OTAs Today

Posted: May 20th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 27 Comments »

The Eagles have OTAs again today and the media is allowed to watch. We should get some good practice nuggets. I’m sure we’ll also get bombarded with song lists.

There is little to no contact so these are not true football practices. Judging defensive players is very difficult. You can see athletic ability, but the lack of hitting and tackling leaves us with little to judge. We’re getting icing, but no cake. I made a joke last week about Bennie Logan dominating a trash can.

One of the readers, Baloophi, responded to that with a great piece in the comments section.

Tommy, you’ve cautioned that rookie camp shouldn’t be about evaluation, which is why I don’t think we should make a big deal about Bennie Logan dominating a trash can: it’s Trash Can’s first day in the NFL!

I, for one, am excited about Trash Can. At 33″ tall and 55 gallons in volume, he’s got prototypical size and rare lack of movement. As you can see in the video, you’re not going to move him off his spot. Also, I think we can already see how he earned the nickname “Brute” – he plays a little dirty.

Does he come without question marks? Of course not. He had a few issues in college: getting caught holding up a pong table after curfew, and getting suspended for filling himself with ice to house a keg. But, to his credit, after his Sophomore year he really screwed his lid on tight.

At the combine his diameter measured 26 1/2″… and you simply can’t coach that kind of size! Sure, the rest of his combine numbers aren’t spectacular (vertical and broad jumps of 0′ 0″, and a glacial 19 seconds in the 3 cone). He also chose not to lift, but now that he has access to an NFL weight room and cafeteria, you have to think he’ll be able to at least improve his strength.

Yes, Trash Can is raw, but the Eagles were fortunate to get him as an UDFA. Gil Brandt says he heard the Cowboys were trying to trade to the top of round 2 to take him.

While there’s no guarantee that he’ll earn a roster spot, at least he has the right attitude. When Les Bowen asked how he’s adjusted to Chip Kelly’s fast-paced practice he said, “I’m expecting to get vomited in quite a bit.” Sounds like an Eagle to me.

Material like that is why you should always read the comments section. Truly great stuff.  Hopefully Trash Can has a good showing at the OTAs.

* * * * *

The Eagles made it official, cutting rookie RB Miguel Maysonet. The team signed TE Will Shaw, who had a tryout at the rookie camp.

Maysonet was one of the top UDFAs in the league and got a $10,000 signing bonus from the Eagles, but he failed to impress the team in some way. We don’t know if it was physical, mental, or having to do with effort.

Shaw, 6-2, 242, played collegiately at Youngstown State. He began at a junior college and then played 3 years at YSU. He was a Safety in 2010 and then moved to TE in 2011. This season he led the team in receiving, going 35-429-5.

Interesting move. There seemed to be good depth at TE already. The Eagles must have been impressed with Shaw.

* * * * *

I finally finished the Ifeanyi Momah video. This is his performance vs NW from the 2011 season opener. I only got 5 of his 8 catches (shortened version of the game). I also included one interesting incompletion.  One of the catches is shown twice. My editing skills need some coaching from Chip Kelly.

* * * * *

Speaking of videos…you must go to Jimmy’s site and watch the video he made. It is unlike anything you’ve seen. NSFW, but incredibly hilarious.

_


27 Comments on “OTAs Today”

  1. 1 Sb2bowl said at 11:33 AM on May 20th, 2013:

    Thanks for the link to the video- that was great.

  2. 2 blargh! said at 12:00 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    good video – horrible announcing. QB showing his arm strength on a 7 yard curl pass that doesnt reach the receiver? And the last incompletion – bad throw to wide open Momah gets the comment that the NW defense ‘locks down’ in the red zone. Seriously, this guys is paid for that insight?!

  3. 3 poetx99 said at 12:30 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    madden announcers are more insightful than those guys were. inserting random pass play commentary would be better. that 7 yd hitch nosedived. and the drag off play action, that ball was wobbly as hell and landed at his waist. weird to see highlight clips of a freakishly tall WR and NONE of them involve a jump ball or him even reaching above chest height to make a catch.

    how many more yards would he have had w/ a good quarterback?

  4. 4 Brett Smith said at 4:11 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    There is an awesome McNabb joke in there somewhere involving shoe laces, dead worms, low balls and YAC. I just don’t want to seem like a hater.

  5. 5 ACViking said at 12:23 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Re: Momah – His Missing Carmichael Factor

    With visions of a dominant Momah dancing in my head, I remembered a little discussed factoid about Harold Carmichael . . . which may have helped make him and another player dominant in their NFL era.

    In 1971, Carmichael was an Eagles’ 7th Rd pick from Southern University — an historically black college that, for another decade or so, continued to feed the NFL.

    In 1970, a Southern U teammate of Carmichael’s was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the the 3rd Rd.

    That would be the 6’4″ 215 lb CB Mel Blount — a future HOF who forced the NFL to create the 5-yard chuck rule.

    Think about practice at Southern U during the ’68 and ’69 seasons. On the offensive side, you had 6’7″ 220 lb WR Harold Carmichael. Opposite him on the defensive side was his near physical equal in CB Blount.

    The battles they must have had would have been worth the price of admission.

    Momah, unfortunately, had no Mel Blount-type CB to challenge him at BC. That’s really too bad.

  6. 6 poetx99 said at 12:27 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    wow. the QB is really — thinks about your ‘they are fellow humans column’ — less than ideal in his accuracy and ball placement.

    i expected this to be a bunch of cut-ups of jump balls. other than, perhaps, some trepidation on behalf of the CBs covering him, i didn’t see ANY instances in the film of his success being dependent upon his height. whether he was split out or aligned tight, he basically got open from his route running. would have been nice to see any YAC on display, but his QB repeatedly threw low. not ‘low’ for a 6’7″ wideout. we’re talking low for chad hall type throws.

    momah showed good lean, good takeoff from the line, good feet and ability to get in and out of breaks on the curls. (which we can extrapolate to comebacks, digs and outs). he was a little late getting his shoulders around on the ‘7’ in the end zone but the pass was low and he had to dive. earth to the QB — you’re WR is 6’7″ — try putting the ball where only HE can get it and give him an actual advantage.

    as far as potential uses, that deep drag / shallow post across the field on play action is one that would be immediately useful for the eagles. you figure desean or maclin runs off the playside CB. with momah’s long speed, if he just breaks behind the LB and runs on that deep angle he is going to be wide open by the time he gets to the other side of the field. that’s a TE type of route but he’ll get there much more quickly than a TE. if you vacate the front side coverage and just put the ball high and out in front of him that is an easy throw. matchup nightmare in the making.

  7. 7 Stephen Stempo said at 12:59 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Yeah. The whole time I’m watching the video I’m wondering what theff that QB is doing. He’s 6’7″ you know how much lower he has to go down to get these balls? Not the best throws to be honest.

  8. 8 Anders said at 3:41 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Great break down

  9. 9 Geagle said at 5:17 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Nice post.I have a really hard time seeing a special talent like him being given up on after one offseason. You cant put him on the practice squad because a unique talent like him would get snatched up quickly by some other team wanting to get a first hand look at the kid. Dont see how we could give up on him before training camp in year two.
    ..
    It was really tough to watch that QB throw, and like you, the fact that he was producing because of route running as opposed to his height was one of the first thing to jump out at me, and its encouraging to see.
    ..
    I have a feelin its going to be tough to keep Benn and Momah off this roster, and Damaris is pretty much only competing with Russel Shepard as a small, burner type who could backup Desean. Crazy to see the physical transormation in the recieving corp. We went from a group of smurfs with Cooper being the lone Gargamel, to a group of big boys, but you cant get away without having a fast, small reciever to backup Deseans role, and Damaris is very lucky having so little competition for that role. I was pleased to see Goldie Locks Cooper step up amidst dysfunctional Chaos last year for Foles, when veteran leaders (allegedly) like Celek were coming up really small, playing some of the worst ball I had ever seen him play. WR’s blocking and creating mismatches with size is going to be very important and valuable to this offense…
    ..
    Curious to see how people view the WR roster battle, and how they would rank recievers chances to make this roster(as best as you can not knowing how many recievers we will even keep). My guess right now:
    1)Desean. From speed, to his big one year deal(basically), I think he is the biggest lock at WR to make this team in 2013.
    ..
    2)Arrelius Benn. This is probably a crazy irrational statement, and I dont expect many people to agree. This just comes from my personal admiration for Benn, and what I project him to become assuming his knee’s are ok. I loved hearing how brutally honest he was with our media the day he was signed. How he flat out seemed pissed off at his career up to this point. You could just see the disapointment, and belief that he is capable of being so much more. I loved the fact that he didnt try and make excuses, and sway us by pointing out his impressive YAC rankings early in his career..Reminded me of when Brandon Graham was really hungry to prove that he wasnt a bust.
    ..
    3)Momah. I dont expect him to be much of a contributor in 2013. But with such a tough WR battle ahead, I dont think you take a chance on Momah, and give him a bigger than expected signing bonus, if you arent willing to invest some time before giving up on a rare, physically imposing talent.
    ..
    4)I have to list Maclin here, although I have to admit, that his Demeanor in interviews this offseason have left me with a bad taste in
    my mouth. I really could be reading him wrong and he hasnt said anything terrible, but his answers and tone dont give me the exciting that I get from hearing all the other eagles talk. Questionable Blocking, and going into a contract year always leaves open a tiny( 5%) possibility for a trade in the back of my mind. I know its kind of silly to rank a guy who has a 95% chance of being our starting #2 WR in 2013, 4th..If Im being honest with myself i expect Maclin to get his shot in 2013, but not earn a contract extension and seeing him walk in FA(just a gut feeling)
    ..
    5) Cooper. I do think he is done getting by on potential and being the only physical WR on the team. If Benn produces, Riley wuill really have to earn his spot, but I liked what I saw last year(finally).
    ..
    6)Damaris Johnson. Like I said, with all these big Physical recievers, Desean will need a smallish backup. Damaris is basically only competing with Russel Sheppard so I have to like his chances to make it.
    ..
    7)Avant. Really tough to have to rank such a classy, hard working warrior like Avant so low. But I really find it hard to make a case for such a fan favorite. I dont even know what to make of trying him out at CB or what that means.
    ..
    8)Sheppard. After running his mouth and stirring up that Drama, I have to think we like him on some level, for him to still be here. I dont see any way that Shep AND Damaris BOTH make this roster.

    Curious to see peoples oppinions on how they handicap/rank recievers chances to make the final roster

  10. 10 Iskar36 said at 6:11 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    I agree that Momah is a fascinating player from a measurables stand point, but I do think regardless of how impressive his numbers are, he will need to actually show potential for him to make even the practice squad, let alone the 53 man roster. Keep in mind, this is a guy that did not put up great stats in college at all, outside of the one game where he got injured:

    Year……..REC….YDS….TDs
    2007…….1……….13…….0
    2008…….11……..149…..3
    2010…….19……..296…..3
    2011……..8………171…..0

    Each year he improved, and it is clear at least from the one game video Tommy showed that he wasn’t working with the best QB, but the point is, he does have to prove he can play at this level to the coaches. If he shows potential, I fully agree with you that the Eagles have shown enough commitment that they will make sure they do not lose him, but if he looks overwhelmed, barring getting injured and put on IR, I doubt he makes the team on measurables alone.

    As for your list, for the most part, I agree with it. The one place I may disagree with you is with where you put Maclin. I think he is at least 3rd on the list and if he doesn’t make it, 4th on the list should be a player not currently on the roster. I just have a hard time believing the Eagles would be comfortable with Jackson and ???? (Cooper maybe?) as the starting two WRs. Also, I’m curious to see who is on the outside looking in between Cooper and Damaris. Damaris lacks the speed Kelly likes, but definitely has the versatility. Cooper is a big WR who has shown he can be a good blocker, but with the additions of Momah and Benn, if those guys do prove to be worth keeping, Cooper’s value seems to diminish a bit. As you pointed out, Cooper is not going to make the team on potential any more. He does have to prove he can be a reliable WR.

  11. 11 GEagle said at 10:08 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Can’t argue with that…good stuff mate

  12. 12 Telmert said at 8:34 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    I would definitely be looking to move Maclin if I’m Howie. For the reasons you’ve given plus there won’t be enough catches for him in this offense. Move him before his value drops. If he’s here, his snaps go way down because of his blocking. He’s also probably off if they do go with 3 TE sets.

    I’m really curious to know how much they intend on using an inside/slot receiver. If they do have NE elements to their offense, will they use someone like Welker? If yes, who? Avant? Does that give a guy like Salas a chance sneak up on a spot? I would put Salas ahead of Sheppard either way.

    I don’t know about Benn #2, but I think both he and Cooper will be valuable to Chip. I can see that bubble screen with 2/3 wide receivers split out wide with one or both of those guys as blockers. Ertz also an option out there.

    I think Momah is #6 or PS. I’m more in agreement with Iskar36 on him.

    Agree on Coop and I think he gets more of a fair shake with this group – playing the best performers regardless of name. (I’m hoping that Chip puts any receiver who tackles himself or gets a case of alligator arms gets sent to the bench. Same for any DB who points at another player to blame them).

    Not sure on Damaris. If Maclin stays and someone else wins the PR job, he could be in some trouble.

  13. 13 GEagle said at 10:13 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    man, I always forget about Salas, and I like that kid…You make a great point about Maclin. there really won’t be enough passes to go around to allow him take that next step up in production we all keep waiting for him to make. With limited balls to go around, I don’t see how we could possibly offer him an extension close to what him and his agent will perceive to get on the open market. Mike Wallace, and his average production last year practically ensured it.

  14. 14 Ark87 said at 5:35 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    great points, that said, I wish there was an opportunity for him to demonstrate that he can *play* big. We know he *is* big, but does he know how to use it? If he doesn’t is he willing to learn. Hank Basket killed me playing the way he did with the frame he had…for years.

    Like I said, he didn’t get the opportunity to demonstrate it, so I can’t hold it against him.

  15. 15 CTAZPA said at 7:51 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    poetx99

    Your delicate touch in describing our fellow creature’s lack of acumen in the “aim and direct a pigskin” department caused mirth to ensue.

  16. 16 Kevin Klinger said at 3:18 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Kempski’s video would not have been nearly as funny if I had not loaned him my van

  17. 17 P_P_K said at 3:50 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    I want to get a Trash Can jersey. What # is he?

  18. 18 pkeagle said at 5:09 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    00 if I remember correctly!

  19. 19 Geagle said at 5:18 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Cookie Monster was rocking his Jersey on last weeks sesame place episode

  20. 20 theycallmerob said at 11:26 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    depends what your address is. For instance, I just got a 742 jersey.

  21. 21 Geagle said at 5:36 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    I wish that before the media reports on the song list of the day, they would use every chance they get to watch practice, to provide fans with updates on the way our inury concern players are moving around out there: Momah,Benn, Kenny Phillips,Bradley Fletch. I wish someone would give us a report on those guys every single chance they get to see them in action..
    ..
    Still waiting to hear some offseason intel on Kendricks(Scheme change, year 2 development makes me expect a significant leap in production).. It was really interesting to see Vinny curry’s interview on PE the other day. Says he bulked up 20lbs from his last season playing weight(sure looked like it). He also hinted at excitement for the “special packages” they installed for him, whatever that means(could besimilar to the Nascar, atleast thats my best guess)..
    ..
    I hear todays, standout studs were Foles and Barwin..and I heard impressive reviews of James Casey and Momah…anyone hear anything else about who stood out? Loved hearing how the #2’s jumped offsides a few plays in a row, chip got pissed, quickly got them off field, and went right back with the ones. We hear alot of great examples of how the players like him..but its nice to get a report on him cracking the whip when needed.

  22. 22 Anders said at 7:54 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    “(could besimilar to the Nascar, atleast thats my best guess)..”

    I know the Giants have come with a lame name for that formation, but its bugs the hell out me that they get the credit for that formation when the Eagles used it before them when we had Darren Howard and we got it from the Saints who used him like that.

  23. 23 GEagle said at 10:14 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Yeah I agree…it’s just the most popular name to use to get my thought across…it does absolutely suck that the midgets get credit for it

  24. 24 SteveH said at 8:23 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    If you want to read something that will simultaneously explode your brain and severely depress you…

    http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/michael-vick-10-nfl-veteran-had-taught-chip-163607560.html

  25. 25 Tim said at 8:47 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    Great link over to Jimmy. Hilarious, and one weird dude. This made up for the feet scraping on the helmet to helmet show when I was eating dinner, okay maybe not.

  26. 26 Flyin said at 9:48 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    “no cake”… leads to digesting a lot of aggression.

  27. 27 RC5000 said at 10:59 PM on May 20th, 2013:

    I know this is off topic but is such a touching story on RG3, I had to share.

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-robert-griffin-iii-20130520,0,4392175.story#tugs_story_display