say is that hallcr3 pointed out some hits in last years draft, there was a fair share of misses as well.
Well, I think your time frame is somewhat unreasonable. You say that you are acknowledging that this is only a “2-year sample” but then discredit all of them for “not being impact players.”
Some guys just take longer to come along. I’m not sure any of the guys mentioned are in the “Jerome McDougle OMG OMG OMG we DRAFTED A GUY WHO ISN’T EVEN BACKUP QUALITY AND WE COULD HAVE HAD POLAMALU” level. Maybe Jaiquawn Jarrett, but we’ve seen hardly nothing from him.
Teo’Neshiem was clearly a bust pick for us, but I guess we can take solace in that a lot of teams were high on the kid pre-draft.
Graham was coming along nicely until his injury and that may unfortunately ruin his career.
Watkins played much better down the stretch and looks to be, at worst, a passable starter.
Marsh has great tools, and we haven’t seen much of anything to be able to evaluate his play. But we’re deep at his position, so it’s not as if we were dependent on him contributing immediately. They drafted him knowing he’s a high upside project that they had time to develop.
The rest were all 4th round picks and later, not guys you generally draft expecting to be stellar starters and major contributors.
It might be useful to look at other teams from the past two years and see how many “Major contributors” come from their first 2-3 rounds. Especially outside the top 10.
I agree with your assessment on these players. I just can’t say a guy “stinks” if he started for us and looks solid heading in to the next season.
In my opinion, you’re lucky if that’s what you get out of your draft picks in year 1 – a starter who plays well enough to hold on to that job the following season.
For what it’s worth, PFT has the Eagles #1 in their “winners” of Free Agency:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/19/special-monday-10-pack-winners-and-losers-in-free-agency/
I like what the Eagles have done so far in FA. To me, this has been very successful.
But as stacked in talent as last season’s team was, that talent was missing in the LB corp.
I am not convinced they will address the LB positions in FA but whether they address it in FA or the draft, my hope is that they don’t try to be too “cute” with their decisions.
Sign Lofton or draft Kuechley….whatever. Just don’t expect to find “lightning in a bottle” in the 4th round.
I share Tommy’s stated reaction to the McClain talk, he would be an upgrade but nothing to get excited about (in otherwords, meh). If the top FA MLBs (Tulloch, Lofton, and Hawthorne) are over the Eagles’ budget, I hope they would go with London Fletcher over McClain. Fletcher is considerably older, but he has more impressive #s (esp. the FFs, if you’re a starting LB in the NFL you have to be able to force some fumbles).
Before the last 4 games the Eagles were 4-8. Every really good team beat the living daylights out of them and a few mediocre teams upset them. They were horrible at home and set a record for consecutive most 4th quarter leads blown…
and even the owner said the last 4 wins meant nothing.
Im not saying they didnt play better but to annoint them as anything less than a team that has a lot to improve on is stretching it a bit.
I want them to go out and improve the holes on this team (LB and safety).
2nd tier money saving moves arent going to cut it. (Ernie Sims anybody?)
Eagles stop with the surprise moves. Lets just make compentant ones.
I know patience is a virtue. Go Eagles!
I do not know why the Todd and Trent deals happened when they did.
Maybe to help put to rest thoughts like this from its own locker room
“The Eagles have been known for a while as a team that doesn’t take care of their draft picks and pays everyone else’s as picks and players,” Herremans said. “I think they’re trying to change that stigma that they have.” – Todd Herremans
My point was why the deals didn’t happen prior to the start of FA. We could have extended them in Feb. or early March. Didn’t have to wait for FA to start.
By timing it this way gives the media something to talk about in a otherwise quiet off season, which some are already labelling as ensuring mediocrity.
You know, that’s interesting. Could be the moves were done in FA to keep the fans interested. Hadn’t considered that angle.
I don’t know the the Eagles made the moves “to keep fans interested,” but at the time, I took the move to mean they were sending a message. The message being, this offseason, the focus is on our own players and developing our guys rather than going out and focusing on FAs.
I don’t necessarily think what Todd said is true – that the Eagles don’t take care of their picks but pay everyone else’s – but if that’s the perception, I guess that’s the reality.
I guess when you have a guy like Trent Cole sitting out there without a new contract (until now), the other players probably see that as odd.
It’s not true at all. Cole got an extension a year or two after he was drafted. As did Patt, Lito, Sheldon, etc. They signed the deal. It is not the Eagles fault they aren’t getting the current market value three years after they signed their deal.
The last 1st round pick we extended was Mike Patterson in ’05. Second rounders who have been extended over that time – R.Brown, back when we used to and Winston Justice after throwing money at other peoples draft picks drew such a calamitous result (see Stacey Andrews).
We have given deals to Celek and Avant as well as Herremans and Cole which we have just re-upped, otherwise can you think of anyone else? There must be someone I’m missing?
Silatolu reminds me a bit of Iupati. Just a big, rugged bruiser, but he has some real athleticism to him too.
Eagles don’t want to win. Eagles are cheap. AR is a terrible coach. Eagles sux at drafting. I hate my job. I hate my Marriage. I hate my life. My boss is an idiot. I know more than my employer. My employer doesn’t run the business the right way. Does that about cover it for the complainers?
Now that’s one helluva country song!
He left out the part about his wife cheating on him…
And his dog dying
Post of the Off-Season
My coffees too hot, my soup is too cold. Seriously, read Jimmy’s piece on the Dallas O-line and thank god we dont have an owner/GM playing NFL Fantasy Camp…
Manning to the Broncos, Tebow to be traded! Jesus reported to be inconsable.
In all seriousness, I’m glad Manning’s staying in the AFC. Interesting to see what this does to the Niners since A. Smith seems to have one foot out the door now.
What’s really amazing is how many dominoes fell based on what Manning decided to do.
Doesn’t choose the Redskins so they give away tons of picks for RGIII and help out the Rams immensely.
Seahawks sign Flynn. And now the Browns, who got screwed in the RGIII deal, would have had to probably draft Tannehill #4 but now can probably wait until #22.
Dolphins are left with either choosing Alex Smith or nothing.
The 49ers, after wooing Manning, are now stuck with giving Alex Smith a major apology signing or be stuck with hoping Kaepernick turns out.
Now Tebow will be traded to either Miami or Jacksonville. The only issue with Jacksonville is it would have made sense last week before they signed Henne, but now it seems less possible. And Tebow would probably single-handedly keep the Jags from moving to LA.
Yeah, I find this interesting too. It has to suck being a franchise with such little stability that one player can screw your whole off-season up.
Alex Smith isn’t the greatest QB, but if I were a Niner fan, I’d rather be going in to the season with him as my QB than Kaepernick or Hasselbeck, who aren’t long-term plans anyway.
And that is exactly the kind of thinking most of the Roseman haters on here don’t have. They have no appreciation for how solid the Eagles really are.
Very true. Pretty amazing that a guy in his mid-30s, coming off of 4 consecutive neck surgeries, essentially had the entire NFL in the palm of his hand for 3 weeks.
It leads to some interesting draft scenarios. Tannehill could end up being one of those integral prospects that determines a lot of what happens in Round 1. Does Cleveland really risk waiting until #22 to take him? Miami, KC, even Arizona could potentially have interest. Hell, WE could have interest.
Personally I think the Browns either take Tannehill at 4 or stick with McCoy. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out though, and I’m glad I’m not a Browns fan (although they are taking over Denver’s spot as “Eagles West”)
I really, really hope that the Eagles do not have any interest in Tebow. The Philly version of Tebowmania would be absolutely intolerable.
I have to disagree. Profootballtalk suggests he may only fetch a 5th rounder. If Reid and Morninwhig think they can fix his mechanics, I say trade for him and let him battle it out for the backup spot. And who knows, after a few years of their QB camp maybe he’s ready to take over for Vick.
Mechanics aside, you will get all kinds of numbskulls screaming for Tebow as soon as Vick has one bad game. I live in Denver, and the circus around Tebow was unreal, given his massive limitations as an NFL QB. That kind of distraction would offset any possible positive contribution Tebow (the football player) could bring to the Eagles organization. No thank you.
The Eagles would also have to pick up the remaining 3 years on his contract. I think that’s too much of a gamble for Joe and Howie, since Tebow hasn’t shown the ability to fix his mechanics at all in two NFL seasons.
Yeah I can’t imagine that contract looks any good since it was Pre-rookie salary cap. That’s a good point!
You make a valid point regarding Tebowmania, it makes me nervous as well but I think it’s worth the gamble. Denver had Kyle Orton and his neckbeard ahead of Tebow, we’ve got several time Pro Bowler Michael Vick. It might also push Vick to be on his game more. That said, Tebowmania to me is the biggest downside of trading for Tebow.
The contract, on the other hand, seems pretty manageable at least for this year. Per the Denver Post, Tebow is supposed to make $1,572,000 in 2012, $5.48 million in 2013 and $7.145 million in 2014 but only $232,500 of the 2013 and 2014 salaries are guaranteed. So really you’re looking at a $1.57 mil contract for this year, then you can cut Tebow or restructure him if you don’t like his progress. That seems like a reasonable risk – again, only if Reid and Marty think they can fix his mechanics, which admittedly are terrible.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20207104/broncos-trade-market-tim-tebow-not-looking-good?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I just don’t understand (actually I do) how he continually gets the benefit of the doubt after putting up horrendous numbers. All anyone seems to remember is the Broncos’ six-game winning streak and their playoff win against a beat up Pittsburgh team. Nobody seems to care that he was terrible in losing three straight games to back into the playoffs, or that they were destroyed (twice) by the Patriots who had a very bad defense.
Lots of fans here in Denver are in hysterics over losing Tebow and don’t seem to give a damn about the fact that the Broncos are now one of the best teams in the AFC. It’s insane, and I don’t want the same kind of nonsense surrounding the Eagles. I just don’t think he’s worth it at any price.
Love the blurb on Silatolu. Wow and yes please.
I’ll take a Keuch’, a Boyk’ and a ‘Tolu with our first 3 picks and be a very happy man.
Probably too early for a back-up OG, don’t you think? If we take LK40 and Boykin, I’d think the other pick is either DL or OLB.
Maybe, depends very much on whether we find that FA LB who doesn’t mind a short term contract, which seems to me what we are looking for. With regards DL, I’m not sure the option dry up after Round 2. I like the guy from Arkansas and there are several DTs that can be found in the mid rounds. Back up guard, possible dominant OL, he’d be a lot of talent to pass up. Lots of scenarios, but if the Eagles garb Keuch in Round 1, it is my opinion that they will not re-visit the position until the later rounds.
D-line is deep in the draft… I’d gladly add a young guy to the mix as well!
The Patriots have signed 2 WR including Anthony Gonzalez who could project to slot. I know this is outta leftfield, but do you take a shot at Welker? He’d be a huge upgrade over Avant.
No way. Welker’s value is if you feed him the ball. We want to feed Mac, DJax. Welker would be awkward here. Great for NE, but not all other teams.
Welker is a product of Brady, no thx.
To me, this is a very intriguing idea. We could trade Avant for a 4th or 5th rounder and still draft a Big in the 3rd or 4th as a project. This would be a huge investment in WR since we just paid DeSean and have to pay Maclin next year, BUT, we always hear how this is a passing league, etc. etc. And Welker would be a great compliment to Vick’s pocket aversion. Big question is what kind of contract he’s looking for. This is likely to be his last contract and he’s undoubtedly looking to cash in big time.
Why are Iggles’ fan bashing the FO for not going out and overpay for a MLB.NO TEAM has broken the bank for lofton/tulloch.the FO should be applauded for being patient.Why do the FO bashers feel like they know better than the 32 teams in the league who are watching the LB market just like the Iggles are.Some of these are the same people who wanted the FO to sign Mario Williams.Really?.. 50mil guranteed..how would that have been a wise use of our resources?..it’s rumored that the FO is trying to lock up Shady….with our OL now set…doesn’t it make sense to ensure we have the guy who RUNS behind that line locked up as well….instead of throwing huge money at LB’s who are not game changers…and to be honest are above average at best.If the FO gets Shady locked up.i think that’s WAy more important than overpaying for a veteran LB. Iggles have bben navigating the FA market with surgical precision and if they are targeting LK40 in the draft..i say they’re gonna get their man..
Tommy, any more scouting updates on Larry Grant? He was only tendered at the 7th rd level and seems like a FO’s “Value” signings if the LB market remains too rich ?
Not to hijack the thread or anything, but The Walking Dead was epic last night. Especially for anyone who has read the comics. They foreshadowed just about all of the singularly amazing storylines from the peak of the comic’s run… the Ricktatorship. The prison. MICHONNE!! Yes, my inner comic book geek flipped out last night and starting pumping his fist when I saw that prison on the horizon.
For all of you that have enjoyed the first two seasons… trust me, you’ve seen nothing yet. The prison storyline is about 150 times better than anything that has happened so far.
I never saw the comics, but this is by far the best thing on tv right now. The farm being over run was so intense, I totaly lost myself in it.So what’s up with the sword person with the 2 armless zombies on chains?
Wasn’t expecting to see this here but glad to hear it! Loving the show even though the second season dragged on forever.
Tommy,
Maybe it makes me a idiot – but I still disagree with you.
We’re not a team that is in need of a minor tinkering, we’re a team that was 4-8 until a late 4 game strech against 4 of the worst QB’s in the NFL last year.
We’re not the 2001-2004 Eagles, who were 1 game away from the Super Bowl. We we’re 4-8 at one point. We were a god awful team, and ended at medicore.
Tinking with medicore gives you more medicore. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe we were a great team at the end of the season, that was just late to gel, but I think that’s a awful lot to “hope” for. Could it not be just as likely that we played against Matt Moore, Rex Grossman, Stephen McGee, and Mark Sanchez?
The Eagles finished 2011 with 1 win over a Playoff team (the Super Bowl winner, but only win against playoff squads).
1-4 against team that we’re good enough to go to the playoffs.
We beat the following teams with the following QB’s:
St. Louis – Sam Bradford (2nd worst record in football)
Washington Redskins – Rex Grossman/John Beck (picking 6th)
Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo (picking 14th)
New York Giants – Eli Manning (our lone good win)
Miami Dolphins – Matt Moore (picking 8th)
New York Jets – Mark Sachez (picking 16th)
Washingtno Redskins – Rex Grossman (picking 6th)
Dallas Cowboys – Stephen McGee (picking 14th)
If you were to see that list, would you think we were a good team that just had a few bad breaks? I mena 25% of our wins came against Rex Grossman/John Beck. Another 50% against bad QB’s or young QB’s or bad young QB’s (Moore, Bradford, Sanchez, McGee).
This isn’t a team I’m confident tinkering is okay. The 2005 off season, the Eagles sat on their hands – I thought they had a good squad (until TO blew it up). They were coming off a Super Bowl, and had stars in many spots. This team – isn’t….It scares the hell outta me.
I see where you’re coming from. At the end of the day, we were 8-8. You saw a team like the 49ers bust their humps to retain their entire starting defense… well, they were 1 game away from the Super Bowl. We were 8-8.
That said… maybe I’m just the eternal optimist, but I’m pinning a lot of the problem on the abbreviated off-season. It was the wrong year to spring big bucks in free agency. We were having coaching changes all across the board, with a shortened off-season, and still thought it prudent to bring in a ton of new personnel.
The “glass half full” in me likes to think that we just didn’t begin to gel until those last 4 weeks of the season, and that we will carry that momentum into the next season. You lock up the guys who have busted their butt for you. You get a full off-season under your belt for guys like Castillo, Mudd and Washburn to get ingratiated into the flow of things. Add a few more ancillary pieces in FA, and then draft well. If that happens, I feel confident that we will improve on that 8-8 mark.
I don’t dislike our roster, but I loved our roster last year…and it didn’t work. Sure we can hope a full off season will let the team gel. We can hope the team came together, and it wasn’t just a case of playing bad teams. We can hope Vick cuts down his turnovers. We can hope the defense gives up fewer 4th quarter leads.
That said that’s a lot to hope for in my mind. I’m not a optimist. Clearly, my glass was broken, water drained….I’m often negative….but I don’t hate what their doing this off season….I just don’t fully understand the confidence….in my mind it’s over confidence.
We could upgrade WR…. I know a few fans argue with me – but Avant could be upgraded to a real threat to score. We could upgrade all three LB’s. We could upgrade both safeties. We could get a younger DL, or a more well rounded DL than Babin. I understand not all of that needs to be done in free agency, I’m just not cofident that none of it should be….Maybe Tommy’s right and it’s just a waiting game…We’ll see.
Avant is a good 3rd WR i think Maclin is the one who needs to step up. If we had a lineup of a Stud WR, Djax and Avant, that sounds pretty good. If Maclin can take that next step we will have a really good trio. Honestly im not sure he can though. He still very young tho so hopefully i am wrong
Really weird offseason for Maclin last year. I’m hoping a full off-season of work in the weightroom and at OTAs and Training Camp will help return him to his 2010 form. Perhaps a newly-refocused DeSean Jackson will help that cause, too.
At times in 2010 I had no doubts that Maclin was a future Pro Bowler. Now I’m not as confident, but I’d love to see him really step it up next year.
Avant,
Is was what I would call a prototpyical slot WR from the early 2000’s….But now, now I’m not sure I’d call him a “good” 3rd WR. He just doesn’t have the speed to score. Hands are great and all, but we are basically using 2 TE”s, he gets no seperation from defenders, and can’t make a game changing play. The guy is a dinosaur of todays NFL in my mind. The days of slow and steady, good hand slot guys has come to a end. You need a player to be able to put the ball in the end zone in todays NFL, and Jason isn’t that guy.
Tommy, you know why Scouts Notebook is always my first stop for draft analysis?
Its the only place where I get a Blazing Saddles reference in a scouting report. Tip of the hat to you, sir.
Wait, I changed my mind. Our front office sucks.
“Mike Tolbert, a free agent who has played his entire four-year career with the Chargers, signed with the Panthers today, his agent told the Associated Press.”
First Haruki Nakamura, now Mike Tolbert?! What the hell are you doing, Howie?! You buffoon! I’m pretty sure you can’t spell “Super Bowl” without “Haruki Nakamura.” I dunno, I suck at anagrams.
It was said: “the Eagles beat only 1 team w/ a winning record”. Therefore, the Eagles aren’t very good.
FYI . . . in 2011, the NYGiants beat 1 team with a winning record, as did SB runner-up New England.
But the difference between the Eagles vs the NYGs and Pats . . . they both have QBs who play great in the 4th quarter.
The Eagles haven’t had a great 4th Q quarterback since Norm Van Brocklin in 1960 — who, in leading the Eagles to their last world championship, led the Eagles to 5 “4th Q” victories out of 10 wins in a 12 game season.
New LBs or not . . . 2012 is entirely about VICK!!!
Might as well put it out there, but I wouldn’t mind having Tebow as a backup on our team. During the draft in which he was selected, I wouldn’t have minded if the Eagles used a later round pick to be a backup. Marty is a terrific QB coach and Tebow is a dedicated student, and although his mechanics are still pretty awful, he has the work ethic and mobility to become a decent QB. I would not count on him being a full time starter even a year from now, but the turnaround from Vick coming out of prison to being the starter shows that Andy and Marty are great with training quarterbacks. I would not justify trading anything higher than a 3rd round pick for Tebow, but if we can use one of our 4th rounders(since we have a spare) to get him, I’m all for it. Even if he doesn’t pan out to become a starter within the next couple years, he can still be a serviceable backup.
I would trade a 4th for Tebow in a cocaine heartbeat. Kill two birds with one stone: more competition for QB2/3 and a backup RB!
LaRon Landry to the Jets for 1 year, $4 million. Very modest deal.
I could’ve been persuaded into adding both Landry and Jason Jones at the bargain prices they signed for. Oh well.
Jones at $4.5M as a backup DT? I’d rather add someone in the draft.
Landry at $4M is a steal…if he is 100% healthy and focused on football. Not sure either is true.
Again the fustration of inaction on their part.
It smells just like the DC situation…
after everyone is gone then they say but hey we got our guys
How much of an upgrade would he have provided over Laws, though? Laws should’ve been an ideal fit in Washburn’s scheme, but he flopped last year. We know for a fact that Jason Jones can produce in the wide-9. Its a lot of money to pay, for sure. But with the way Washburn rotates the entire DLine, you’d have a pretty formidable duo of Jones/Landri coming in to rough up the passer. And if Jones were to flourish, then you already have him in-house as a potential long term successor to Patterson and/or Jenkins.
Just food for thought. I’m still bumming about missing out on HARUKI FN NAKAMURA(!).
Tommy: Any chance we might trade for RB Stewart now that Carolina signed Tolbert? Seems to fit in short yardage and also catches the ball. Don’t know anything about his “pass pro” blocking.
Last year of rookie contract makes cap sense also. OFF SUBJECT: 2 years ago I mentioned drafting Tebow and making him a MLB like Buddy wanted to do with Alonzo Highsmith. For the “chump change” Denver will accept now I might be interested in him again at multiple positions.
He’s way too good to come in here as a backup. He’d be an ideal fit, though. Good between the tackles, very good receiver, explosive KOR at Oregon. Our offensive staff’s refusal to feed backup runners negates any chance of him coming here, still.
Carolina is loaded at RB. I’m assuming they don’t have much confidence in Mike Goodson bouncing back, hence the Tolbert addition. But with DLo Williams, John Stewart, Mike Tolbert and Cam Newton… the Panthers goalline package is going to be a fucking nightmare for opposing defenses.
If you were Stewart, would you come to Philly where history shows that unless the starter is injured and missing games, the chances of getting 50 carries in a season are negligible? He’s young and would surely want to go to a place where he is both utilised and has a shot. A team like the Giants unfortunately.
I hate to be the guy that asks about any and all free agents that become available, but can anyone tell me about Yeremiah Bell? From what I have seen, he seems like a player who would be a very reliable tackler and help a lot in the run game, but with age, has slowed down and is not as good in pass defense. As a possible challenger to Coleman/Jarrett at SS, would he be of any interest assuming you would sign him to a cheap, short term deal, or would he be too much of a reliability in coverage?
I ask not only because I want some additional depth at safety, not to mention someone to challenge for the starting spot, but Bell also has connections with Bowles coming from Miami.