Wednesday Practice Wrap
Posted: August 8th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 78 Comments »Wednesday was the final day of contact practices between the Eagles and Patriots. No one tore an ACL so it was a good day.
Let’s start with Jimmy Bama’s notes. He posted his WR rankings based on camp so far.
1) Desean Jackson
2) Riley Cooper
3) Jason Avant
4) Damaris Johnson
5) Greg Salas
6) Russell Shepard
7) Nick Miller
8) Ifeanti Momah
9) Will Murphy
Jimmy is so biased he can’t even spell Ifeanyi Momah. What a hack, right?
Jackson is on his own level. Other guys are having a terrific summer, but Jackson is the clear star. That really is great news. On the opposite end, Momah is having a rough go of it. He must pick up the pace.
Greg Salas continues to shine. He has a legit shot to make the team at this point. Salas made the play of the day and here was Jimmy’s reaction on Twitter.
Wow. Greg Salas! Got WAY up and snagged a one-handed grab 40+ yards down the field. Amazing play. Cris Carter-esque.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) August 7, 2013
I hope Greg gets a chance to show what he can do on Friday night.
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And here are Sheil Kapadia’s notes.
10:49 – Jason Peters (hamstring) is not practicing. But he’s an active participant. After Todd Herremans runs a rep, Peters spends time working with him off to the side. When Jason Kelcecomes off, same thing.
10:53 – One-on-one time. I saw enough of Tom Brady yesterday. Let’s hang out with the big buys up front this time around. Rob Ninkovich gets around Lane Johnson. Then veteran Tommy Kelly gets the better of Herremans. And finally, Vince Wilfork proves to be too much for Kelce.
But the Eagles turn things around, getting good efforts from Allen Barbre and Danny Watkins.
I caught some video of Johnson, Watkins and Kelce, all of whom turned in good reps:
The voice you hear in the background is Tra Thomas.
After I turned the camera off, Barbre did a great job on Justin Francis, drawing the biggest cheers of the drill from Thomas and Jeff Stoutland. Keep an eye on Barbre in the preseason. He’s got an excellent chance of making the team.
Glad Sheil paid attention to the big guys. Someone asked me about Lane Johnson. I’ve not seen much on him, beyond people making casual comments about him being impressive. Always better to see some proof. Mike Mayock did an interview with PE.com and said that he watched some practice tape of Johnson and was very impressed. It certainly sounds good. We’ll see him in action soon enough.
Danny Watkins is really impressive in the video. He locks on and shows good strength. He also moves well laterally, not letting the DL get free to the inside.
One of the keys to this Eagles team is going to be the O-line. We need them to stay healthy and play well.
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PE.com has notes posted. Riley Cooper had another strong day. Just one drop today.
The Eagles wide receivers looked very good on Wednesday morning. During one-on-one drills with New England defensive backs, Riley Cooper made a nice one-handed grab, beating Alfonzo Dennard in coverage. Cooper would later run a corner route into the back of the end zone, and Matt Barkley put the ball right on the money for a touchdown.
I really wondered if the off-field issues would affect Cooper’s play. Hasn’t so far at all. That’s a great sign.
Patrick Chung also looked very sharp against his former team. On one particular play, he knocked a would-be touchdown away from Edelman. Chung has been seeing a lot of time in the slot recently, and he appears to relishing the opportunity.
Chung should be a player Eagles fans will love. He will hit. And then he will hit some more. He does have issues in coverage at times, but the team needed a physical presence in the back end and Chung is that guy. The more he can do, the better he will look.
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Jay Glazer was at practice and came away thinking Vick will be the starter. This is a combination of analysis and him talking to his buddies on the team. Glazer is close to a lot of players and gets many of his scoops that way.
Check out the Rotoworld write-up on the situation. They think the QB competition has almost been a farce.
To outsiders, there is no competition. None. Vick is Vick and Foles is a 3rd round pick from last year that might pan out in the future.
I truly believe Kelly on this. I think the competition is legit. I think he will choose the player who is better in the next 2 preseason games. That might just be Vick. But it can also be Foles. This isn’t a dog and pony show. Kelly wants the right guy, not the biggest name.
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Jordan Raanan of NJ.com has his notes posted. Lots of good QB stats in here.
The zero turnovers from Vick and Foles in two days against the Patriots is a positive sign. It’s been a theme of this training camp, too. Both quarterbacks have been protecting the football.
It’s an especially good sign for Vick, who has experienced trouble in that regard throughout his career. He has 33 turnovers in 23 starts the past two seasons. But Vick hasn’t thrown an interception since his first pass of the live periods during training camp.
Raanan also has some DB info.
• The Eagles worked a ton in a nickel formation with three safeties on the field. They did so with Kenny Phillips and Nate Allen as the deep safeties and Patrick Chung working in the slot. Chung did a strong job against New England’s Danny Amendola. The usual nickel corner, Brandon Boykin, was lined up on the outside. It appears the Eagles were testing to see how Chung would do in the slot in case they decide to start Boykin on the outside. Right now, they don’t have another strong option as a slot cornerback. Or they could have been looking at options against teams with strong tight ends.
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Geoff Mosher posted his notes.
Rising star
Second-year linebacker Mychal Kendricks keeps showcasing his improvement — and athleticism — in practice each day. He leaped high to bat down a Brady pass during 11-on-11 drills.
Kendricks is frequently seeing action against tight ends in coverage, a role he inherited last year as a rookie strong-side linebacker but surrendered later in the season when he moved to the weak side. He looks more prepared this year to handle that duty.
Kendricks could be in for a big year.
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MISC NOTES
* Sounds like Curtis Marsh really struggled today. Tom Brady picked on him with a variety of receivers. This is good and bad. You’d rather Marsh not play so poorly, but you also need to see if he can handle adversity. All CBs get beat. Better to find out now if he’s worth keeping around and how much he could be counted on to play if needed.
* Chris Polk had another great day. I’ll write about the backup RB job in another post.
* TE Zach Ertz continues to get high praise from a variety of sources. He has the potential to be an important X-factor on this team. The Eagles need him to stay healthy and to develop quickly.
* CB Brandon Hughes has come on in recent practices. The coaches under Reid loved him. It will be interesting to see if the new staff also likes him or wants bigger DBs.
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I have MAJOR concerns about the Cbs. Twinkie Boykin doesnt instill that much confidence in me, he looked horrible last year. He did go against a lot of good WRs last year but its not like that will change.
Sconces Williams is a turd, all this talk about how he is a super bowl champ, the guy graded out horrible last year.
Fletcher was the one i was hoping would be a diamond in the rough but that hasnt been the case thus far…
I think this year we Crossing fingers and hoping potential will prevail
“he looked horrible last year”
Boykin was our best CB by far last year. He was very underrated in the last half of the season when nobody was looking
he got abused last year lol
How did he get abused? Outside of a few problems early on, he was really solid down the stretch.
Agreed. With the level of dysfunction in the secondary last year it is difficult to get a perfect assessment, but Boykin was clearly the diamond in a sea of sewage. Whether the blemishes were flaws in him or just muck stuck to him remains to be seen.
I think he might be referring to the game where he was referred to as the “candy bar” in the defense? Although given DRC and Asomugha were on the team, that seemed to be inaccurate.
I remember something like that. There was one play where a defender said “I see you 22”. Then the pass was completed and I think it was a big play (because of time in the game, not yards). Either way, yeah, he wasn’t perfect, but Boykin would have been solid for a veteran considering the dysfunction around him. If your corner’s giving up a few completions a game and tackling well, that’s great.
Sorry Anders, not sure which games you were watching but boykin at best showed flashes of potential. Otherwise, he was beaten like the rest of our D
He was still our best CB last year and I never said he was great, just said he had an underrated second half of the season.
He was certainly our best corner, but he also did get abused, however that should be expected. When I look at young kids that get thrown into the fire, I try to look at what they can already do, then I take note of what they can’t do….and I try to see how much of the “Can’t Do’s” they correct from one year to the next….and mY expectation is that many of boykins “Can’t Do’s” will disappear this year…tHe kid is a young stud in the making as a slot corner. I do have concerns about his ability to play on the outside, but the slot is an important position in today’s game, so even if he is just going to be a tough slot corner, that’s still valuable and certainly nothing to sneeze at…
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heck one of the moments from last season that I remember the clearest was Boykin jumping ridiculously high, and breaking up that pass to seal the Ravens win
Say what you want about the “turd”, but Brady and Bellicek made an effort to go after Cary all game long, that was their clear cut gameplan, and they Lost!!!! Cary fought hard under the bright lights and the Ravens then went on to win a Super Bowl….WTF does bad regular season grading matter, when the guy then went on to play better and better as the playoffs went on? When you only really have two season of playing time, why the hell aren’t people focusing on the more recent performances? you want to mention the bad grading gulag season, ATleast be fair and give the man his due for stepping up in the playoffs against some stellar competition..They all thought Cary was the weak link, and they all lost!!!
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I would be much more concerned if Cary played well in the regular season, and then started to crumble in the playoffs. is Cary the answer on the outside for the next 5 years? I can’t say that with any level of confidence or certainty…but what I can say is I will be proud to watch the way he plays the game after watching those two soft fairy’s that I had to endure last year
you are drinking the koolaid rather hard bruh
I’ll definitely agree with you on Boykin if our standard is Revis. Is that reasonable though? He gave up a few completions every game but tackled well and flashed major ability. I’ll be ecstatic if he just replicates that performance on the outside this year.
he got burned more then a few times, he had the one pass break up vs the ravens and that was the high point… lol.. he didnt make any plays after that… he was the candy bar because the ate his ass up
has clay harbor done anything? lol
Caught a TD from Foles yesterday, but yes he has been very quiet
A i anyone else upset with hearing how polk is beating out brown? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for “may the best man win”. Yet i had decent hopes for brown.
*Am I
I think maybe *Is
NO, nothing to be upset about. I don’t think it’s a case of Brown stinking up the joint, it’s more of a case of Polk setting this bitch on Fire!! Bryce will still be a weapon, why would anyone complain about an extra young weapon emerging?
Unlike the QB battle — have 2 back up RB’s playing well helps in a huge way. This is great news.
It’s disappointing what with Brown’s freaky ability, but I can’t remember who made this great point. Brown got more practice last year than his entire college career. He had like 100 carries in college. Polk basically came into the NFL with 5 or 6 times the experience playing running back, not to mention some WR in high school. I’d say last year Polk was disappointing based on his diet, which he admitted made him carry 10-15 pounds of useless fat. I think a combination of Polk finally getting his body in NFL shape and Brown being so raw has closed the gap between the two. Still, in a couple years, I think Brown will look much better than Polk again.
Also anyone else with me feel hesitant with boykin playing outside? I keep hearing how great of a camp he is having, but his 5’9 frame kinda scares me. Anyone know of similar cbs with that size that are successful on the outside ?
they keep saying he plays “big”. If on the outside, we can only hope. News though is encouraging that he’s doing well. Can he come up and make a hit in the run game?
I could be wrong here, but my impression of Boykin is that he has “rare” though not “elite” athleticism combined with the drive to play football (i.e. enjoys the physical part of the game). His biggest knock as far as I was concerned coming out of college would have been the injury bug. As far as I know, he may be the most athletically gifted CB on the team this year.
I would be nervous if we had come into camp being told that Boykin is the starter and not to worry about his size. The fact that he was only seen as a slot corner, other guys were brought in, and his play has forced the coaches to give him a chance to earn a bigger role makes me much less worried. That is what we are hoping every guy on the team does, isn’t it?
Grimes who played with Atlanta. It’s not common, but it’s not rare, I think.
Tommy, though they performed poorly yesterday, any links to Pat blogs on who it went on Wednesday?
Hey Tommy/Guys, do you agree with Jordan Raanan’s view about the slot? I was thinking that Jordan Poyer would be a viable option for a backup in the slot?
By the sounds of it Poyer might not make the 53 men roster and is practice squad bound…
Shame, I heard some good things about him coming out of College! Guess there was a good reason he didn’t get drafted as high as some people thought he would!
I still am expecting Poyer to make this roster, but I always thought he wouldn’t be ready til ATleast the bye week…ST is going to be critical for the kid
Im just absolutely shocked and amazed that a QB who literally was NEVER a good passer in this league is still being talked about as the absolute shoe-in for the starting QB job. He was pretty bad in 11 and just awful in 12 and it seems like the national media still holds him on a high pedestal.
Because that terrible QB is right now “tied” with what else we got?
Tied with a young man, who is showing constant growth who only had 6 games to show what he can do. Vick is playing well by all accounts, so how is it Not impressive that this young kid is on par with Vick? Now Vick being on Par with Foles?…not that much to be impressed about
Because Vick have also been improving since OTAs. If Vick had played like OTAs or TC in 11 or 12, Foles would be the clear winner already.
Why not credit both for showing improvements?
Credit both.. That’s the issue in my eyes. Vick – the veteran – vs. a kid. And people are praising Vick for being on par with Foles. In terms of “growing” in the NFL, shouldn’t Vick be far ahead of Foles? Either that’s great for Foles or bad for Vick. That’s just observation. No matter who is anointed the starter, we really won’t see their true abilities/learnings etc until the season starts. It won’t be until then that they will see a defense running at 100 percent at them….
Sorry but I expect a good veteran QB to not even allow a kid to compete with him…I like fOles, so if Vick were to blow the doors off the competition, then I would be impressed with Vick….If the race is close, I will be impressed with the kid, especially as long as he continues to improve…
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it is possible that they are both now, just getting comfortable in the offense, and that the competition has really just begun…I can Buy that. but if that’s the case, then I think Vick should have to shut this competition down with his vastly superior play to win this job in the next 3 weeks..If they play to a Tie in the preseason, I don’t know how anyone could want Vick over a kid.
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this competition can still go either way…and I’m not saying its not possible for Vick to still blow the doors off it, but IMO the onus should be on him. If its anywhere close to a tie, then the Kid is who we should be excited about
Consider Vick has NEVER been a good passer in the off season, why are we holding Vick to a standard he has never been at before?
I’m not holding Vick to any standard yet. I think this competition is just beginning and that they have been close enough whe the actually preseason performances should be the deciding factor…So Vick still has plenty of opportunity to blow the doors off the competition with his play…I’m just saying that if the competitions ends the way it has been to this point, then to me personally, it makes no sense to go with the guy who is 10years older….I think so much is still to be decided so there really isn’t anything to judge at this point. Both seem to be working hard, doing all the right things, and After how Vick stepped up as a leader during the Riley Situation, it’s really tough for me to bad mouth the man right now….I wanted him cut if he lost the job, but I’m actually starting to get a glimmer of hope that he might actually play the good soldier if Foles were to be named the starter..
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My post was more about the way we will judge this competition in the end…not how I am judging it now. As a Team Foles guy, it’s only his 2nd year. If he loses this job, he will still have plenty of time to thrive, so if Vick wants to wake up and play drastically better and morph back into the 2010 ANOMOLY Vick, hey I’m all for it!! but after so many chances, so much talk…I have to see it to believe it.
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I welcome him proving me wrong, and setting the league on Fire….It’s not like if Vick plays great for two years that means Foles career is over. Prove Me Wrong Mike!!!!!
you directly held Vick to a standard here:
“Sorry but I expect a good veteran QB to not even allow a kid to compete with him”
In this quote you clearly holds Vick to the standard of other veterans QBs.
There has to be some level to hold Vick accountable for his play. He’s been in the league for years. His “starting point” holds years of experience he can draw on. Foles doesn’t that in experience. Saying Vick is “learning a new system” is garbage talk too. Was Luck not in a new system last year? Was P. Manning in a new system last year? QB’s face adversity all the time. Vick is no Manning and maybe not even a Luck BUT the point remains the same — the fact that he’s not ahead of Foles(by a wide margin) is not encouraging…..
Luck had a worse statistical season last year than Vick, so not sure why you are using him?
Also P Manning together with Brady is two of the best QBs of all time and actually the system in Denver was the same system he played with the Colts
Sorry buddy, but I’m just not following your argument here. It sounds like you’re saying Vick should be held to a lower standard than other veterans, because he’s always been worse than other veterans. That implies that it’s ok that he has always been worse than other veterans, which is certainly not the case when you’re trying to pick a starting quarterback for a rebuilding franchise, nor in any other situation.
The opposing view point is that with all his experience and physical skills, you’d expect him to be handily outperforming the young guy, which as far as we can tell, isn’t happening.
Don’t let the switch to a new system trick you in to thinking his past experience is irrelevant. He’s still got years of reading NFL defenses, responding to pressure etc. that Foles doesn’t have. That hasn’t shown in practice (again, as far as we can tell) and if it continues to not show during the games, it says a lot.
“That implies that it’s ok that he has always been worse than other veterans, ”
Never said that. What I mean is that Vick has never been a good TC QB, so why are we judging him to a level he has not yet been at before? Why not just appreciate that Vick at age 33 has bought into Kelly’s system and is visibly improving?
You’re doing it again. It’s as though we’re talking about completely different points.
GEagle stated that Vick only being tied with Foles in TC speaks poorly of Vick.
Your response is that we shouldn’t criticize Vick for being even with the guys he has so many advantages over because he has always done poorly in TC. I don’t see how that computes.
But what advantages does Vick have that should make him a superior QB in TC?
When a guy has never shown that EVER in TC (real games are different), why are we holding him to that standard?
If you hold somebody up to a standard, shouldnt the person at least have been able to perform at that standard first?
I mean are we holding Foles up to the standard of Tom Brady in TC?
“But what advantages does Vick have that should make him a superior QB in TC?”
As a thought experiment, you tell me. I’m not being a smartass. This can actually help a lot with consensus building.
Wait, I thought you just said to me that comparing Vick to his own past wasn’t your point?
I’m talking about for the way the competition will be judged as a whole…as In who the day 1 starter is….because I said, that I expect the competition to have just started recently, it’s not a judgment on what Vick has done thus far this offseason….
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The knock on Vick is heat of the moment in game decision making, until I see him without a red jersey, the isn’t much the guy can do to make me a believer..Fool me once, Fool me twice, after fooling me 15 times, I think it’s ok to reserve the right to wait to see him in action when guys are trying to take his head off..
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I was however very proud to call him an Eagle for seeing how he stepped up at a crucial time for Riley…my main knock on Vick is I think he will hold the team hostage in that there will be trouble if he isn’t named the starter, and I dont need our players trying to strong arm Kelly,.lHowever, If Vick would really be willing to play the good soldier on the bench if Foles was named starter, then I would welcome Vick back here personally for the next 4 seasons….If you only want to be an eagle if you are a starter, then I don’t want you here! Simple as that! I don’t know that to be a case with Vick, but that’s just the way I look at things
Because what he did before wasn’t good enough, and because he is fighting for a job this time.
I hope the best man wins. I was hoping that would have clearly been the younger guy by this point, but it isn’t. I think that, for the sake of the locker room, the veteran wins the tie (at every position) with a first-year coach.
But if the reason I am given is, “Don’t worry, he plays better in the real games than he does in practice or preseason.” I am going to be very disappointed.
“Because what he did before wasn’t good enough, and because he is fighting for a job this time.”
That was never my point. My point is people is holding Vick to a different standard than Foles.
GEagle said above that even if Vick is slightly better than Foles, we should go with Foles because that is more impressive even tho Vick gives us the best chance to win
Whether that was your point or not, you are excusing Vick’s play because of his history. Would not the same logic lead to condemning him as an injury risk (or guarantee) and turnover machine?
GEagle isn’t the only one holding the two QBs to different standards.
I said that if it continues to be a virtual tie, I don’t see why anyone would go with the 33yr old!
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if Foles is already playing as well as a 10yr veteran, then I want to see what he can do after 3 more seasons of game time. I can count on Foles not relying on talent and wasting 7years of his development…you reap what you sow, It’s not my fault Vick wasted 6 years fusing to take his job and responsibility serious…Tough Isn! prove that you are drastically a better option then one of our developing kids, or I don’t want you starting…I don’t see what’s wrong with taking that stance?
I have no idea why I even bother with the national writers anymore. Jason LaCanfora wrote some more garbage today, sweeping conclusions after watching 1 practice. Glazer is certain on Foles, Freeman is… well… Freeman.
Honestly among Kapadia, Lawlor, Kempski, McManus, and McLane (I do like Jeff’s work), that’s all I need.
Kendricks is destined for probowls..How long it takes him to get there? Hopefully his campaign starts this year…I’m as high on him as I am on Cox, if not more. I expect those two to be the cornerstones we build a top defense around
It will take a long time unless he clearly becomes one of the best ILBs in the NFC
Right now he is battling with:
Sean Lee
Patrick Willis
Daryl Washinton
Navarro Boweman
Lavonte David
Luke Kuechly
Bobby Wagner.
and with the new pro bowl format, he is also battling against the likes of Brian Cushing, Dannell Ellerbe, Niko Johnson etc.
Yeah, as I was posting all those names popped into my head…I don’t ally mean it as him actually playing in the probowl because politics have a role in that…But I do expect this kid to develope into a warrior who spends most of his career playing at a probowl level. I just love his game, loved him at Cal…and since I refuse to believe we ever become a 2gao 3-4, I think the WIL in a Hybrid really suits him perfectly…
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we shouldn’t even like Kendricks right now. He couldn’t possibly have been used any worse then Juan used him last year…the fact that he was still able to flash some serious potential at times, is really impressive. the kid was such a well rounded player who thrived doing many things at College….so what does Juan do with the rookie? he makes him do the one thing he had no experience in (Man Coverage), and Mykal still managed to hold his own. when you consider he had very little experience playing man to man on TEs prior to last year, it’s tough not to get excited about how much better this kid can be when the game slows down for him, doesn’t have to think, and can just react on his instincts and athletic ability….Keep Mykal as a 4-3U WIL and Cox as a 3Tec, and they should thrive!
That would still mostly be classified as an ILB for the pro bowl.
Eagles need someone to be the “enforcer” on defense. The game changer. The one other teams scheme against. It’s been years since they’ve had a guy like that. Let’s hope he continues to develop.
I’m not as much worried about him continuing to develope, my real concern is they leave him in the WIL 4-3U role and don’t try making him into a pure 3-4 ILB..
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I think a 2gap 3-4 is a big diservice to both Mykal and Fletcher..I have so much confidence in those two players developing into studs, but my real concern is that they arrive This Year. I need them to have Big years this year while we can’t play a 2gap 3-4, so that the coaches are forced to never go full 3-4
Looks like Avant’s place on the roster is safe now.
Its a real shame about Maclin and Benn, but I’m glad for Avant. I’m sure having him in the squad will be a good thing for the younger players as well.
I agree. I thought he would struggle to make the team with the new staff and system, but between the injuries and the leadership he showed through the whole Cooper mess, I’d be shocked to see him cut at this point. Still don’t know how much he’ll be on the field if guys like Salas and Johnson continue to shine with all the multiple TE sets they seem to want to run. But good for Jason.
Tommy, I enjoy your blog and the ease with which you allow me to connect to other blogs, if I want to learn more
. I read your blog everyday and should’ve thanked you earlier.
Kind of aggrivated that the Eagles aren’t practicing in Shells today. Momah finally came out and made plays yesterday and boy would I have loved to see if he could have build on yesterday with some more play making today…
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Hopefully yesterday was a confidence builder that he can carry into the preseason game and make his mark…if we can only develope him as a legit NFL WR, he would be such a valuable weapon
Regarding Brady “abusing” Marsh. I think reporters are putting way to much stock into that.
All off season drills are setup so that a legend at QB like Brady should do really well. I bet that even if we had a secondary of Lott, Sanders, Bailey and Reed in their primes, Brady would still be able to shred em.
Yeah but it did seem like Brady was purposely going after Marsh, the way he am a conscious effort to go aft C-Dub in the conference title loss to the Ravens. It’s not like Brady was just killing Marsh in 1-1 drills…it continued in 7-7 and 11-11…..of course without a pass rush, Marsh’s job becomes exponentially more difficult, so you can’t take too much stock into yesterday, like Tommy wrote, as bad as yesterday was for Curtis, it’s also an opportunity to show that he has thick skin a short memory and bounce back from yes tray with a strong showing tomorrow….but make no mistake about it, Marsh was embarrassed yesterday, it got to the point where all the Patriots players on the sideline were laughing and taunting him…
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Let’s hope it’s a learning experience and he uses the opportunity to show that he can overcome such a bad outing. if you don’t have a short memory, you can’t play CB in the NFL….let’s hope he steps up!
Clearly, Tom was targetting him because Marsh was doing the best of all of our DBs in coverage and Brady wanted at least some defense to practice against. Marsh should be flattered.
No, not seriously.
But it does seem a little odd to go after a weak spot in the D during practice as if it’s a real game. I would have thought that someone in Brady’s position would be more intent on spreading it around the field, reacting to the different defenders, throwing to different spots etc.
Lol, I prefer going with your first scenario….the great Tom brady wanted to test himself against the ultra tough Marsh….I’m sticking with your version ofthe events lol
Disappointing to see Momah struggling in camp. I was expecting more WR artistry from him.
Big day for him yesterday…Sprung Salas on a big block(screen play), and went up over a defender to come down with a TD…Pretty sure it was Vick who hit him on a beautifully timed out pattern as well.
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Marsh is going through trial by fire, but he’s getting more reps in this camp against real competition than his first two years combined. You either learn or you fail. But I think sometimes people forget it’s “training camp,” the only time coaches really can intensively teach young players with pads against real competition, the spring is now touch football, and during the season, coaches are too busy preparing for the next game to do a lot of teaching. So the key isn’t the first couple weeks but the last couple weeks – who climbs the learning curve.
The national sports media seem pretty cynical about QB competitions in general. I vaguely recall the narrative last year in SEA was that Wilson was not *really* competing for the QB job. I mean, they just signed Matt Flynn to be their QB, right? Right?
I wonder if they ignore the local beats partly due to their own hubris. More than a bit of, “I’m a NATIONAL reporter, why would I waste my time with somebody who’s still stuck writing for a local team?”
I’ll save everyone some time and give you the synopsis of the story based on who wins the competition:
VICK: “This comes as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about the NFL, but Kelly officially named Vick the starter. In truth, Vick was the starter from the time he re-negotiated his contract this summer. The Eagles never intended to pay him $3.5 mil to sit on the bench. Kelly may have done a commendable job convincing the local reporters this was an ‘open competition,’ but that was never really the case.”
FOLES: “In a surprise move, Kelly has named Foles as the Week 1 starter. The drama just never goes away with this team. League sources have indicated this was the result of a power struggle between Kelly and Roseman. Clearly, Kelly was upset when Vick was re-signed this spring (likely against his wishes) and making him a $3.5 million backup is just the first chapter of the ongoing power struggle between the coach and the front office. Round 1 goes to the rookie coach.”
BARKLEY: “The future is now in Philadelphia where Kelly named Barkley the starting QB. Kelly hand-picked Barkley to be the franchise quarterback, trading all the way up from the fourth round to get him. There was some speculation that Vick or Foles might be named an interim starter. In the end, though, Kelly realized that by starting a rookie QB he could buy himself some time with the fan base when the Eagles inevitably struggle under a guy who’s never coached a single day in his entire life [in the NFL].”
Way to go RIP, now they don’t even have to write it themselves. Ctrl-C – Ctrl-V.
I’ll bet they save all three paragraphs today and just have them ready to go once an announcment is made.
My Discus isn’t working correctly. The blurb on G.J. Kinne didn’t load?!
Ha! I thought about doing Kinne and Dixon, but I figured it was long enough already. A McNabb un-retirement a la Brett Favre could be funny, too.
God NO! Lol