Live From Mobile

Posted: January 19th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 149 Comments »

I’m down in Mobile, AL for the Senior Bowl. I was on the same plane in with Jimmy Bama and Sheil Kapadia. It truly is a wonder that the plane wasn’t struck down with a lightning bolt. One chance to take out 3 hooligans.

So let’s talk about the game.

I’ll start by emphasizing that I’m looking for the best players. I’ll certainly focus on areas of need, but any impact players will be of interest. Take ILB for example. Mychal Kendricks is a good young ILB. He was erratic this year, but is good enough that you want to see what he can do with some stability. He might actually have a chance to grow as a player. DeMeco Ryans had a good year. He was more up and down than some may realize. I’m not looking to get rid of Ryans, but what if a player like Christian Jones has a great week in Mobile and looks like he’d be ideal for the Eagles defense? ILB isn’t technically a need, but the thought of adding a young, speedy, talented ILB to play beside Kendricks is pretty darn tempting.

The 2 positions I’ll focus on the most are OLB and S. Here are some quick thoughts on the guys I’ll be watching.

OLB

Jeremiah Attaochu – 6-3, 242 – My favorite OLB prospect here. Has played LB and DE. Has some violence to his game. Tough, physical player, but also athletic. Curious to see how he measures in.

Dee Ford – 6-2, 240 – The weigh-in is critical for him. Better not be smaller than he’s listed or that may push him into a situational rusher role. Had a great showing in the title game so I’m excited to see him in the 1-on-1 drills.

Marcus Smith – 6-3, 252 – Natural pass rusher. That’s key for me. I think the Eagles need a ROLB who can get to the QB. Smith is listed as an OLB this week so we’ll get to see him play some in space.

Michael Sam – 6-2, 255 – Might not be 6-2. But he was highly productive for Mizzou. Feels like a Ravens player to me, which is the ultimate compliment you can give a defensive prospect. Can he be effective in coverage? Also excited to see him go against some good OL.

James Gayle – 6-4, 255 – I’m sure the Eagles love his frame. Gayle is a strong, physical player. Solid pass rusher. Not sure if he’s athletic enough to be effective in space.

Chris Smith – 6-3, 268 – Arkansas has some sneaky good athletes. I’m curious to see how athletic Smith really is. He had more than 20 sacks in his career so he’s a proven pass rusher.

Adrian Hubbard – 6-6, 248 – I was down on him last summer, but after watching more tape Hubbard has grown on me. I’d be very interested if the Eagles needed a LOLB. Might be an excellent player to develop behind Barwin. I’m just not sure Hubbard is a good enough pass rusher to play the ROLB spot.

Kyle Van Noy – 6-3, 245 – Some fans love KVN, but I don’t. I love his effort, but I see a very good college player more than I do a terrific pro prospect. The weigh-in will be important for him. I wonder if his best spot might be 3-4 ILB or 4-3 SAM. I’d love him to light it up as a pass rusher this week and prove me wrong, but I don’t see him as a top notch 3-4 OLB prospect.

SAFETY

This isn’t a great group of S prospects.

Deone Bucannon – 6-1, 198 – Can be a big time hitter. Also had a good number of INTs for his career. Best when attacking downfield. Not as good when he’s in space and dealing with athletes.

Kenny Ladler – 6-1, 205 – Size. Experience. Production. Good in all areas. Great in none. Had 11 career TFLs and 9 INTs. Curious to see his cover skills this week.

Isaiah Lewis – 5-11, 210 – I think Lewis might be a good fit for the Eagles. He is a downhill S that can really fly to the ball. Good tackler. Think of all the plays where receivers caught underneath passes and had time to run. Lewis would help clean some of that up. Not a big guy or great athlete, but could help the Eagles.

Craig Loston – 6-2, 209 – Big S who can hit. Real interested to see how he does in coverage. 2-year starter. Had 3 picks in each of those years so he can make some plays. Not sure how instinctive he is. Also curious to see what kind of range he has.

Ahmad Dixon – 6-0, 205 – You can see his potential on tape, but doesn’t jump out at me. Has some burst when he attacks the ball, but I didn’t see him as an impact hitter. Only had 4 picks in 3 years as a starter. Curious to see his hands this week.

Terrence Brooks – 5-11, 200 – Not his biggest fan. Good college player, but it really felt like he benefited from the great players around him. Will try to hit and tackle, but doesn’t pack much pop. Worked fine against college players, but I’m not sure how he’ll do against NFL guys. I might change my mind on Brooks after seeing him up close and personal this week.

Jimmie Ward – 5-11, 192 – Feels like a #3 Safety or even a Nickelback. Has solid man cover skills. Plays hard and will attack the ball. Just doesn’t look like a starting NFL Safety to me. I’d be fine with taking him for depth.

* * * * *

Keep in mind that underclassmen will have a huge impact on these positions. I’ll write about Calvin Pryor and Anthony Barr after the Senior Bowl. I would love to get Pryor at 22. No way I see Barr getting anywhere close to that. Terrific prospect.

149 Comments on “Live From Mobile”

1 SteveH said at 3:20 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Thanks for the updates Tommy, but if you and Jimmy don’t come back with a new podcast I’m going to rescind my offer of affordable eye surgery.
2 Chippah said at 7:45 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Check point number 4: http://mobile.philly.com/blogs/?wss=/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/&id=240843761
They just put up a podcast the other day
3 Insomniac said at 3:45 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Attaochu!!!! KVN never really stood out to me besides the fact that he was probably one of the better athletes on the field. I hope you can sell the Eagles to Ladler. I want him in midnight green.
I second the podcast with Jimmy. I miss those.
4 shah8 said at 4:50 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Sad I never paid much attention to the GT defense when I watched at all. Did notice him, but didn’t know he was supposed to be special.
5 Insomniac said at 5:14 PM on January 19th, 2014:
He’s not special. He’s just a hell of a lot better option than Van Noy in my opinion.
6 GENETiC-FREAK said at 5:33 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Nah mate gotta disagree with you on him being better than Van Noy
7 Chippah said at 5:02 PM on January 19th, 2014:
They just did one the other day. Check Jimmy’s philly.com page
8 SteveH said at 4:03 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Watching the AFC championship game. Lack of a pass rush is going to murder Denver. They really miss Von Miller.
9 Anders said at 4:08 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Just turned on the AFCCG, saw a screen and the RB didnt even try to juke the safety. Having watched McCoy juke every single player in the NFL this year, it is weird seeing a RB not do that (Westbrook also did some of it before him, so I have now watched a decade of elusive RBs)
10 GENETiC-FREAK said at 4:10 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Personally i think Van Noy is the real deal.. Watching him i see good instict.. Sweet use of hands when block shedding like Judo or like hes parrying punches.. Hustle always husltling to make the plays.. Blitzes alot n smooth n coverage.. Put some more size on him n you have yourself a beast!
Pryor ive been talking him up for months now n finally hes showing up on peoples radars.. Can pop off hits n wraps too.. Aggression has plenty of it
11 SteveH said at 4:23 PM on January 19th, 2014:
For those interested in what a bigtime nose can do, take a look at Terrence Knighton in today’s championship game. He’s just too much for the NE OL to handle.
12 Kristopher Cebula said at 5:48 PM on January 19th, 2014:
dudes killing it
13 Arby1 said at 4:28 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Pryor at 22 makes sense. He’d never last to 54.
14 D3Center said at 8:26 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I’m not a Pryor fan after watching film of him in UCF game. To me he was inconsistent and has a tendency to take terrible angles. I know D3FB can give you a better report on him but in my opinion he’s overrated.
15 livingonapear said at 4:29 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I was high on Van Noy last year, but not as much this year. I’m actually curious if Ansah going to the pros hurt his production.
I would love for him to come here and kill it, but I’m skeptical, especially if he’s going to go early. If he drops and you can pick him up mid round, that’s great, but I’d much rather have Attaochu.
16 Insomniac said at 4:48 PM on January 19th, 2014:
You should keep an eye out for DaQuan Jones. Very disruptive but inconsistent DT from Penn State. He lost weight this year to play faster but he can still take on double teams. Jones as a developmental NT would be great if he wasn’t already a good 4-3 DT.
17 D3FB said at 6:31 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Watched my first film on him couple days ago. Came away impressed. I think he could be just what Chip and Billy want in a nose. Could def get looked at in round 2.
18 Vick or Nick said at 5:00 PM on January 19th, 2014:
This might be the first year where Eagles can pick any position(outside of K or P) in the first round and even beyond and I won’t be disappointed. All positions and depth needs to be upgraded. Take the highest ranked player. Simple.
19 shah8 said at 5:05 PM on January 19th, 2014:
This is probably one of the worst played conference games I’ve seen, outside of Den passing offense. Both defenses STINK. While I’m sure others can contradict me, but I can’t remember Vick’s conference games, and I can’t remember another this awful. Perhaps Jets-Steelers?
20 shah8 said at 5:10 PM on January 19th, 2014:
And the game is turned off.
21 Insomniac said at 5:11 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Terrence Knighton. Why didn’t we sign that guy?
22 GENETiC-FREAK said at 5:17 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Del Rio had some influence signing with Denver i reckon
23 GENETiC-FREAK said at 5:19 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Del Rio had some influence on him signing with Denver i reckon
24 SteveH said at 5:24 PM on January 19th, 2014:
New mindless football narrative: Brady can’t beat Manning outside of Foxboro. Flipping the script on its head.
25 Baloophi said at 5:47 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Anyone looking for a mock draft simulator that will kill the rest of your day, please visit the following:
http://first-pick.com/
“Play NFL Draft Game”
You can make trades and draft an unrealistic number of guys, but it’s fun to play GM. I’ve done an embarrassing number of them with mixed results. Generally speaking, trading back and stacking picks in rounds 2-4 feels like the way to go. Trading up to acquire anyone in the 1st round really hamstrings the rest of the draft. Duh. In a weird way, you get “better” the more you do.
Oh, and apparently even in a simulator, Green Bay keeps stealing your guy right before your pick. Get ready for that in the real draft…
Here are my two favorites (complete with their letter grades). I’ll spare you the super crazy ones (though these are far-fetched), but I’m curious to see how others do:
Your score is: 4229 (Drafting Ability: B+, Player Quality A, Future Draft Picks: N/A)
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 22: Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville (A)
Round 2 Pick 29 (N.E.): Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State (A)
Round 3 Pick 28 (CAR): Christian Jones, ILB, Florida State (A)
Round 3 Pick 32 (MINN): Keith McGill, CB, Utah (A)
Round 4 Pick 8 (MINN): Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois (A)
Round 4 Pick 11 (TENN): Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn (A)
Round 4 Pick 12 (NYG): Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech (B)
Round 4 Pick 22: Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers (A)
Round 4 Pick 28 (CAR): Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee (A)
Round 5 Pick 22: Wesley Johnson, OT, Vanderbilt (A)
Round 5 Pick 29: Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida (A)
Round 6 Pick 17 (K.C.): Chris Boswell, K, Rice (A)
Round 6 Pick 23 (K.C.): Jay Bromley, DT, Syracuse (B)
Round 7 Pick 22: Gabe Ikard, C, Oklahoma (A-)
**************
Your score is: 4192 (Drafting Ability: B+, Player Quality A, Future Draft Picks: N/A)
Your Picks:
Round 2 Pick 20 (ARI): Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson (B+)
Round 2 Pick 21 (G.B.): Odell Beckham, WR, LSU (A-)
Round 2 Pick 22: Terrance Mitchell, CB, Oregon (B+)
Round 2 Pick 28 (CAR): C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa (B+)
Round 3 Pick 19 (MIA): Christian Jones, ILB, Florida State (A)
Round 3 Pick 20 (ARI): Ahmad Dixon, SS, Baylor (A)
Round 3 Pick 22: Tre Mason, RB, Auburn (A)
Round 3 Pick 30 (S.F.): Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois (A)
Round 4 Pick 22: Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech (A)
Round 4 Pick 30 (S.F.): Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee (A)
Round 5 Pick 22: Robert Herron, WR, Wyoming (A)
Round 5 Pick 29: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska (A)
Round 7 Pick 22: Gabe Ikard, C, Oklahoma (A-)
26 Baloophi said at 5:52 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Appreciate the down vote.
27 Baloophi said at 5:54 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Also, Computer Cincinnati is hot for safeties. They were constantly starting a run on them in the first and second rounds.
28 ACViking said at 5:56 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Baloophi:
Will the program run on my I-Phone . . . in case I have to drive back from a sporting event with my in-laws in shocked silence?
29 Baloophi said at 6:01 PM on January 19th, 2014:
In that case, I hope you’re not actually the one driving. Safety first, everyone!
That was a pretty traumatic experience. I tried to muster a, “After some time maybe we can appreciate seeing one of the best title games ever in person…” and sort of trailed off.
As far as the facility of the website on your mobile device, I’m not sure. It seems a little wonky. Out of way, way too many trials, Anthony Barr actually fell to me at #22… but before I could select him the website suddenly logged me out. Must be run by Cowboys’ fans…
30 Mitchell said at 9:51 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Started playing. It was pretty fun. It seems like Mosley is falling a lot in these drafts. Would you take him at 22 if Pryor isn’t there?
31 Baloophi said at 10:13 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Noticed that, too. I will await further analysis from more experienced draftniks re: Mssr. Mosley, but I tend to be wary of using a first rounder on a pure ILB. Not just from an Eagles needs perspective, but in general.
Luke Kuechly was one of the most heralded and “sure fire” interior linebackers in recent memory and even he went 9th (probably because Aaron Curry sullied the waters a little bit for him).
The other thing to consider is the overall strength of the Bama defense. Is Mosley better because of the talent around him? As in, is it easier to stand out and fly around making tackles with a dominant line in front of him, an above-average secondary behind him, and usually a big lead in the game?
I think all of this is why he is “slipping.” I don’t know how the mechanics of that website work but I wonder if they’re aggregating choices in real-time and weighting the players accordingly. So – for example – as people make picks for the Vikings and routinely pass on Johnny Manziel, does his fake draft stock drop on the site?
32 Baloophi said at 10:34 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Also, if we’re to take anything away from these fake slips, here are some other guys that I’ve seen high up in first round mocks that are surprisingly and somewhat frequently available at #22 (and sometimes well into the 2nd round):
Taylor Lewan
– Seems like Matthews, Robinson, Kuoandijo, and even Antonio Richardson are going ahead of him.
Khalil Mack
– I’d say about 25% of the time he’s available at #22… and I always miss him because I assume he’s gone!
– He might be someone who drops if there’s a QB run.
Darqueze Dennard
– 40% of the time? The top CB’s will really bounce around until we see them run at the combine.
Marqise Lee
– This guy is all over the place. He doesn’t have Mike Evans or Kelvin Benjamin size, and Watkins seems to have solidified the top “normal size” WR spot, so the question becomes how much better is he than Odell Beckham, Brandin Cooks, or Jarvis Landry? Or even Paul Richardson?
Louis Nix
– In general, D-line seems to be slipping. I wonder if this an artifact of fans desiring flashy, skill players with picks and therefore isn’t representative of the actual draft.
33 Baloophi said at 10:45 PM on January 19th, 2014:
In fact, Mack just fell to me. Required 5 OT’s and 2 S’s to go in front of us, and a possible reach for both Tre Mason and Trent Murphy:
Pick 1 (1) Texans: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
Pick 2 (2) Rams: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
Pick 3 (3) Jaguars: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
Pick 4 (4) Browns: Tre Mason, RB, Auburn
Pick 5 (5) Raiders: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Pick 6 (6) Falcons: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
Pick 7 (7) Buccaneers: Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame
Pick 8 (8) Vikings: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
Pick 9 (9) Bills: Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
Pick 10 (10) Lions: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
Pick 11 (11) Titans: Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
Pick 12 (12) (NYG) Jets: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Pick 13 (13) Rams: Hasean Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama
Pick 14 (14) (CHI) Ravens: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Pick 15 (15) Steelers: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
Pick 16 (16) (BALT) Bears: Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame
Pick 17 (17) Cowboys: Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville
Pick 18 (18) (NYJ) Packers: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
Pick 19 (19) Dolphins: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
Pick 20 (20) Cardinals: Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford
Pick 21 (21) (G.B.) Giants: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
Pick 22 (22) Eagles: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
34 Mitchell said at 11:16 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Yeh, I see what you are saying. I really don’t know who we will take in the first. I am an advocate of trading down myself. It makes the most sense for this team and our position in the draft.
35 Baloophi said at 11:46 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Lately that’s been the case. The exception would be if we can get our hands on a playmaking OLB, but “barring” a significant slip or a separate move for Dion Jordan, I’d rather move back and acquire more lotto picks.
The “value for dollar” always seems to be somewhere in the 3rd round, so anything we can do to load up in there would be ideal.
I think if teams get hot on the TE’s (Ebron, Amaro, Seferian-Jenkins) we might have some trade-down suitors. If they go in front of us, then someone will want a tackle.
If we can double-dip a trade down then we’ll be in the money zone. I know as a fan I wouldn’t enjoy us trading twice and out of the first round (especially since that’s just one day, now), but we’d wind up with a deeper pool of talent.
I would almost trade out of 22 no matter what happens ahead of us… though Pryor is intriguing.
36 Mitchell said at 2:09 AM on January 20th, 2014:
At that point in the draft the guessing starts to begin. The players are never a sure fire thing and it is almost smarter to load up on 2nd/3rd round picks so one can hedge bets. We could load up on safeties, OLB, hell whatever you want.
37 Baloophi said at 2:12 AM on January 20th, 2014:
Long snappers… you never know.
38 Mitchell said at 10:03 PM on January 19th, 2014:
These are similar to my scores too. It seems like C.J. Mosley fell often to 22, do you pick him there?
39 Baloophi said at 10:19 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Responded below…
40 Mitchell said at 11:15 PM on January 19th, 2014:
whoops, it double posted…..
41 BobSmith77 said at 5:48 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Too many injuries for the Pats including Talib today finally caught up to the Pats. Simply don’t have enough talent on either side of the ball to stick with the Broncos.
Been a pretty boring game though all around though and kind of a dud.
42 SteveH said at 5:59 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Seahawks-Niners should make up for it. Pats looked like they might make it interesting at the end but its not to be.
43 livingonapear said at 7:16 PM on January 19th, 2014:
That was pretty much what I saw. Having no Wilfork or Gronkowski doesn’t matter that much if you’re playing the dolphins.
It matters when the other team doesn’t punt after the first drive.
44 Baloophi said at 6:09 PM on January 19th, 2014:
The Broncos may have something there with Eli’s brother…
45 Dragon_Eagle said at 6:23 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Too old.
46 SteveH said at 6:44 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Ahhhh lol Russell Wilson sucks.
47 GENETiC-FREAK said at 6:44 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Damn Eagles could use one of Aldon Smith!
48 Baloophi said at 6:47 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Sign idea for visiting fans in Seattle:
QUIETER!
49 Buge Halls said at 6:49 PM on January 19th, 2014:
How about those kickers actually kicking the ball out of the endzone on the kickoff! Or how about that 54 yard FG that they didn’t even balk at!
Yes, we need defensive help (big time!), but we NEED a kicker that pins the other team back with touchbacks (too many bad things can happen on a run back) or that can easily make a 50+ yard kick. We don’t have that now and it cost us big against the Vikings and even bigger against the Saints!
50 Mitchell said at 7:51 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I would spend some money on Haushka for sure.
51 shah8 said at 7:26 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton Manning is not escaping that rush, nor were there open guys. He might be able to get short throws, but all drives would eventually be suffocated. Athleticism matters. Making plays matter.
52 SteveH said at 7:28 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I guess we’re going to find out soon enough, he’ll be playing against 1 of these 2 elite defenses in two weeks.
53 shah8 said at 7:29 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Both of these defenses are scary. Particularly the Sea rush defense when it’s not Kap.
54 SteveH said at 7:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I find the Niners rush to be just as frightening as long as Aldon Smith/Justin Smith are playing. Either way both D’s are murderous.
55 shah8 said at 7:32 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Which defense do you think Peyton wants to face? A fast DL that can get to Peyton quickly, but with a weaker secondary, or a slower DL that has a stronger secondary?
56 shah8 said at 7:33 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Damn, they killing people out there!
57 SteveH said at 7:33 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I think Peyton will take Seattle on a neutral field. Seattle goes from top tier away from Qwest field to absurdly good at home.
58 livingonapear said at 8:04 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton and his line were able to handle Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, while that team was still healthy. If he faces Seattle, the big question is how Seattle will handle the rub and pick routes (especially since they grab and clutch a lot).
Against the niners, I think Peyton will do just fine. Somewhere along the line it became fashionable to be afraid of Seattle and San Fran’s Ds, I don’t think it’s going to matter nearly as much as people think.
59 shah8 said at 8:10 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Different beast. SF’s line has better interior push and the DEs are not nearly so far away from the QB as KC’s DE like to be. Seattle is largely the same. The difference for Sea (and Car) is that they do slow controlled pushes upfield. I really do not think that the Broncos can easily pass on Sea–that defense is *extremely* capable of shutting down short passes, we saw some of that in this game. And Manning still has a weak arm–messy pocket, longer throws? Manning has historically thrown interceptions under those circumstances. SF is more possible, but SF (and probably Sea w/Harvin) probably can keep up a shootout with Denver.
60 livingonapear said at 8:27 PM on January 19th, 2014:
You very well may be right. I’m not seeing anything out of either Seattle or San Fran today that has me worried for Denver, or Manning’s well being.
Denver’s line has shown up this year to such an extent, and Manning’s release is so quick that I’m not betting against it. People focus a lot on how physical San Fran and Seatte are, but they can be defeated.
Like I said, the x factor is how seattle shuts down routes of Denver’s receivers. Probably the strongest case for seattle goes back to them shutting down NO.
61 shah8 said at 8:35 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I’m still not sure why KC’s front seven did so poorly. Other DLs have been able to get to Manning…Indy is a good example…
62 livingonapear said at 8:51 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Not really. You had a few games like the Indy game, but his sack % was half that of Brees this year. Some of that is how quickly he gets rid of the ball, but he only had 18 sacks, and 9 of them came in 3 games (NE, Indy, Bal).
Denver has a really good line, the center and right guard position which keeps Manning from stuff up the middle. Left guard is a question mark, but that may have been a lot of adjustment to the injury to Ryan Clady.
Football’s a game of matchups, and Seattle or San Fran may prove deadly, but I’m not ready to crown them based on their reputations.
63 xeynon said at 10:21 PM on January 19th, 2014:
There’s also the fact that Peyton is really smart, generally is able to diagnose what the defense is trying to do before the snap, and usually calls the correct audible to beat it when he does. The Pats kept giving him six man fronts this afternoon, he happily kept audibling to run plays and gashing them. Seattle/Denver should be a great Super Bowl. Furthermore, no matter who wins it there’s something to be happy about – either Seattle ends their long championship drought, which they deserve since those are great fans and they lost their basketball team a few years back, or the overblown “Peyton is a choker who comes up small in the playoffs” narrative finally gets put to rest. Win/win, really. The antithesis of the two Giants/Patriots Super Bowls.
64 laeagle said at 8:58 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton has a weak arm? Now I’ve truly heard everything.
65 xeynon said at 10:23 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton’s arm strength isn’t what it was before the surgery. He relies much more on anticipation and precision than he used to.
Unfortunately for shah8, the fact that he just had statistically the greatest regular season ever and led his team to the Super Bowl casts doubt on the theory that anticipation and precision aren’t as important as physical talent.
66 laeagle said at 10:29 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton certainly doesn’t have a cannon of an arm, but that’s a far cry from having a weak arm. And you’re dead on as far as how ridiculous it is to criticize arm strength of any QB after a season like that.
67 anon said at 2:28 AM on January 20th, 2014:
man you get downvotes for no reason, people need to get a life.
68 Arby1 said at 10:44 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Yeah, makes me realize just how far we have to go on that side of the ball.
69 shah8 said at 7:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
It has to be said, Kap is more agile today than he usually is, though.
70 shah8 said at 8:13 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Wilson needs to take correspondence courses from the Drew Brees School of Shorty Climbs The Pocket. The Tarkenton plays work pretty well, but there are deep plays left on the field because of his spinning, and SF isn’t going to let short passes on the run kill them like NO.
71 suthrneagle said at 5:54 AM on January 20th, 2014:
But,he won,…hehehehe!!!!!!!!!!
72 shah8 said at 8:41 PM on January 19th, 2014:
/me shakes head. EVERYONE is showing up today.
73 shah8 said at 8:43 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Then Baldwin attacks!
74 suthrneagle said at 5:52 AM on January 20th, 2014:
Aaaannnndddd, they lost
75 Sean said at 8:32 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Which QB has performed best today among the final four teams, again?
76 shah8 said at 8:37 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I don’t really think I can say. NE’s defense was so depleted and atrocious, I’m not prepared to think Peyton has done that well. Same with SD, and he had turnovers, one real one, I believe. Wilson has not played in any sort of circumstances friendly to passing. I suppose Kaepernick…Brady is a nonstarter.
77 xeynon said at 10:24 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Kaepernick is definitely out after those two awful fourth quarter interceptions he threw to kill the 49ers chances.
78 SteveH said at 7:29 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Now that’s how you do a goal line run, pick an atheletic guy and go superman way up high over the top. Nearly impossible to stop.
79 SteveH said at 7:32 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Iupati is a big loss moving forward for the Niners.
80 shah8 said at 9:23 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Bowman down. Sea O is an assassin in goal to go.
81 SteveH said at 9:24 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here, they came up short of the goal line, then clearly fumbled the ball away to the Niners but will retain possession on a technicality. Nothing really screams assassin there.
82 shah8 said at 9:32 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Iupati, Bowman, mean Sea in general.
83 SteveH said at 8:06 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Man, NFL officiating this year… just scratching my head sometimes.
84 Matt Gosline said at 8:06 PM on January 19th, 2014:
How does Trent Murphy project as an OLB. He’s huge and a PAC 12 guy that’s played against Chip
85 D3FB said at 11:21 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Big, tall, strong, great motor. Not an explosive or sudden athlete. Projects better as a 43 end.
86 Dragon_Eagle said at 8:14 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I am glad that Eagles will play both these teams next year, SF away and Seattle at home. Should serve as a real measuring stick for the Eagles’ progress under Chip. Both SF and Seattle could drop off next year, but they look set for a good long run and rivalry.
87 BobSmith77 said at 8:17 PM on January 19th, 2014:
49ers-Seahawks game reminds me of those old NFC games in the 80s/90s when ‘men were men’ or something like that.
Helps that the refs are also allowing the DBs generally to manhandle the WRs in this game too with a lot of uncalled contact. What makes little sense in these 2 games so far is when they decide to call pass interference though. Way too arbitrary.
88 BobSmith77 said at 8:19 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Anthony Dixon TD reminded me of the old line from the 90s flick, Mallrats:
‘Fly, Fat A$$, Fly!’
89 Tumtum said at 8:22 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Have fun Tommy. Guess this week marks 1 year since I found the blitz. I have refrsshed the page 10000000000000x easily.
90 Tom W said at 8:36 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I have watched the Nigerian play 7 games last two years and I really like his athletic ability, length, quickness, build, and pass rushing acumen. I also watched 3 interviews and he seems very intelligent good kid who is a big Christian. Think he will interview really well. Would be thrilled if we got him at 54 but I expect he runs in in the mid 4.6s and sneaks into first round.
Saw eagles interviewed two kids and ew shrine game … The guard dozier who played real well this week. Tackle in college switched to guard. Would be nice in 4th rd if he lasted last long. Ilb de from USC too.
91 P_P_K said at 9:04 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Tommy, Jimmy, and Shel together? If I was in Mobile, I’d kill to sit at a table with y’all and talk football.
But, T-Law, maybe we should dump those other clowns before we go cruising for girls.
92 A_T_G said at 9:10 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Well, for once I agree with something Shah8 often preaches. In the playoffs, when defenses play tougher, inferior QB play gets exposed. Through three quarters of the NFCC game there were, maybe, six good passes.
93 shah8 said at 9:26 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Heh. I know you’re trying to turn the point, but nobody who’s watching this game is thinking there are two inferior QBs out there. Unless they just wishes to believe so.
94 SteveH said at 9:27 PM on January 19th, 2014:
See ATG, even when you try to agree with Shah you can’t be right.
95 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 9:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
More great QB play…
96 shah8 said at 9:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
To be honest, Sea has his number.
97 A_T_G said at 9:35 PM on January 19th, 2014:
“…nobody who’s watching this game is thinking there are two inferior QBs out there. Unless they just wishes to believe so.”
The same comment could be made referencing the games played by the highest rated QB in the league this season.
This game is all about the defenses and running game, which in itself says something about the QBs in our QB-centric league, but both Kap and Wilson have been more of liabilities than assets.
98 shah8 said at 9:38 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Pathetic.
99 SteveH said at 9:39 PM on January 19th, 2014:
This is not acceptable behavior for discourse on this forum.
100 shah8 said at 9:44 PM on January 19th, 2014:
You’re not the hall monitor. It is actually pathetic. He cares about scoring points so much, he’s willing to believe that QBs playing whales of a game against extreme defenses are bad.
101 SteveH said at 9:45 PM on January 19th, 2014:
That’s fine, your behavior speaks for itself.
102 shah8 said at 9:46 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Seriously, look at yourselves.
103 SteveH said at 9:47 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Keep going, we’re all interested in seeing where you’re going with that line of thinking.
104 shah8 said at 9:51 PM on January 19th, 2014:
What line is there to discuss? You all were displaying an extreme lack of generosity of spirit.
105 SteveH said at 9:52 PM on January 19th, 2014:
No no, you were saying something about how we need to look at ourselves, and that would be because…
106 Andy124 said at 10:28 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Because we’re all so damn handsome.
107 A_T_G said at 9:51 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Actually, I love defensive battles, as you can note in my original comment. When assessing QB play, points are a relevant metric, but I never mentioned points in anything I said.
Please refrain from putting words in my mouth when you are trying to defend the insult you lobbed out to deflect attention from your lack of an actual response.
108 shah8 said at 9:53 PM on January 19th, 2014:
But I didn’t insult you. I said that your conduct was deplorable. You want to take shots at people, and show up QBs playing their hearts out as bad just to say that I’m bad, well…
109 A_T_G said at 10:07 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Actually, what you said was, “Pathetic.” If it was not meant to be insulting, your communication skills need improvement.
As for the conduct you find so deplorable, I think being unimpressed by a pair of QBs combining for 4 fumbles, 2 interceptions, and less than 400 yards is a reasonable position.
110 xeynon said at 10:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
14-24 for 153 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs… this is what passes for “a whale of a game” in your world. Unless, of course, that stat line is posted by somebody like Andy Dalton or Nick Foles whose style of play you find displeasing, in which case I suspect it would be proof that the quarterback in question lacked the talent to win big in the playoffs.
You constantly resort to circular logic and to drawing completely arbitrary distinctions and then pretending they’re definitive when you argue… people are going to come back at you on that.
111 Andy124 said at 10:31 PM on January 19th, 2014:
You forgot about the lost fumble. 🙂
112 anon said at 2:25 AM on January 20th, 2014:
you really used mr. andy dalton as an example? if we were playing against the best secondary in football you think foles would have 40 attempts and crazy stats, lets not pretend like these defenses aren’t special.
113 xeynon said at 3:16 AM on January 20th, 2014:
I’m not saying Dalton and Foles wouldn’t have struggled against the Seahawks’ defense. They very likely would have; it is after all the best defense in football. What I am saying is that it’s ridiculous to laud the play of a quarterback who threw for well under 200 yards, had a QB rating in the 50s, and committed three brutal turnovers. Kaepernick was bad today. There’s not necessarily any shame in that; a lot of quarterbacks are bad against that defense. But there’s no denying the objective reality.
114 theycallmerob said at 12:37 PM on January 20th, 2014:
Par for the course. Well stated
115 bill said at 9:45 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Your powers of logic and reason hold no sway in that universe.
116 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 9:27 PM on January 19th, 2014:
You know what else Peyton wouldn’t do? Muff hand-offs like both of these athletic QBs have done tonight…
117 shah8 said at 9:29 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Peyton Manning has had muffed handoffs this season…
118 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 9:33 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Not with the game on the line. He was perfect today when it mattered
119 shah8 said at 9:34 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Clutch handoffs!
120 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 9:38 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Wilson has since blown two more and killed his chance to out this game away…but hey, he’s an “athlete.”
121 xeynon said at 10:32 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Excellent self-parody, this.
122 JJ_Cake said at 12:59 AM on January 20th, 2014:
I’m glad we got a guy like Foles. Definitely prefer him to Kapernick and Wilson. Now, if we get a D like SF or Seattle, I think we are Superbowl Bound.
123 SteveH said at 9:23 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Wow more bad officiating. Clearest fumble recovery and possession in the world and Seattle is going to keep the ball. Just nuts how terrible the officiating is this year.
124 SteveH said at 9:26 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Karma exists.
125 shah8 said at 9:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
And the first bad throw.
126 shah8 said at 9:30 PM on January 19th, 2014:
well, truly bad throw.
127 SteveH said at 9:37 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Setting up for a fun finish, Kap with 1 drive to win the game.
128 shah8 said at 9:50 PM on January 19th, 2014:
What an awesome game.
129 shah8 said at 9:50 PM on January 19th, 2014:
What an awesome stop by Sherman.
130 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 9:50 PM on January 19th, 2014:
So Kap ends the game with 3 straight turnovers…clutch athlete though
131 A_T_G said at 10:22 PM on January 19th, 2014:
But, to be fair, he was displaying exemplary probing skills.
132 Baloophi said at 10:36 PM on January 19th, 2014:
He’s ready to join an exploratory mission on a UFO.
133 SteveH said at 9:56 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I love Sherman, best post game interview ever.
134 phillychuck said at 9:57 PM on January 19th, 2014:
We’ll have to disagree there. I think he was an embarrassment to himself and to the league. You won; show some class.
135 Baloophi said at 10:01 PM on January 19th, 2014:
It was entertaining, in an “anything can happen right now” way…
One wonders if he wasn’t playing in the NFL’s new darling city or even on a winning team if the media would have such a “That’s just Sherman being Sherman!” attitude.
He’s certainly done an excellent job branding himself as the bad guy. I bet he’s made some dough off of that.
136 Tumtum said at 10:19 PM on January 19th, 2014:
He is a jerk imo. Only guy who has ever made Skip Bayless look good (if you saw a clip of when he was on first take or whatver its called now).
137 SteveH said at 10:05 PM on January 19th, 2014:
I don’t care much about whether someone shows class or not, but I do enjoy an apparently unhinged crazy man (who is all likelihood just putting on a show) yelling things at the television camera like a rabid animal.
This league is so unbelievably clean cut and PR managed that I can’t help but enjoy it when someone does something out of the ordinary.
138 Baloophi said at 10:15 PM on January 19th, 2014:
…”I don’t care much about whether someone shows class or not, but I do enjoy an apparently unhinged crazy man (who is all likelihood just
putting on a show) yelling things at the television camera like a rabid animal.”
Let’s leave Bill O’Reilly out of this, please…
139 livingonapear said at 10:41 PM on January 19th, 2014:
This is one of those things where if it was an every game occurrence, I would have a problem.
We need a player or two like Sherman, as long as its the exception and not the rule.
140 livingonapear said at 10:02 PM on January 19th, 2014:
We’ve got a real rivalry now. I’ m excited.
141 livingonapear said at 10:15 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Seattle D just might break Wes Welker in two weeks
142 Ramsay said at 10:48 PM on January 19th, 2014:
Drafting Christian Jones would be cool, I played football with him in high school
143 SteveH said at 1:04 AM on January 20th, 2014:
Re-watching the end of the SEA/SF game reminds me a lot of our game in 2010 versus the Packers. SF had time and timeouts, no need to take a shot at the end zone there especially over the top of Richard Sherman.
144 xeynon said at 1:17 AM on January 20th, 2014:
Funny you say that, because Kaepernick reminds me a lot of Mike Vick. Scintillating as a runner but unlike other mobile QBs like McNabb, Young, Wilson, etc. gives up on his reads and looks to run too quickly and too often, and lets himself take way too many big hits.
145 SteveH said at 2:37 PM on January 20th, 2014:
He also has all the arm talent in the world, but really only excels at throwing those bullet passes.
146 anon said at 2:19 AM on January 20th, 2014:
Does Harbaugh rue getting alex smith go? do the go to a SB with smith?
147 Phils Goodman said at 5:24 PM on January 20th, 2014:
Watched a couple Attaochu cut-ups and he strikes me more as a max effort guy than a great athlete and he doesn’t look special in space. Wouldn’t want to take him very high.
Kahlil Mack, on the other hand, is a superman. I’m pining for him, but he’ll be gone.
148 HazletonEagle said at 9:44 PM on January 20th, 2014:
re: Van Noy
How dare you Tommy. How dare you…
149 Google said at 7:47 PM on January 27th, 2014:
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