Friday Night Update

The Eagles signed 3 more rookies on Friday.  The only unsigned players are Fletcher Cox and Nick Foles.  Andy Reid said these holdouts are ripping apart the locker room and the team has already given up on 2012.  Time to look forward to 2013.

Okay, that’s not exactly true.  I just thought things were a little boring and some drama might pep up the rookie camp.

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A few people have remarked about seeing DeSean Jackson this offseason and how he is light years different than the guy from 2010 and 2011.  Jackson took the contract situation really hard and it affected him personally and on the field.  That stuff is gone and he’s back to being a happy camper.  Let’s hope this change is evident in his play.  If so, the Jackson signing could go from a good move to a great move.  When he’s at his best…he can be tremendous.

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Forget about BYU…Andy Reid loves Tha U…as in the University of Miami.  The Eagles signed QB Jacory Harris today.  He joins fellows Canes Antonio Dixon, Brandon Washington, Graig Cooper, and Chase Ford on the roster.

Harris is the #5 QB.  If he plays well and is lucky, Harris would be Practice Squad material.  I don’t think he’s ready for the NFL and he’s also got too many players ahead of him.

Jacory does have talent and could be an interesting development prospect.  He throws a good deep ball.  Has nice size and the physical tools to be an NFL QB.  He’s more pocket passer than athlete, but can run a little when he’s got space.  Great high school player who could just never put all the pieces together at Miami.  INTs were his big problem.  To put things in perspective, Nick Foles threw 225 more career passes, but 15 less INTs.

I do think he has some mechanical issues to work through.  If Marty/Andy can get that stuff sorted out, it could make a big difference for Harris and his pro potential.  I would still rate him as a major longshot.

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Someone asked in the previous post about where to learn more about football.

I put up a Reading List over at ScoutsNotebook.   There are some great books on the list.  Feel free to ask questions about them or any other football books.

Smart Football is a site that I’ve only been aware of for 10 months.  Chris Brown is the writer and does work for Grantland as well.  He does a brilliant job of explaining offensive concepts.  He’s good with defense as well, but is masterful with offense.  Be warned…he does like the spread offense.  I follow him on Twitter and find the discussions he has with other smart people (like Doug Farrar) to be really interesting and insightful.

Someone posted a good NYT blog post on DL play in the previous comments section.  Here’s the link for anyone who missed it.

Question for you guys…has anyone read Dr. Z’s Thinking Man’s Guide To Pro Football?  I never have, but always wondered if it is a really good book or is a bit dated.

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A trustworthy fan said on Twitter today that Jamar Chaney told him he’s currently listed as the starter at WLB, not Brian Rolle.  The guy does some writing at BGN so I trust him on this scoop.

We don’t want to make too much of this for a few reasons, but the biggest is this…players can be a terrible source of information.  I’m sure Chaney thinks he’s going to be the top of the WLB depth chart, but this is a very fluid time for roles and there is a ton of change at LB.  Let’s wait til we see Chaney line up there in a mini-camp before totally buying in.

It is easy to imagine the move.  If the goal is to get the 3 best LBs on the field, that should be Ryans, Kendricks, and Chaney.  Matthews and Rolle will have something to say about that, but for now you’d have to list them behind the others.  Chaney played WLB as a Sophomore at MSU and some early on in his Eagles career.

If true, Casey Matthews stays at the backup at MLB (I assume).  It would be interesting to know what’s going on at SAM.  Is Moise Fokou or Akeem Jordan the main competition for Kendricks?  I’d also love to know if Monte Simmons has any kind of realistic shot at a roster spot.

As long as we have Ryans in the middle, I’m pretty open to who else lines up beside him.  Just find me some good LBs.