Opinions

Posted: March 6th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 18 Comments »

In the last few days I’ve written my scouting reports on some free agent prospects. Remember that these are just my opinions. Scouting players isn’t a black and white situation. I don’t know what the Eagles think of these players.

When I was trained by a scout years ago, the most critical piece of advice he gave me was “write what you see”. So that’s what I do. I watch the players in several games and write down the specific details of what I see the players do, good or bad. I go into each game with an open mind and not pre-conceived notions. I have no agenda on whether to write a glowing review or a less thrilled one. Write what you see.

You can read other opinions on free agent prospects. Some will differ from mine. That’s fine. I might watch a play and come away with one take while someone else watches the same play and has a different read. You just have to figure out who to trust. Obviously you can trust me. The fact that my top free agents are all named Tommy or went to Appalachian State University is merely coincidence. Oh, and don’t trust that awful Jimmy Bama.

When I do read opinions from people I respect that differ from mine, my first thought is “What did they see that I didn’t?” I might go back and watch some more tape to just make sure I didn’t miss something. You never know when you saw a player have a bad game that’s an anomaly or if he struggled due to an injury or something like that.

Enough talking. I’ve got more free agents to go study.

* * * * *

Sheil Kapadia, who you can trust, wrote about some non-Orakpo/Worilds OLB targets the Eagles could look at. Maybe the most interesting player is…

Everson Griffen, Vikings (26) – A fourth-round pick in 2010, Griffen has never played more than 60.1 percent of his team’s snaps in a single season, per Pro Football Focus. But he was a productive pass-rusher last year and has 13.5 sacks in the past two seasons.

The question with Griffen is whether teams view him as a 3-4 OLB or a 4-3 DE. Per ESPN 1500 in Minnesota, he might prefer the former:

That’s because Everson Griffen, a fourth-round pick in 2010 who is due to hit the free-agent market this offseason, would probably be more likely to return to the Vikings if they go to a 3-4. He’d also become a better player.

Griffen’s eyes lit up last summer when he was asked about getting the opportunity to rush the passer from outside linebacker. Griffen was asked to play some linebacker in 2012 for the Vikings but he clearly wasn’t comfortable doing it in a 4-3. It would be a different story if he was standing up and rushing the passer.

In a PhiladelphiaEagles.com video, Greg Cosell of NFL Films said he thought Griffen had the athleticism to play in a 3-4.

At 6-3, 273, Griffen has good size, and he is a young, ascending player. Given the market, he’ll probably have his fair share of suitors. But if the Eagles want to make a splash, he could be someone they look at.

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18 Comments on “Opinions”

  1. 1 Insomniac said at 9:18 PM on March 6th, 2014:

    Exactly what you said Tommy. I wasn’t here as long as some other guys but there even I know there’s mutual respect for opinions here. To be quite honest, I didn’t think there was any other ways of scouting for amateurs. D3FB posted a read-worthy article about scouting earlier. Opinions will always differ but you won’t go anywhere if you argue about it. It’s why teams have more than one scout. I’m not going to call out names but just know that you can let your opinion be known without calling people “less intelligent”.

    Wouldn’t Griffen just replace BG’s role though? I haven’t a clue if he looks better dropping back than Cole/BG.

  2. 2 Joe Minx said at 10:34 PM on March 6th, 2014:

    We really need an impact pass rusher, not just a complementary piece which is how I see Griffen. Definitely would not put all my eggs in his basket.

  3. 3 SteveH said at 10:58 PM on March 6th, 2014:

    Giggity.

  4. 4 Joe Minx said at 1:46 PM on March 7th, 2014:

    Yeah, that definitely could have been phrased better haha.

  5. 5 Anders said at 6:33 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    There is no impact pass rusher in FA. Also I really doubt signing Griffin, would mean they wouldnt draft an OLB

  6. 6 Joe Minx said at 1:48 PM on March 7th, 2014:

    You’re right, there isn’t. But I’d rather take multiple shots in the draft in the hopes of finding one (or more) than commit resources & roster space to a player like Griffen. We already have enough “OK types” at the position.

  7. 7 Anders said at 6:53 AM on March 8th, 2014:

    outside of pay, Griffin is also a shot. He has more potential than a similar 3rd or 4th round pick

  8. 8 Sb2bowl said at 3:52 PM on March 7th, 2014:

    Well, he could be a situational pass rusher for us this year, because in all probability, Cole isn’t going anywhere.

  9. 9 Arby1 said at 10:48 PM on March 6th, 2014:

    There was another good piece on philadelphiaeagles.com about scouting safeties at the college level recently. The gist was you had to look at at least 6 or 7 games to begin to get a sense of who the player was simply because safeties get in on so many fewer plays (insert Nate Allen joke here).

  10. 10 Baloophi said at 1:08 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    Without reading the article (who has THAT kind of time?!?!?), I would assume that safeties are also difficult to scout in that…
    A) you don’t necessarily know what his assignment was on the play,
    B) college QB’s are often erratic and noodle-armed, negating the importance of speed and instincts, and…
    C) while he may have made a positive play by forcing the QB to throw elsewhere, there’s no real way to confirm that.

    That’s why I wonder if – during the course of meeting a QB (eg. – Manziel) – we ask him which players were difficult to throw against. Ditto WR’s… we used to always hear opposing WR’s and QB’s talk about locating Dawkins before each snap.

  11. 11 nickross23 said at 10:53 PM on March 6th, 2014:

    I was just thinking about Griffen the other day as a friend and I where discussing potential FA targets. I remember reading about him coming out of high school as this crazy high level high school athlete. Back then I followed USC a lot and he was a guy that flashed great ability but he never put it all together I guess that’s why he lasted till the 4th rd.. At 26 and a mid level guy I wouldn’t mind making a run at him.

  12. 12 laeagle said at 4:05 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    Tommy, you’re blowing my mind. Is that actually a citation within a citation? I haven’t seen anything that bold since “Enter the Dragon”, in which Bruce Lee has a flash-sideways within his own flashback. You just filled some big damn shoes.

  13. 13 A_T_G said at 7:14 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    “We’re you just using the APA nested quotation style against me?”

    “Forgive me, I’ve learned so many styles. Let’s begin then.”

  14. 14 laeagle said at 10:30 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    “I call it the art of citing without citing.”

  15. 15 Cafone said at 4:14 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    We don’t expect you to always be correct, but I think I can speak for most of your followers when I say we do know you put the time in to watch film and we appreciate that. We know that when we read your opinions on a player we are reading your opinions and you are not just recycling the opinions of other writers and fans.

  16. 16 P_P_K said at 10:09 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    I’ll drink to that.

  17. 17 eagleyankfan said at 8:04 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    There’s only one I trust with honest(and clearly biased) opinions…

  18. 18 greenblood0118 said at 11:22 AM on March 7th, 2014:

    Griffen sounds interesting to me.