Work in Progress
Posted: September 2nd, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 188 Comments »On Sunday, the Eagles claimed CB Shaun Prater off waivers and cut Curtis Marsh.
Prater isn’t some great player, but he can be an ideal #4 CB. He started for 3 years at Iowa. All Hawkeyes CBs are legally required to tackle well and play hard. Prater played on the outside in college. The Bengals drafted him last year and played him both in the slot and outside. He goes about 5-10, 190. That’s not ideal size for Bill Davis, but is big enough. And Prater does play bigger than he is.
If one of the starters goes down, the Eagles could move Boykin outside and then play Prater in the slot. Or he could just go outside.
Good move and a player with some upside.
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Quick note on Emil Igwenagu. Last year he played some FB. That meant he was working with RBs coach Ted Williams. Now Williams has moved over to being the TEs coach. Iggy also moved to TE and made slow, steady progress. You wonder if Williams liked Iggy a lot and was influential in getting him on the roster.
I’m not saying Iggy didn’t earn his way on the roster, but you can’t help but think that if he and Williams had a good relationship, that helped.
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The Eagles reportedly added Safety Trenton Robinson to the practice squad. He played for SF and was at Michigan State in college. I need to dig up some of my notes on him on Monday.
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Jimmy Bama and I did record a couple of shows on Sunday night. We talked about the roster, me getting beat up in football practice and what it would be like for Jimmy to do a 1-on-1 with Chip Kelly. The first show was good. The second was goofy and will have some hilarious moments.
I’ll link to them when they are posted.
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One position that catches my attention is WR. I like the top 4 guys a lot. I can live with Jeff Maehl at #5.
What concerns me is if DeSean gets hurt. He is the only vertical threat on the roster. If you look at Cooper, Avant, Johnson and Maehl, that would be the slowest group of WRs in the NFL.
That makes me wonder if the Eagles will add someone in the next few days, or if they might sign a veteran after the first game. Veteran salaries are guaranteed if the player is on your roster on opening day. If you sign the player a few days later, you could then cut him and not owe the full salary.
I’d love to know if the Eagles want more speed or if Kelly is okay with the WRs as is.
A guy like Robert Meachem would be a great insurance policy for DeSean, but Meachem isn’t a STer and typical backup. Will Kelly stick with grinder types for these roles or will he take a chance on a talented veteran?
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I posted some notes on the opening week of college games. Great start to the season.
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Unusually for you, Tommy, you have at least two typos in your post. (c0ach and Mondgay). On the other hand, I get that you have some stress with your family in town, so no criticism from me. 😉
Just a very late night. Posted at 345am.
Peter King posts at that hour, so I applaud the effort! And other than writing at that hour all you’re going to be able to do is get pulled over with Iverson.
I would bet Peter King is asleep then and his posts are timed.
Here in Germany it was noon. 😉 But yeah, I get that. Wasn’t meant to be offensive, just wanted to call your attention to it.
No offense taken. Always glad to fix my errors. Thanks for letting me know.
Does anybody know what happens with Derek Carrier? Did he go unclaimed? I thought he was a given to be signed to the Eagles practice squad…
As of today
hes’ listed as a free agent. I was really hoping we’d do SOMETHIN with that guy (other than release him…..)
It seems as though, as the pre-season has progressed, some question marks are being raised about the roster. I thought big people beat up little people? Than we sign a 5’10 corner as a back up. Hmm. Iggy makes the team and you ponder about a coach/player familiarity but scoff at a Casey/coach familiarity. hmm. Interesting that quite a few players were released and immediately signed. I have money that says — If Casey was released, he’d go unsigned. Ok, time to stop picking on players. Today starts FOOTBALL week!!!! I’m stoked. Today marks the beginning of the CK era. The evaluation of CK starts — NOW.
T-Law — great point on DJ. It’s easy to lose sight that this IS a work in progress. WR went from a strength to a “ok” position. 1 injury to an ‘uh oh’ position.
We took the most important position on our defense, OLB…and filled it with two DEs and now an ILB. I BETTER be seeing a lot of 4-3U in washington next week or I’m going to lose my mind.
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for a team that won’t often use a FB, Emil over Harbor is kind of weird. the saving grace of the watered down WR corp was that plethora of pass catching TE’s…well we just lost one in Harbor. does Emil really dwarf Harbor in terms of blocking ability?..I’m Expecting 3back Pistol sets, Emil and Casey in the backfield with Bryce or Shady
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Maehl was a monster running the Gauntlet at the combine
The lack of a true backup to Barwin on the “SAM” side of the D is somewhat upsetting considering that anybody with a pair of eyes should have known that both Graham and Cole were better fits for the “Predator” side of the D. I’m ok with the McCoy cut considering he was essentially the 3rd string guy in that position, but they need to get somebody in to backup Barwin ASAP.
sadly, Clay might have been our second fastest receiving option….we desperately need some speed on this roster. God help us if Djax gets hurt. We would be seeing redzone defenses at all points of the field (sell out to the short game because there is no long game). Hell we might even see Bryce Brown at WR if that happened.
We’ve been in trouble since 2008 if DeSean Jackson gets hurt. That is what happens when you have a pro-bowl #1 WR. Need I remind people about Maclin’s ability to rock 1 catch – 6 yard efforts when Jackson was out in the past.
The concussions are what worry me about Desean
He hasn’t been concussed in 2 full seasons I believe.
Yeah, but once concussed, it always lingers and you are more susceptible to more, and there is a chance that the next one, will still feel cumulative effects of the last one….Even when my more recent concussions whe created by lesser impact then previous ones, they always effect me worse then previous ones
I call that the Ty defense; because T Detmer had such a weak arm that he couldn’t stretch the field.
was watching NFL AM and there was a clip of Sims catching the ball vs. the Eagles and our new “emergency” OLB lowering his shoulder and making a dynamic hit on him. Oh wait, that’s what real ILB would do — Casey tried to make an arm tackle. Never broke down into a tackling stance(I thought they practice this) and Sims runs for a huge gain — magically escaping the weak 1 arm tackle attempt….
You should actually hate McCoy consider how weak he is. yes he can rush the passer against tackles that are no longer in the NFL, but he got blocked by a fucking WR. HOW DO YOU GET BLOCKED BY A WR AS AN OLB.
Unfortunately the lack of coverage ability behind Barwin at SAM, doesn’t give me much room to hate his weakness…Jake Knott looks like a puss when Blockers come at him, but he is here!
I remember Avant pancaking more than a few OLBs. It’s as much about leverage and technique as strength.
Which is more important for a WR – speed or quickness? I ask because Maehl ain’t a DJax but he has the best quickness stats at the combine. ” Maehl’s 6.42 second 3-cone drill was not only the fastest in this year’s draft, but the fastest it has been run in 6 years.”
Whatever you call him you gotta have that 5th skill guy out there. I think you won’t see I high percentage of 3WR sets, soooo….
Agreed completely with all you said here
eagleyankfan…
There weren’t many good CBs to choose from, let alone big CBs. Beggars can’t be choosers in late August/early Sept.
As for the comment on Ted Williams, that is a completely different situation. Igwenagu was coached in the NFL by a man who worked with his position on a daily basis.
Casey played for Kelly at Oregon, but was on defense. Kelly was not hands on with him every day. Kelly wasn’t in his meeting room every day.
And the whole point is that this is the NFL where things are different. Williams knows Igwenagu can play in the NFL. If Williams happens to like him better than Harbor and thinks Iggy can be a better player, that is different than “Kelly kept Casey because he knew him at Oregon”.
Lol Felix Jones is said to be starting for the steelers on sunday
Nothing would make me happier when I visit Penn State than to see the “Stillers” in the dumper with guys like Felix Jones leading the way.
Marvin Austin was on our radar as a DE/DT/NT back during the 2011 draft. NY and Chicago drafted him and Paea right before us and we reached for Jarrett when all of the DT/NT disappeared from the board.
Austin was cut by the Giants. Seems like a great PS addition to see if he can get stronger/bigger.
Tons of talent at UNC, but never translated to the NFL. The Giants are diminished as is on D-line. He was cut for a reason. I’d stay away.
Austin was an underachiever at UNC. Same thing in the NFL. Turd. Stay away from him at all costs.
So what you’re saying is that he’ll be signed by Dallas in a few days.
Austin is working out for the lions today
http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/helmet2helmetshow
Here is the link for the new Helmet 2 Helmet shows.
bengals just extended Geno Atkins for 5years $55 Million….Howie better start putting a cool $50 mil off to the side for Cox, and he will to stash ATleast $35 Mil for Kendricks when he turns into the Pro Bowl stud LB that he is destined to become…LOl at Lack of Talent….Just watch how Talented this defense will be once it Gels and our boys develope…assuming we are playing 4-3U…if its 3-4, then I don’t even know what to friggin say!!!…
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Of course we will have to invest heavily in completing our secondary next offseason, but there is a ton of talent on this defense, ready to be molded in the next Gang Green!!!
Not a problem. $ is there.
http://www.eaglescap.com/index.html
And you can’t play with Cox’s deal until after next season concludes as per the new CBA.
And the Eagles are psycho under the cap even further once Trent Cole and Todd Herremans are moved out of here.
Good point with Trent and Todd…..would love to see Todd replaced by a Jonathon Cooper, Kyle Long type of athlete
I’d also like to see our old guys replaced by great young guys.
On the list of concerns Howie has, those are both very well down the list. Happy if each is a competent starter this year in their new roles with some good games mixed in.
teddy Bridgewater had a spectacular game…although it looks so easy for him that it makes me question him..
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I love our new Duck culture. Philly is anorexic in terms of College football(don’t like PSU), so it’s cool to adopt Oregon Ducks into our culture the way the Ducks fans have adopted the Eagles…but to keep it al, WTH are the Ducks doing booking games against Nichols state? Colt Lyeria looked awesome, they even handed the ball off to him…Colt “Rumble Young Man, Rumble” Lyeria…as the draft gets closer I’m going to dream about this kid pairing with Ertz and Casey in Bird Green!
Don’t, he’s that good. Think Aaron Rodgers minus 10 years.
the kid just looks like he is dominating college football effortlessly. it’s impressive to see
And he plays the game the right way.
Lyerla and Eagles – A match made in heaven.
I just wanna draft DAT, Lyerla and Mariota next year. I know it want happen, but one can still dream.
As Eagles fans I really hope we keep our expectations in check. Would it
be great if Chip can replicate in philly what Harbaugh did in San Fran?
Of course. But being realistic Harbaugh at least inherited a great D
(with much better drafted players) and had just enough weapons on
offense. Chipper inherited a good, inconsistent offense and an atrocious
defense. Let’s see what he can do with it. All this “Win Now” talk is
great for the locker room/building a program. Im just hoping the fans
are realistic. And so unless McCoy has 10+ sacks and Shepard turns out
to be a versatile scoring weapon, in the grand scheme of things its not
going to matter much for the eagles this season.
If the team doesn’t pick up another capable OLB, I hope that Billy Davis can truly adapt to his personnel and install more 4-man fronts, whether it’s a 4-3 under, 4-2-5, or a 4-3 in the Broncos mold, with Connor Barwin in the Von Miller role. Right now the lack of depth at OLB concerns me far more than the secondary.
I’m with you on the 4-3 Under business, but Connor Barwin as Von Miller is a bit much. Totally different skill sets.
Barwin is a SAM linebacker who frequently rushes the passer. How is that totally different? I’ll agree on the talent level, but I think the skill set is very similar.
BARWIN is the only OLB we have that can cover…you can’t just unleash him on defenses Von Miller style…similar with Kendrick
You could also argue that Barwin is the only 3-4 OLB the Eagles have . . . period. From a personnel standpoint, the Eagles are still a 4-3 team if everyone plays to their strengths, especially if Barwin misses any time.
The Skins will try to run it down our throat. Run, run, pass/run.
We need to dominate the Skin’s OL which I think is a distinct possibility.
Just a thought:
“According to Pro Football Focus, Casey Matthews had the worst cumulative
score of any player on the Eagles’ defense this summer. That’s only one
metric, but he didn’t pass the eye test, either.”
He’s here for special teams, that’s about it.
He’s also one injury away from starting…
No, he’s 4 injuries away from starting. Acho and Knott would start over him at ILB. Graham and Curry would start over him at OLB
Love me some Acho…suggest checking it his post PS game4 interview on PE…you can just tell he is a smart kid, talked about making sure he put a hit on the QB that he would feel The rest of the game
Noooo…. That’s two different sets of three (the back-ups you noted and the starters) injuries each.
Where’s that note from?
Andrew Kulp at BR
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1758498-philadelphia-eagles-biggest-snubs-and-surprises-from-53-man-roster-cut/page/5
BR and PFF is the like the worst combination ever.
Certainly not awesome.
Something got screwed up – the post I replied to seems to be gone.
– Jake Knott and Casey Matthews combined to give up seven catches on seven targets for a coverage grade of -4.6.
A couple of meta-thoughts about the churning of the bottom of the roster:
The importance of this year is not just retooling and rebuilding. It is obtaining, retaining and solidifying the buy-in of the program by the key members of the team.
As we go through the season it is important that the players approach the games and practices with the assured attitude that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
There’s a couple of components to that. One is the players’ positive mental attitude. I have no way of knowing this, but I find it likely that some of the players retained at the bottom of the roster are the type of guys who have the positive mindset and attitude Kelly is seeking.
The other thing is that you can’t just tank and call it a “rebuilding year”. Nothing will get players to continue to buy into the system more than success. Nothing will get them to lose confidence more than failure.
You’re wise for a dog.
so — you’re saying, we kept people who stink, but that’s ok, they have a positive outlook? Good to know.
To put it another way, we may have kept one group of very replaceable players in preference to another group of very replaceable players for intangible qualities.
I wonder if we kept Iggy just in case if James Casey doesn’t pan out? I haven’t heard much about Casey so far.
Casey will be fine, if he’s healthy. He did miss some time in the spring with an injury. The Eagles limited Casey because his versatility will be key to some of the surprise stuff they do.
I think Iggy backing up Casey’s role in a manner superior to Harbor couldn’t have hurt him.
Casey is Fine…he was the one TE that Chip chose, besides Ertz who is a rookie..In the preseason it was more implant for Chip o get a look at TEs that he inherited like Brent,Clay Emil….also I don’t mind not showing Casey to our opponents during the PS
Colts signed Da’Rick Rogers. Thought he was worth taking a chance on. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/DaRick-Rogers-joins-Colts-practice-squad.html
Thug
You are probably right but the kid was on Tennessee at the same time as Justin Hunter and he was the more talented WR (led SEC in receiving). Why not pick him up and tell him if he acts up he’ll be on the street again? If the light goes on, he’d be a hell of a pickup. WRs are now a weakness for us.
I wouldn’t have minded picking up Ramses Barden either but he’s a different type of receiver…
I’m with you…too talented to not try and knock some sense into…who knows, his early NFL failures could help the lightbulb go on for the kid….with that ability, he is wasting Millions of dollars on his bad attitude, kids mature, people grow up…I woulda snatched up that type of talent in an instant and ATleast get a first hand look instead of goings reputation…Ramses could block and help as a redzone target, but man is he slow!!!..
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Colts offense will be scary in the future… I made sure to get my hands on TY Hilton in fantasy and take a late round waiveron Heyward Bey…Colts should give up some high picks for Larry Fitgerald, cardinals get to rebuild, and Luck gets a serious weapon
Reggie Wayne, any one?
Larry Fitzgerald doesn’t have too many more years left. He would love to go to a winning team I imagine.
“Stormbringer” Wondering – is that an Elric Ref?
Yes, it is, but I do love Deep Purple too. 😉
Sorry for this folks…
I too am a Deep Purple fan but think of the Moorcock novels first. R U familiar with the Hawkwind album: Chronicle of the Black Sword? Also, my Warhound nomiker is from Moorcocks lesser known “The Warhound and The Worlds Pain” but was suggested for my use by friends in the Duetsch version: Der Kriegshund.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…
I am familiar with the Hawkwind stuff but like the Blue Oyster Cult stuff about Elric better (Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Black Blade).
I was hoping the Chiefs would cut A.J. Jenkins as I thought he could be a good risk / reward play here (as he really can run and we need another burner that Mac is out) but I guess it isn’t to be.
I think Barden is banged up, isn’t he?
He is on the Giants IR
I didn’t realize he was put on IR. I thought he was cut outright.
The failure of Danny Watkins is very reminiscent of the failure of Shawn Andrews. Where as Shawn showed great athletisicism, power and grace in college and on the field. He still came off as aloof and lacked true passion to become a dominant HOF player. Danny never had Shawn’s gifted potential or pedigree. But he still graded out by many teams as a player you could “count on” on game day. Both players treated football as their jobs, not as their passion. In the end it undid both.
good observation
No way, man, I now need to find a therapist (or bartender) to deal with reliving this trauma.
Good point. Shawn’s difficulties were much more public, but both lacked the same key trait.
A lot of scribes mention the lack of passion with regard to Watkins. I wonder if there was a maturity problem also with regard to how he handled (or in his case, didn’t) adversity. As a point of reference, look at someone like Matt Barkley who is taking being a 3rd string QB in stride, as a professional, is spite of the fact that he’s always been the #1 guy. Watkins pouted, refused to speak to the media, etc. The connection to Shawn Andrews is an interesting one: Big Kid and Big Kid 2.
Trenton Robinson – PS safety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta8iIeGDnBE&nomobile=1
I almost vomited 8 times watching this, you need to cut the audio if you want to have a look at that guys.
The first INT is really nice – Reading the QB, going for the flat then backing off, great hands. 2nd one shows why D.Robinson is now playing RB.
However when a tackle like the one at 1.06 makes it into your highlights, you must be a pretty bad tackler. Most of his highlight tackles shows awful form/strenght, I hope he improved since. Or Nate Allen will show him the ropes.
He shows pretty good hands and can catch AJ Green in full stride, which is not bad, but not a NFL tackler.
I don’t know, he had some nice pop on some of those hits. He needs to wrap up, but he stopped a few guys that looked like they had 30 lbs on him dead in their tracks, then took them down. I’ll take that for our PS.
Damaris Johnson is also a vertical threat at WR if DeSean goes down.
4.54 is not a vertical threat
Can’t believe that we are week away from the skins…man this week will be brutal to get thru…fortunately this holiday shortens our work week…
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can’t wait to get the first glimpse of our regular season offense and defense.
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bye Bye Redzone struggles, Hello pounding Shady and Bryce behind Peters inside the 10!!!!
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Bye bye watching Cole and Graham clumsily drop in to coverage…Hello Graham being unleashed on QBs…although I’m starting to wonder if the future at Predator is Vinny Curry…
Talking of Iowa DBs, does anyone know if Juan’s son made it with Reid’s Chiefs?
Greg got cut.
Like Father like son. Big (guy wearing) Red has no heart.
Run da ball Chip and cross your fingers
Reid (and Roseman) left a pretty bare cupboard overall and it will take at least another draft or two to really get this team restocked and retooled for the proper players to run a 3-4 scheme.
Eagles can avoid the ‘r’ word all they want just like the Jets but it is a rebuilding year for a couple of reasons. You don’t tank a year on purpose but I still don’t see any difference between a team that goes 5-11/6-10 vs. 7-9/8-8 and has no determined starter for the future at QB.
20 teams have one QB start all 16 games last year. 12 didn’t including the Eagles and they won’t again this year.
Wonder why they still only have five guys signed to the PS?
Maybe waiting for some more turnover in rosters for other teams.
Another thought from PFF:
“Everette Brown, OLB – Philadelphia
Grade: +5.3
Snaps: 94
How he impressed: Brown was an absolute beast of a pass
rusher, racking up four sacks, a hit, and five hurries in just 35 pass
rushes. He finally hit his stride, appearing ready to deliver on his
potential with outstanding performances in his last two preseason
games.. With such a premium placed on getting pressure on quarterbacks,
Brown appears ready to resurrect his career with a team in need of an
edge rusher.
Possible Fits: San Diego, Atlanta”
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/01/cuts-to-catch-on/
We all know that wasn’t the case all the time. Im worried about OLB depth though.
Another eagle made the list too. Glad hes on the PS. good potential.
“Matthew Tucker, RB – Philadelphia
Grade: +2.8 Snaps: 80
Showed some elusiveness by forcing three missed tackles on his three receptions and allowed zero pressure as a pass blocker.”
Nothing against PFF (okay a little, I think they are too full of them self), but there grades are already iffy in the regular season, but grading players in the pre season is just stupid imo.
Do you really learn anything by seeing Brown blow past Jason “Im a bigger bust than Watkins” Smith?
100% agree. I don’t make absolute conclusions based on their stats. But they can be helpful. Obviously in this case we know they are skewed (cus we watched the games). Still my main point is the obvious: lack of OLB depth.
I dont think I need PFF to tell me that 😛
Personally I would have kept McCoy over a 6th CB, but after Tommy mentioned that WR block on him in the Jags game and I went and looked for it, it really stuck in my mind and just about every good thing he did was gone and just replaced by that one terrible play.
Lets hope Barwin and Cole can remain healthy this year and play well. If theres no pass rush in November/December Eagles know they let a few potential guys go.
I haven’t seen the play, so it might be more damning than I’m seeing, but getting blocked once can happen. Young inexperienced players can have a single play where they are not balanced and absorb a hit with poor technique. It even happens to veterans. I remember years ago watching Dawkins get trucked at the goal line by Michael Robinson. Everyone overreacted and said it was a sign that Dawkins was finished. He responded with a few more years of good to great play and was a tremendously stout run defender. He just happened to be a bit off balance and didn’t have his feet under him on that play. It happens to the best of them. I think judging McCoy solely on that is a mistake. Look at the entire body of work.
My main issue is the lack of, what I would consider, an adequate back-up plan if Barwin gets injured. I’m not saying McCoy is the greatest thing on earth. He’s clearly limited, but, I feel he was the best current option on the team to spell Barwin for a few games if he gets hurt. If he’s not the answer for that role, fine…but I’m even less comfortable with Curry/Matthews. Let’s see how it works out and if they have a better plan, but this reeks of Andy, I don’t need a punt returner, Reid. Not having an adequate back-up at a key defensive spot is troubling.
On the other hand, I recall reading that Roseman said during his recent PC that he and the scouts put a “draft board” together for all the projected bubble players around the league.
If he’s not relying in part on exhibition game performances, what would be the grist for the evals?
Another eagle made the list too. Glad hes on the PS. Good potential.
“Matthew Tucker, RB – Philadelphia
Grade: +2.8 Snaps: 80
Showed some elusiveness by forcing three missed tackles on his three receptions and allowed zero pressure as a pass blocker.”
If you’re a fan of following draft prospects and haven’t read Tommy’s linked review, I’d check it out. Good stuff.
http://scoutsnotebook.com/2013/09/02/week-1-notes/
Maybe it is the secret sauce coming from Jerry Jones’ glory holes?
Chip saw him play against the Ducks. He hit Mariota hard on a safety blitz in a blowout game. The guy plays hard with heart for the whole game.
I wonder if another reason Maehl was kept is that, like D. Dixon, he can help coach others on Chip’s offense for a time.
Sheil Kapadia @SheilKapadia1m
Emmanuel Acho released. Eagles claim LB Najee Goode from the Bucs. 2012 5th-round pick. Casey Matthews still on roster over Acho.
I start to dislike the eagles roster decisions…
Yea…I know everyone, myself included, wants to give Chip a pass and believe he’s making sound decisions, but it’s hard to see this any other way than Casey, who was clearly outplayed throughout training camp and preseason is sticking around based on the Oregon connection.
Do you really think a guy like Kelly that never played favorites at Oregon would play em in the NFL?
Also remember this is defense we are talking about, most likely Davis and the LB coaches are those pushing for certain players
I really don’t want to believe that he’s playing favorites, but I still haven’t heard a rational explanation for why Casey Matthews is still here over two LBs that very clearly outplayed him.
I’ve heard vague nods to some sort of technique that Casey displays that the others don’t with no real specifics to back it up. And, I’ve heard that Casey is so much better at STs that it more than makes up for the lack of depth and production at their actual spots on the defense.
I really do hate to say it, but it is starting to seem like the Oregon connection makes a bigger difference than it should. Just like Andy who always had a soft spot for BYU players that I never understood. I hope I’m proven wrong, but right now it kind of stinks. Acho looked WORLDS better to me than Matthews.
Come on you really think if Billy Davis talked up Acho who he knows WELL and taught, they’d let Acho go/
Teams make mistakes all the time, I don’t understand why everyone gets so up in arms when someone states that they feel this is a mistake. Of course they know more about football than us, of course there’s behind the scene reasons that we are not aware of. My humble opinion, however, is that these moves (made for whatever reason…taking familiarity with the players from Oregon and how well they played there into effect or other reasons) is a mistake that will ultimately cost this team. Is it dire? No this is the bottom of the roster. But not having an adequate back-up to Barwin is an oversight.
So people who have some disagreement and bring up a point “are up in arms” yet you’re posting novellas on the subject. I’m not up in arms about anything. You’re the one “up in arms”.
The funniest thing is you are up in arms about Oregon players and they are backups and special teams players and role players for now who aren’t locks to stick in the long run.
And, to clarify…I’m not saying definitively that Chip is playing favorites with Oregon players, however, I can’t come to a reasonable explanation as to why they would, based solely on playing ability and production, why you would keep Matthews over Acho and McCoy. And, I think it’s reasonable to question whether good memories and good experiences with these players from Oregon causes him to (possibly subconsciously) chose them if the decision is close.
Fair enough. You don’t know but you think maybe it’s the reason. That’s fine. I don’t believe it is but I don’t know either. For all we know there is some reason he wants him here related to Oregon and knowing him. I just don’t think so because Kelly isn’t that involved with the defense. He is responsible ultimately yes.
Honestly I don’t think Kelly is hitching his NFL future to Casey Matthews any way you spin it. He’s a backup/STs player for now. I did not focus on Acho enough on STs to know. For all we know Fipp had input and Davis had input. You are making assumptions. I personally do not like Matthews and never have but to say it’s because he was an Oregon player we don’t know that either.
No people that bring up a point are not up in arms. Not you particularly, but many people in this discussion, get very defensive and say things like, “Come on…really?…do you really think you know more than the coaches? Don’t you think if they were actually good and the coaches wanted them they’d be here?…ect ect.” As if to say that the coaches picking Matthews over Acho is proof enough that Matthews was the right choice.
My stance is that coaches and teams do make mistakes, if no one is allowed to question those decisions and talk about them, what’s the point of having these boards. You are welcomed to disagree and I respect your opinion and am in no way trying to insult you. But, please bring more to the conversation of whether or not this was a good decision or not, than…”if Billy Davis really liked him he’d be here.” I don’t know, maybe not. You yourself stated Matthews was kept due to special teams play. I doubt Billy Davis wants the better special teamer over the better LB. Just my 2 cents…
I’m out on it. It’s a bit of a sketchy thing anyway. Maehl I definitely think Kelly wants because he liked Maehl from Oregon days and he’s an offensive coach . Matthews is more of a Davis/Fipp thing in my opinion and not because Matthews played on Oregon. Really kind of a waste of time, there is some truth to the connection but we’re not talking about a starting defensive player.
Yea, I hope there’s something to Matthews that I haven’t seen that the coaches like. My biggest concern is the lack of depth behind Barwin. It’ll seem like a lot bigger deal than “just the bottom of the roster” if he goes down.
Ultimately, this is something that we’ll see play out over the years. If every year former ducks that played with Kelly make it over higher producing players…we’ll know that it makes a difference. If Matthews plays well and Acho is out of the league in a few years, we’ll know this preseason was a mirage and the coaches really know what theyre doing.
More special teams reasoning and perhaps the versatility (not my spin but theirs) , I don’t buy they are keeping Matthews period and I don’t buy it’s because he played for Chip at Oregon. The only Oregon players they have won’t be starting , they are special teams players.
I think the majority on here agrees with me (never had 10 likes for a post before)…
I’d like the roster decisions if they matched what the coaches said they’d do. Size? 5’10?????? The pre-season games will decide who stays/goes??? Not true. I’ve said it from the get go — the QB stuff was a farce as well. Ok, so I don’t like Mathews and writers will say that he’s not having a bad season .. but you go to other sites that cover the Eagles they have articles that question the very same decision.
Boy, I don’t see cutting Acho but maybe he is destined for PS.
Looks like Goode at 6ft and 244 has good size for position. At 23, can stay awhile if he is good enough.
Acho has better size, but I do hope Acho makes it to the PS.
I am pretty sure Acho will be claimed by someone else, meaning we gave up Dion Lewis for nothing!
Who cares? I’d rather have Tucker and get Kelly his own RBs in the future so I wouldn’t want Lewis on the team or IR (where he is now) anyway.
Davis has coached Acho so it pretty much goes on him to me, if he was that important to Davis, they would not expose him.
I hear he is Goode!
Lot of hate for Matthews among the Eagles flock. I lost track of him after he left the Ducks, so I have a blank slate view of him. I did read that he was at best uneven, a perpetual second stringer and ST guy, not a starter.
I was personally surprised he was even drafted after college. So yeah, he was unimpressive even in college. It’s not that he was bad, just not someone who I saw that had next level talent.
Perhaps its the pedigree? Seems like with a surname like Matthews or Long, people think you are better than you are. Note: Chip coached Casey, son of Clay Jr., and Kyle, son of Howie. In his last year, he also coached Eric Dungy, son of Tony.
Anyone who’s trying to sell me that pre-season games/performances count can go home, the Acho release being the latest (anti) prime example…!
Yeah, I think as fans we don’t get the evaluation parameters – technique, speed, football IQ. Just because an Eagles player beats a 3s guard is not enough, it is all about how he beat him and his whole body of work.
Since Davis was a LB coach at one time, I am sure he knows what works in the NFL and why. Chip also knows what he wants to see in a LB.
All very true…I just didn’t see anything from Matthews production-wise or technique-wise or speed-wise or football-IQ-wise that would justify a position on this team. I saw some decent technique, speed and production from Acho and McCoy though.
I think Matthews and Maehl are still on the cut bubble. Casey is very good at ST, say the coaches, so maybe that played a significant role. Davis drafted Acho when he was with the Browns. He knows him and what he can do.
They matters. Problem is fans suffer from the PFF syndrom, that they only look at the effect and not how the player got there and how he did it. Also we havnt seen all practices and been at team meetings
Go home. 😉
I like rooting for the new, young guys, but this happens every year. We see a kid flash against 3rd stringers and thing we found a steal. In reality, there is usually a reason the guy didn’t earn a chance to get o the field against the starters.
Every now and then you loose a Danny Ar-you-gonna-tell-me-how-to-spell-that, but remember when Andy Studebaker was the cut we were going to regret?
Rember Danny amedola.
I was vocal about keeping Danny. I do like Acho but I’m somewhere in between the we gotta keep him at all costs and who cares at all.
Tucker and Shepard were more my I’m afraid to lose guys than Acho. I could regret saying that.
I can respect that.
Yeah, Sheppard is the one that bugs me.
Jimmy K jinxed Acho with this article
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/red_zone/Ive-got-to-be-an-Achoooooo-man.html
New ILB Najee Goode played OLB quite a bit at WVU.
Moved to ILB as a senior.
Can’t cover if his life depends on it, though
Whatever, apparently if you’re a bubble player on the Eagles who clearly outplays his competition you should just pack your bags.
At the end of the day, if we’re losing Barwin or Kendricks or Ryans then it probably doesn’t matter who we put back there, we have no depth at all and the defense is likely to stink anyhow.
What really pisses people off about this is that Kelly is the one who said the position would be earned, not given based on last year, when he didn’t know “how they were coached.” Acho was the second best linebacker on the team in pre-season games, ahead of even Ryans. Knott wasn’t even close, nor was Matthews. The guys who went to practice continually mentioned Acho being good. And when some scrubbini is signed from another organization, Acho is the one who gets his walking papers. Then don’t lie to me in the first place. And how should Acho feel?
I’m officially off the CKelly bandwagon. I’m the first one, and maybe I’m wrong, but so be it.
Panicky? See ya later, go find another team chucky. So be it.
Not interested in feeding trolls. Not panicky, either. Pissed off. Dishonesty will do that.
And, honestly, who the heck are you to tell anyone what team to root for?
I’ve been an Eagles fan since Bednarik, and will be until I die. We all root for the laundry. That doesn’t mean I have to buy into everything the coach does. I’ve really liked Kelly from the moment he was hired, but I think he’s been exposed a bit in pre-season and with roster choices. We’ll see if that’s right.
i love the conceit here. “dishonesty”. do you actually believe chip is proactively attempting to make the team worse to further some undefined agenda? this is the implication. and it makes zero sense.
You can get back on the bandwagon. Let it be a lesson to you. When you say you are the first off the bandwagon, that does not equate to “he’s been exposed a little bit”. I have given you a thumbs up , you can get back on and be an Eagles fan lol.
There’s no way I’m happy with all the choices that went into creating the 53 man roster. Losing AchoMan is the one that makes zero sense to me. I’m not writing Chip off, however, too early for that. Realistically, it will take a couple years before we can truly evaluate him as an NFL coach. The guy has a vision for what he wants his team to look like. There’s not much to do as an Eagles fan but hope he’s right.
fair weather fan?
do you think Chip Kelly doesn’t want to be successful?
do you think Kelly and the other coaches know what they have a bit better than you?
begone with you! you were never a fan to begin with.
Again, a fan can be critical without being a fair-weather fan. Were you at the stadium cheering Ed Khayat? Mike McCormick?
I know it’s early, but it’s really easy to be critical when the coach has proved he sucks. I’m saying the the roster moves around the edges have me discouraged about CK. It doesn’t make me less of a fan.
Chip Kelly has proved he sucks… please explain.
I never said Kelly has proved he sucks. I agree with a lot of what he’s done BUT trying to run a 3-4 2-gap defense, saying that the team can somehow be more clutch after committing or receiving turnovers, and really inexplicable roster moves (especially given what he repeatedly said about earning roster spots) has me questioning his chances for the success I was hoping he would have. I hope I’m wrong, but right now the roster cuts have pushed me over the edge.
I fully admit I may be wrong. But this is a message board, and the reason I’m here (as I suspect is true for all of us) is to read others’ opinions and write my own, not to echo team PR.
Really…?
“I know it’s early, but it’s really easy to be critical when the coach has proved he sucks.”
Reading your words before you reply helps.
If I am reading phillychuck’s comment correctly, I actually don’t think he is saying that CK has proven to suck. I think his point is in reference to Julescat’s comment about “Do you think Chip Kelly doesn’t want to be successful?” I think we all agree that Kelly wants to be successful. That doesn’t mean he will be. It also doesn’t guarantee that he will not make mistakes. Phillychuck’s point is that it is easy to point out those mistakes when we know for a fact that the coach sucks. Right now, we don’t know how good (or how bad) CK will be. Just because there are lots of reasons to believe in CK, doesn’t mean that he has not or will not make mistakes and phillychuck is just arguing that in his opinion cutting Acho instead of Matthews was a mistake worthy of criticism. An argument that he knows what he is doing better than you implies that every move that the Eagles make is beyond criticism and that’s not realistic.
I don’t necessarily agree with Phillychuck’s opinion that CK lied to us, but I don’t think he is being unreasonable with critiquing the merits of the move and opening it up for discussion/debate.
He said it… he can explain it. Nice of you to step for another fan.
Honestly, I was saying it’s easier to criticize a coach like Khayat or McCormick who have already proved that they suck than it is a guy like Kelly who, at this point, has no NFL track record.
Summary: I don’t like a LOT of the roster moves.
I don’t like the style of defense he’s played in pre-season given the talents of his players. Lots of lip service to playing a system that suits the talent, but not much 4-3 under or 1-gap on the field. And he made the kind of comment that seems to me to be based in magical, non-rational thinking when he talked about play after turnovers, which is like clutch hitting, not demonstrably sustainable or coachable.
When I add those together I get discouraged about the long-term prospects. I’d love to be proved wrong.
But, I’m putting my opinions out there now, not waiting for him to fail and Monday-morning QBing. It’s probably way too soon, but what fun is it to dance on the grave of Eddie Khayat?
Not sure it makes a difference, but Khayat is still alive and was coaching arena league not too long ago.
You need to give it time. Being the first to say Kelly will fail and thinking that is fun and that you are a diehard Eagles fan is nonsense. Tone it down.
That’s a whole heckuva a lot of hyperbole but this statement is terribly premature and absurd : we know for a fact that the coach sucks.
the coach has proved he sucks. That is what you said and implied. It’s hard to take anything you say seriously when you are all over the map after you make extreme statements.
My fault for not being clear here–it’s easier to point out that Eddie Khayat or Mike McCormick suck, because they’re proved they do. I was pointing out that I know it’s early to criticize CKelly, but if you want to be honest, you have to criticize before a consensus on suckitude is reached.
Do you own a t-shirt that says #1 Eagles Fan or one that says I’m a Stepford Fan?
Count me in. I really don’t like what I’ve seen from CK so far. It started with the head-scratching decision to bring Vick back this year.. Continued with the rather out of left field hiring of Billy Davis as DC, a man with a proven track record – of coaching mediocre defenses.. Now the way the bottom of the roster is being handled.. Kelly said the best players will play. Acho was arguably their best LB in the preseason, now he gets cut. Yet Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman, two guys that were criminal missed-tacklers last season, BOTH make the 53?? Ridiculous.
I am a huge birds fan, I’m also still smiling because Andy Reid got put-out on his ass, but if I said what I’ve seen so far from Chip Kelly instilled loads of confidence that he’s the guy to turn this mess around, I’d be lying.
I hope I’m wrong.
Vick is a bump in the road. Not into it but we don’t have a future franchise QB yet and Foles wasn’t very inspiring and I’ve backed Foles. Yes I think you go with the young QB but Kelly wants to begin building and it may be a little better for Foles to come in. Either way they may get their QB down the road and there is something to be said for Kelly not hitching himself to Foles yet.
Acho is a backup LB. I can’t say that I have enough knowledge of the STs performances to know.
There wasn’t particularly a great DC available so like the franchise QB that may be something we find in the future.
We did not get a great safety however with Wolff, Robinson, Johnson who are all inexperienced maybe we will find something there.
Don’t underestimate how chip kelly has referred to the versatility of players, having more linebackers in the 3-4 which allows more available players to play special teams, and the emphasis chip has put on special teams.
Chip is not just building offense and defense, he is also building special teams. Think about it, Chicago made it to the superbowl with special teams and D.
Easy, guys. Phillychuck is allowed to be angry, to disagree, and to question the decision makers. He didn’t say he was giving up on the team or looking for a new one, just that he is doubting Chip. A fan has that right.
Lol. It’s no problem, chucky did not own his orginal statement. Went from I’m the first off the Kelly bandwagon to he’s “a bit exposed”. I’m okay with that. He is allowed to be a fan of the Eagles now lol.
First: Matthews was a lot closer to Acho in terms of play than people care to admit.
Second: Matthews is a better ST player and Kelly clearly values that for the bottom of the roster players.
Third: We dont know if Acho might have been free lancing instead of doing is assignment, or something else we fans have no clue about, but the coaches know.
Fourth: We see the McCoy and Acho type each year, sometimes they make the team and most likely perform like Hunt (remember how he looked like a HOF DE last year?) and other times they still get cut because the coaches know how to see through the competition.
#157. You’re slacking Lawlor. At least Jimmy shows up to practice when he is not permitted. It’s that gung ho mentality you need to possess at all times. And some dude named Pat wanted me to tell you something.
Just listening to that now
I hope you don’t run into Pat!
I’m just really confused about the Acho cut. Forget Acho vs. Matthews, because at the bottom of the roster, it’s Acho vs. 5th Safety, 6th CB, and other depth players. There wasn’t another player that could have been cut? Coleman? Poyer? I just don’t get it.
I just read that we picked up a Tampa LB cast off who sounds like an underwhelming player to me anyway. S.T.er at best. And we punted Acho to do it. Yet Casey “I wish I was Clay” Mathews is STILL here. Knott cool. I’m officially starting to get confused/nervous & losing a bit of my unquestionable faith…..
Chip Kelly is the kind of guy that only offers up answers to reporters because, and only because, he’s contractually obligated to talk to them. The Philly media is really clinging hard to the few nuggets he’s given out just because of our desire to know what’s going on behind the scenes, but there’s no reason to think the peices we’ve got in some way add up to a whole. We don’t know what Chips wants because he hasn’t told us what he wants, and his actions haven’t met our assumptions.
As far as Acho is concerned, I think we’re assuming what way too much about what role Chip is looking to fill with to ever know if Acho was in some way qualified to do it.
I am having a hard time processing the Acho move. I have to admit I don’t understand it. On the other hand it’s not as if Acho was going to be this big difference maker. Seems to me, though that there were cuts it made more sense to make.
But I don’t fool myself into thinking that I know more about how to put together a team than the guys who actually do it for a living. The other thing is, I don’t really know if Acho is attractive as a waiver pickup to anyone or not.
Danny Watkins picked up by the Dolphins per CSNphilly.com.
Looks like they waited until he cleared waivers so they wouldn’t have to absorb the remainder of his deal, which means I’m guessing he’s signing for at or close to minimum.