A Big Lesson, But No Lesson At All
Posted: January 14th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 348 Comments »We now know the final 4 teams: Seattle, New England, Green Bay, Indianapolis. What’s a lesson the Eagles can learn from them? One that we already know…it’s all about the QB. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will be Hall of Fame players. Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck are too young for that talk, but they’re off to the kind of start that very well could land them in Canton. But these QBs weren’t always so special.
Tom Brady was a good player at Michigan. He won games and led a strong offense, but they had a “phenom” in Drew Henson that they kept trying to give the job to. Brady was 20-5 at UM and then lasted until pick 199 in the 2000 draft. He sat for a year and then only got on the field when Drew Bledsoe got hurt early in 2001. The rest is history.
Russell Wilson went to NC State for 4 years. He played for 3 and showed flashes of brilliance. But the coach grew tired of Wilson playing baseball as well and wanted a commitment to football. Wilson refused and they parted ways. He went to Wisconsin, where he started for one year and led them to a Rose Bowl. Wilson had a highly inconsistent showing at the Senior Bowl and then lasted until the 3rd round of the draft. Wilson won a QB competition in Seattle and has been the starter for all 48 games of his career.
Aaron Rodgers couldn’t get a good college offer so he went to junior college. He then transferred to Cal, where he played very well. Rodgers was the 24th pick of the 2005 draft. He sat behind Brett Favre from 2005-2007. He played pretty well in 2008, but the team went 6-10. The next year he was lights out and the team went to the playoffs. Rodgers has been considered an elite QB ever since.
Andrew Luck…he pretty much has been a great player all along. He’s the anomaly. He is considered overrated by some, but even they will tell you that he’s gifted and productive. They just see too many INTs and missed plays.
Either you have a stud QB or you need one.
But the question of whether you have one is far more complicated than some would have you believe. As you can see, only one of these guys was a Top 5 pick. Only 2 of them were 1st rounders. Brady and Rodgers each sat and learned from the bench early on. The other 2 started right away. 3 of them are mobile and good athletes. 2 of them left school early, while the other 2 stayed as long as possible.
There isn’t a simple pattern of what to look for. There isn’t a certain timeline that tells you “he’s the guy”. Each case is very different than the others because the circumstances are different.
Is Nick Foles the answer?
Could Matt Barkley be the answer?
Is there a player in the draft to target?
Is there an NFL guy to go after?
The biggest thing for me is that Chip Kelly needs to figure out what he wants to do at QB and then he needs to make that happen, as best as possible. I’m sure he’d love to trade for Rodgers, but I doubt Green Bay would accommodate him. Kelly has to make his plans based on available players using available resources. That begins with looking at what you’ve already got.
Kelly likes Foles, but he didn’t draft or trade for him. And Foles only got the job after Michael Vick got hurt. Kelly went with Foles this year because Foles put up such amazing numbers in 2013. You had to play him. The results from 2014 didn’t show Foles to be The Guy, but they also weren’t bad enough to count him out. That’s the biggest frustration. You didn’t get an answer one way or the other.
Foles could still be the answer. You can’t ignore the success he had in 2013. But he also doesn’t jump out as a guy that you just know is going to be a special player.
Barkley remains a complete mystery. We heard the right things at the end of the year. Barkley got extra practice reps when Foles got hurt and Barkley says that helped him a lot. He said he felt more accepted by his teammates since they were seeing more of him in action. He’s totally healthy now and is throwing the ball better than ever. But you can’t even project him as the primary backup without some questions.
Mark Sanchez is the top free agent QB in the NFL right now. That tells you all you need to know about that situation.
Trades? Speculate away but there aren’t any obvious moves. If a QB is good, why would his current team let him leave? The most interesting idea is RG3, but I get the feeling he’ll stick in DC this season.
So…the draft. What about Marcus Mariota? I know that some now think he could slide low enough where the Eagles could move up and get him. Maybe. I still think it is unlikely.
1 – Tampa
2 – Tennessee
5 – Washington
6 – NY Jets
7 – Chicago
10 – St. Louis
16 – Houston
18 – Kansas City
Those are the obvious teams that could have interest in Mariota. You also wonder if the Giants or Saints will take him since Eli and Brees aren’t getting any younger. The Niners could try to deal Colin Kaepernick and draft Mariota. What if Cleveland wants him as Manziel insurance?
Mariota isn’t a perfect player. He’s not an elite QB prospect. But he does have tremendous potential and he feels like the safest bet of the QBs in this class. I’d love it if he did slide a bit and the Eagles were able to pull off a move for him. Mariota is a good fit for Kelly’s offense. He can run and throw. He’s aggressive, but not careless. Someone on Twitter recently compared him to Ryan Tannehill.. I thought that was a fair comparison. Mariota is a more experienced QB, but they are similar in size and physical gifts.
I just find it hard to believe the Jets and Rams would both pass on Mariota. He seems like a player that Jeff Fisher would really covet.
The good news is that the Eagles don’t have to spend a Top 10 pick to find their guy. Look above and you’ll see that those players came from a variety of places. In a fantasy world you have the No. 1 pick and get Luck or Cam Newton. But most teams have to look elsewhere. And you can still find Drew Brees or Tony Romo or Joe Flacco.
I’m curious to see if Kelly sticks with Foles or makes a move. This is a crucial year for Kelly. The team needs to take a step forward in Year 3. They need to show serious progress. Who will be his guy?
* * * * *
Another good scouting report from Tyler Alston. Today he covers LB Dante Fowler. And here is Tyler’s take on Fowler for the Eagles.
FIT WITH THE EAGLES: Fowler is a high pedigree pass rusher. He has a lot of raw ability, and had he gone back to school and focused on his pass rush moves would likely be a top 10 pick in next year’s draft. The workout part of the draft process will be critical for Fowler, as teams try to determine how comfortable they are with him sticking as an OLB or if he is best suited for a 4-3 DE. If I had to sum up Fowler it would be: Violent, Sudden, High Energy. If the Eagles take him, he would be best used as a sub package player in his first year. Nickel DT, A-gap blitzer, rotational DE, as he refines his pass rush and improves his drops.
I also like Fowler quite a bit and see similarities to Trent Cole. Neither are pure speed rushers. They use effort and physicality to beat blockers.
Make sure to check out the scouting report. Tyler is writing some really good stuff. Next up will be an ILB who could be of real interest for the Eagles.
_
Nick FOles is the answer, dying to see how long it takes everyone to figure it out lol
So it was Foles who willed the defense and ST to score 21 points against the Niners? It was Foles who willed the Jags defense to let Sproles score a 49 yard run TD? Or that the Colts couldnt tackle Sproles?
Yes.
Then how couldn’t he will cooper to catch that last catch against the niners or let Allen to cover philly brown against the cards?
Lol you have been praising Nate fuckin Allen for two years, yet you rip FOles? LOL
I have never praised Allen and never called him a franchise safety. Also, I’m in Foles camp who needs to see more but realize he has some major footwork flaws to over come
Lol don’t lie. It’s unbecoming. Where is German Eagle at? I’m sure he remembers lol the times you jumped down his throat any time he mentioned needng to replace Nate Allen…lol
..
Let me guess, you also forget, claiming that Bradley Fletcher was a better corner than Cary, all because of some bulshit bias because you don’t like the words that came out of Cary’s mouth? Lol
.I have OWNED every mistake I ever made, you aren’t going to sit here and lie about it.
…
Hold the Presses, GROUNDBREAKING NEWS, a QB, FOles in his first 20 stars still has some Flaws to work on… Holy shit THATS some ground breaking stuff. Thanks for the enlightening Intel….lol as if you will EVER find a QB who doesn’t have Flaws after 20 starts? SCAM NEWTON has 60 friggin starts almost, yet everyones is still happy to continue to develop him…. If Nick FOles still makes the boneheaded mistakes Cam makes after 50 starts, I’ll kick Nick out of this city my damn self.
…
If Nick FOles needs to be replaced, then every young QB besides Wilson and Luck needs to be replaced.
..
The same people who want new QB, are the same people that don’t understand the develomental process, the patiemce it requires, the ups and downs you have to endure.. It’s going to be almost impossible to find a young man, that can provide more instant gratification to the donkeys in his first 20 starts than Nick did… Nick has shown plenty of promise, it’s flat out STUPIDITY to not be excited about he future. he isn’t even close to playing his best ball yet. Kid has another year or two of serious growth to do before he matures and maxes out as the QB he will be for the remainder of his career.
…
everyone wants a new young QB, but no one will have the patience to deal with his ups and downs,
…
No matter what, we will have to endure 3-5 years of ups and downs, inconsistent play, young player mistakes to grow a young QB into the veteran we need him to be, so we might as well continue investing in FOles, since half,of.the development is done already, instead of starting over with another QB who this city will turn on because not,understanding young player development process especially at THAT POSITION, requires years of PATIENCE. It’s going to be extremely hard to find a better young talent at THAT position than FOles, and if he is BETTER than FOles, will he be Soooo much better that it’s worth, wasting the two years we spent developing Nick, being halfway done, to start all over the 3-5 year development process with another young QB?… Spend whatever draft picks yup want on a rookie QB, Guarantee he won’t beat Nck in camp anyway, and then you will all cry that we used a pick on a kid that isn’t providing enough instant gratification as a rookie.
..
People THNK they want to draft a QB, but they really don’t. They have proven to not understand the process and the patiemce it requires or they would be a little more excited about an inexperienced young man going 14-4 without half of the elite players sorrounding him than the seahawks have.
…
Nick is 14-4 with a very flawed roster that is still being built.
..
1 of those Losss came in his first playoff games when the players around him DIDNT step up, yet he still led us to a Late comeback, drove us into ENDZONE, left the game having given the team a lead….Abd then the Defense and ST couldnt hold on
…
Another loss, he gave us the lead against Arizona, and the defense blew it, letting rookie slot WR catch a BOMB on us.
..
Nck is still beng developed. With So little experiemce he has done well for himself with a roster that is still being built… What would Nicks record look like, if he was getting the same dfense that Wilson enjoys in seattle?
…
It blows my mind how anyone could be down on Nick and this point. It’s insane to me, how people think it will be so simple to draft a kid that will be better than Nick lol.. Obvipusly, our fanbase hasn’t had to deal with young QBs in a while. Hopefully they don’t get what they wish for, because if you don’t have the patience to give Nick years 3 and 4 which Rdgers, Flacco, Mqtt Ryan,all proved to need before they could grow into the franchise QB they have become, you certainly ARENT going to have the patience to start all over with a kid like Hundley and wait 3 and 4 years for him to grow,
,.
Fans should be praying Nick Pans out, because FOles growing into our guy, is literally the fastest path possible back to the top. You think you want a young QB, bt two years from now, he won’t have proven much more than Nick has at this point so you will just want to throw that young QB and draft another one, and so on and so on…
…
I GUARENTEE we won’t EVER have a QB until we identify a young man we believe in, and give him 4-5 years of support and patiemce to grow into our guy… Rather give FOles two years, than to Give Hundley 4 years
Damn dude
I trust chips judgement on Bark. Personally I’m not a fan but if Chip thinks he’s the guy than I will roll with that. Conversly if he cuts him thats cool too.
I want CONSTANT and TRUE competition at all positions, nobody is safe lol
I don’t know what to think of Barkley, no one has seen enough to be able to offer any type of worth while oppinion on where Barkley is At in his development right now. I just know that its two soon to give up on young QBs after two years, if you aren’t willing to invest 3-5 years growing a young QB, then you shouldn’t draft one
HE is healthy and has been in this system for two years. If he can’t move up the depth chart this year I think that will be telling.
When I say I’m not a fan of his I’m going all the way back to his USC heydays. If he is the starter, he WILL have my support.
I will tack on this tho:
Absence of evidence is not evidence in itself. Hope the kid shows us SOMETHING one way or the other.
Regarding Allen, all I ever called him was a good tackling safety, I have always disliked his coverage instintcs and me “defending” Allen has always been about his tackling skills.
Cary versus Fletcher was about 2013 and in 2013 Fletcher played better than Cary.
Regarding Foles, yes most young QBs not named Luck or Wilson SHOULD be replaced because they blows. The only young QBs I wouldnt replace is Luck, Wilson, Cam, Flacco and Ryan, the rest is simply not worth their current contracts or worth betting on.
I more than anything hopes Foles have a great year in 2015, but Im not betting on it like you. If Foles is the guy, we are in a much better position than if he is not.
Barkley is a 4th round pick for a reason, expecting anything of him is fools gold, because the odds is less than 1% that he will be even Andy Dalton good/bad.
He can’t play defense and there is no force in the world to help Riley Pooper?
Philly Brown plays for Carolina. Normally I’d let that go, but if a guy’s nickname is Philly you’re legally obligated to get his team affiliation right.
He got the last name right tho 🙂
That is true, I always mix up Philly Brown and John Brown for some reason
Yeah yeah… Waiting for you to point out a bad 4th quarter where he didn’t give us a chance to win, yet I have to watch everyone blow andrew luck for doing the same thing only worse, Luck makes a mess out of so many first halfs, mistakes that kill his team, he is special because he gets it together in the 4th, Nick has shown the exact same thing, so no, you don’t get to blow luck for the same thing, you refuse to acknowledge in Nick.
..
Blah blah, say what you want, we can do this dance every single offseason, I’m used to the stupidity by now, yet the following year it will always be FOles. We have a 14-4 young QB, not even developed yet, who’s best ball is still ahead of him, and jackasses talk about,replacing him every year
…
News flash, if you DONT view Nick as promising, you are hopeless, because you are high if you think you can easily start over with another young QB, and he will easily exceed FOles 14-4 start…
…
Funny how every donkey wants a new QB, yet they don’t have the patience and understanding of player development process to treat him rationally and give him a fair chance to grow… So all the donkeys who want Marriotta, would rip him when he doesn’t prove to be a franchise God in his first 20 starts. All young QB go thru growing pains, but if you don’t start to view the growth process rationally, you will never find a franchise QB you are happy with…. You are HIGH if you think you can easily find some young QB who will provide more instant gratification than Nick has. When Marriôtta still has flaws in year two, Yous will all shit on him and want a new QB anyway….
…
So ridiculous…. Good luck finding a QB who will take this job from Nick, silly fools…. 9-2 behind a crap line and no run game… But yeah, let’s only praise Sproles and ST LOL… You don’t go 9-2 without solid Qb play in 4th quarters pal…. What makes FOles and Luck promising young QBs is they around sorrounded with stacked team like Wilson, yet they still manage to give you a chance to win inthe 4th every single game…. Nick ISNT even done improving yet, not even close… How dumb do you have to be to not want to see his best, when you won’t have the patience to give thenext young QB the time he needs to grow anyway?
..
LOL!!!!!
All I did was point out he didn’t give us a chance to win every game as you stated. I also rather plunge with a qb like Hundley then stay 10-6 forever
That’s a dumb statement.
In the fourth, sure, might be worth a look.
We finished 10-6 with Sanchez. U honestly don’t think Foles would have gotten us to 11-5 or 12-4?
Yes and no, because can we subract wins that we got that was caused by the defense and ST while they was breaking return TD records?
Thats not how it works u can only play the situations you are placed in. I look at Foles as an Eli, Flacco type. Tough as nails and will ALWAYS give u a chance to win.
Except Foles is missing games, Eli and Flacoo is not. Also if you think Nick Foles is not better than Eli Manning, you better hope we get a great DL or Nick can pull magic out of his ass.
Remember S/T under andy where we had to like look away until the play was over haha I don’t miss those days.
Each game is different. Chip measures sleep cycles , remember some dick head (prob harbaugh lol) pulled the fire alarm at Eagles hotel room?
If we’re playing hypotheticals , maybe that doesnt happen and coop catches the game winning TD pass???
So you like many only remember the last few years and not the golden days when we had John Harbaugh as ST coach?
I think our S/t are better now than they ever where under Harbaugh. And thats really great for us as fans! Less pressure on our O to perform is exactly what we need. I’m willing to give Foles one more year.
The truth is he’s prob not as great as 27-2 and not as bad as last year. It takes time to grow into this league, nobody called Brady Elite until his 07 year (5+ years starting)
Lol and in two years when Hundley isn’t a world beater you will want a new WB, and so on and so on LOL. So ridiculous.
..
Forget NEXT year, I’ll bet you ANYTHING you WANT, Nick will be starting QB, September of 2016, as long as no Achilles or ACL injury occurs…anything you want. Two years from now, health allowing, Nick willol still be our starter
Well the problem with Nick is that his health most likely wont allow him to stay healthy for 2015.
Also I really hope we have our long term QB by 2016, be it Nick Foles, Mariota, Barkley, Hundley, I do not care.
As I have said, I would love Foles to be the answer, he just hasnt showed me enough that I complete trust him. One thing that gives me pause, is things like why didnt he improve his footwork between 13 and 14? But it actually got worse?
You need solid qb play in every quarter or you end up relaing too much on st and d and did you really use qb winzzz in your argument about Foles?
Jesus christ, grow up.
maybe its just me, but the way I look at it – when the D or the ST score TDs that’s less time the O is on the field. We get the 7 but give the ball right back so our O doesn’t get the chance for Nick to “impress” you or have the opportunity to add to his numbers – good or bad. Hard to blame ST and D scores on him, or on the O.
No, but it was FOLES who took advantage of the situation, He willed them to victory against the Redskins and was never truly healthy afterwards.
Who made Allen hurts look like a star WR? Who gave up the deep ball in Zona? Who dropped a potential 4 qtr TD pass IN San Fran. Who led the league in negative runs?
Who went 27-2 when other ppl were doing THEIR fucking jobs?
The only real knock I have on Foles is staying healthy. He wins
The good old QB WINZZZ argument.
Context of why someone is struggling or why someone isn’t
True, but that goes beyond QB Winzzzz, Nick Foles didnt keep us in the Niners game.
DST averaged more points at some point than Nick Foles lead offense
Yep. Or the “Kaep is a franchise QB because he took that team to the SB” argument. Same thing.
Where did I make this argument guys? All I’m saying is everybody had a part to play in us missing the play offs this year. When Foles wins it isn’t all on him, when he loses it isn’t either.
Also did u see what that Colts D did to Peyton Manning? 😉
I like nick and want him to succeed but injuries happen and there needs to be a viable back up/someone to push nick. I want them to have true competition because that seemed to get the best out of Foles. Plus, if he gets hurt again (as all QBs do) there needs to be someone who can actually hold down the fort. Drafting a QB is necessary regardless of Foles’ long term viability as a starter.
In theory, yeah we need a viable QB option to push Foles, in case of injury, and/or as an upgrade. But where do we find this guy? Winston and Mariota are top 5 picks (I don’t like Mariota as a QB honestly), and Hundley (who is a project that would take time to develop) will likely be taken in the 1st because of QB hungry teams. Do you want to waste a 1st on a project instead needed talent at other potions? That leaves a paltry amount of project QBs left in the 4th and lower. These guys won’t push and probably make the team worse if the were to play. We could get someone like Cutler, Locker or Bradford but who really wants Cutler and Locker and Bradford are beyond injury prone. As you can see there isn’t a true “fix” to the QB position this year. Only viable option is hoping Foles corrects ship or hope for a good QB in next years FA or draft to be available.
The draft possition of QBs are far from set, this early in the process it seems like every QB with “pro talent” is quoted as a day 1 prospect. But every year that changes as the senior bowl and combine come. I don’t have have answers so I am keeping an open mind for all possible options.
IMO if Nick Foles was a douche like Manziel or young Roethlisberger, the fans would love him. Philly fans are heavily white trash and hate it when nice guys get ahead. Foles’s mistakes are nothing that the likes of Brees, Luck, Roethlisberger, Peyton, Eli, and Flacco have never been through. Why not replace the awful secondary instead of a promising albeit flawed young QB? News flash: if you want a new QB, you have to pay up big time for him. Stick with the guy you already have an upgrade at more dire positions. It isn’t all about the QB.
philly is hard on QBs been that way as long as i can remember.
Yep. Same thing with McNabb. Granted he had run his course by 2009 but he was amazing from 2000-2004 and still very good until he got traded. Fans don’t seem to get on the case of the sucky safety or cornerback or linebacker or wide receiver the same way.
Mcnabb was booed before he even played one game. I trust Foles, I trust Chip even more.
are you white trash too or not an eagles fan?
I said heavily. Not completely. I’ve had enough beer and puke dumped on me during Eagles games to be confident in that assertion.
Gotcha…”White trash “is a pretty slurry thing to be tossing around…NO?
I’d say those are MORONS or IDIOTS or AHoles…
Im sure there are many different Races who support the Birds..
I’m white myself so I’m just calling it like I see it. I know the Eagles have a racially diverse group of fans and didn’t mean to imply they didn’t. Ive just encountered plenty of white trash types after years and years of going to Eagles games. Ahole and idiot are accurate as well.
There are still a lot of ‘white trash/knuckleheads’ although it is much less prevalent at the Linc since those fans got largely priced out. You just don’t have large enough groups of them on the lower levels like you used to at the Vet where whole groups of people would fight in a section would fight.
True but just because theyre not at the Linc as much doesn’t mean they don’t exist
Lol.. Don’t worry, I’ll get on it. FOles will show up at training camp, with a fresh “Thug Life” tattoo on his neck. Walking around making the Money Manziel hand signals, get Nick to start talking shit about opposing players, and becoming confrontational with our local median… Saint FOles going to the Dark side would be the biggest Heel turn, since Hulk Hogan abandoned all the hulkamaniacs, ditched the yellow and red, died his beard black, and joined the NWO!
Have him be like Antonio Cromartie and knock up 9 different baby mamas
We over value QB in this league. Brady won last week because a defender intercepted the ball.
Its the ultimate TEAM game
And its in the situation I always compare him to great QBs. Game on the line? Give me Nick Foles
I already trust him more in crunch time, with the game on the line, more than I ever trusted the best QB in the history of my eagle Fandom, McNabb. And I swear that’s not an exaggeration, close game, 4th quarter, no matter what happened earlier in the game, I expect Nick to find a way and win…… This is the first time in my 30years as an eagle fan that I can feel that comfortable at the end of a close game. It came to a point where I expected McNabb to lose close games at the end…Nick is the first time I got to root for a QB, I trust to get it done when it matters.
I always new Mcnabb or Andy would blow the game or not really come back after 2006 I don’t think McAndy had a come from behind victory. 2010 was fun though 🙂
Foles has ice running through his veins, nothing phases him and he already showed a ridiculously high ceiling. We need him to reach his potential.
I don’t know if he is ‘the answer’ but the Eagles aren’t going to be able to draft a top QB this year and he is the only realistic solution for next year.
Do you ever get tired of carrying Nick’s water? It’s OK to admit he has issues…
Wait what? A QB with only 20 starts still has some flaws? Holy shit. Thanks for the enlightening Intel. You just changed my life forever. Thank you
Combine you with Token (24/7) and you have the perfect Eagles fan
Solving the safety issue for the Eagles:
best case scenario:’Devin McCourty
Fall back plan: Rahim Moore
…
One of the two should be an eagle this year….. Maybe we sigń another NOlan Carrol type of corner, but I expect that position to be drafted, with Cary and Nolan starting on the outside in september.
I’d live with Rahim Moore, Searcy or Parker.
I wish we would draft some talent so we could at least look forward to someone stepping up every year. We dnt have any one on the team that we are like, ” hey, dnt worry we have so and so for next year to play.” I guess thay might be Watkins, MAYBE Wolffe, Reynolds? Hopefully we can snag a guy like Gunter, Rollins, Rowe or Byron from Connecticut. Need more talent back there.
We have no choice but to draft corner this year… Safety I could see being adressed in free agency, and not draft any safeties this year since we still have to figure out what’s up with reynolds, watkins, wolff… If none step up next year, we draft a safety next year
Grab one of each, we have the extra pick and maybe more if we trade down. Contrary to popular belief I think the secondary players this year in the draft are better than other years.
Need better player eval if we’re going to count on a late guy that contributes after a year or two. Problem is with the scheme and the safety play they’re going to get embarrassed sometimes.
Then grab one early where the evaluation should be a bit easier.
I assume that if we spend a draft pick on a safety, It would mean that we werent able to solve the safety issue in free agency. I doubt we would pay for a safety and then go spend a draft pick on one.. Especially going into this training camp when we will have 3-4 young safeties fighting for Jobs. If we can sigń McCourty or even Rahim, it would allow us to spend that draft pick addressing other issues. It would be great to not have to draft a safety this year. We can figure out exactly what we have and what we don’t have in our youmg safeties at training camp this year. Drafted a safety and signed a safety the past two years, be great to take a break for a year and use that draft pick on say a 2nd offensive lineman. or a second Cornerback in the draft.. Even a WR, ILB,.
…
I almost certain Vinny Curry won’t be an eagle past this season, so we have to keep and eye on DL, interior pass rushers, since Cox and Curry are really our best two interior pass rushers..
..,
Rookie CB’s suck, WOULDNT be horrible to add two rookie Cbs, so that we can give them a chance to be ready for the 2016 season
…
Then again, there are some safeties I do LIke this year. Like the kid from Virginia
U know what sucks more than playing rookie corner backs? Playing the two scrubs we did last year.
A rookie might actually make a god damn play once in awhile. Nothing more frustrating than seeing the same flaws over and over again.
If not McCourty, it will be moore
Boykin is always overlooked, its sad.
I agree.
However, we don’t know how he does in practice when put in that position.
I know we all believe that he couldn’t possibly be worse than Fletcher, but we just don’t have any info.
How was Boykin overlooked? He numbers were down across the board this year (albeit a very good year last year) and the Eagles should have real concerns about paying $$$ for a slot corner who is on the field for max 70-75% of the defensive snaps and most weeks a bit less.
Boykin could start at safety. He needs to see the field more and I trust him as the deep safety, don’t know about run support. Everyone seems to forget him getting caved in on the outside sweep play
He could likely cause a few INTs but if the Eagles don’t think he is big enough to play outside why would they think he could play a safety position?
They wouldn’t because Billy D is too stubborn. The guys has skills and I would like them to give him a shot anywhere in the back 4. Maybe he should wear bigger cleats lol
Short people often are!
Ha
QB play is important but I think defense is even more important. Being able to stop the other guy is what gets you past the first two rounds in the playoffs
defense and OL is what we should dump all our assets into upgrading..
…
Want to be a top team? We have to become one of the toughest teams in the trenches.if we can consistently win the line of scrimage. We will be tough to beat with Chip scheming our weapons so wide open….. Whoever we start at QB, he isn’t going to be very successful if he receives the OL play that FOles and Sanchez got this year. because of the OL issues, both Sanchez and Nick are probably capable of so much more than we saw this year… We have had the most horrible OL injury luck imaginable in two of the last 3 years. Fool me once….. Fool me twice…and I get paranoid TIL the point whete I won’t be satisfied until we have an entire starting caliber OL on our bench. I’m not going to waste another year because of OL injuries..
..
Stack the OL
…
Stack the front 7
…
Add another piece or two to the secondary
…
And next year we can worry about retooling our weapons WR, TE, RB, and look at the QB position of Nick and or Barkley don’t take big steps this year when we fix their OL
…
But im at the point where Id rather build our backup OL, than to fix starters at other positions. It’s THAT important
See: Patriots beating Ravens for most recent example
Still on the Foles boat.
All aboard the Foles boat!
My perspective is this, if Mariota falls and Chip wants someone more mobile as his ideal QB take him…………but
1) that is not happening,
2) I dont think Chip needs/wants an Mobile QB for the NFL.
Foles will be our QB next season unless something surprising happens, so as fans we should get behind him and give him our support, the next 17-18 games next season will show what we have and I will make a decision then.
Personally I think Foles is a quality young QB who does not have the physical tools to out play defences so has to learn to do it with his understanding of the game, which is how all the great ones do it, but that takes time, and I think we have seen enough to give that to him.
He’s just gotta stay healthy!
It is one of the key things he has to show next season.
the one difference between Foles and the 4 QBs in the conference finals is their comparative history of missed games.
Brady missed games only one season from an ACL.
Luck and Wilson have been Lou Gehrigs so far.
Rodgers only missed games in 2013 w/ the collarbone.
Foles . . . missing games each of his first three seasons.
______________
Many QBs get hurt.
Just seems as though the best of the best don’t very often.
______________
In advance of replies, I’ve been a Foles bandwagon guy before Reid pulled the plug on Vick. And when Kelly chose Vick over Foles.
The best quality a good QB has is that unquantifiable something between their ears that tells their bodies what to do in the micro-second it takes a elite-level athlete to react to something they see.
I think Foles has that . . . the guts and guile of a post-car accident Billy Kilmer.
We need to isolate “The Wolverine’s” X gene and splice it into Nick’s genome. That should be simple, now if someone would kindly fetch me Cerebro…..
Move Foles to OLB when that happens.
The other difference is that all 4 of those guys looked like Franchise QBs in their first year as full time starters. Their numbers didn’t necessarily bear it out, but they each passed the eye test.
We’ve seen Nick for 3 years now, and he hasn’t really looked like a franchise guy, even when throwing 27-2.
Point well taken.
‘specially Brady. Talk about a kid stepping up.
He missed one game in each of his first two seasons. Youre making a mountain out of a molehill.
W-Y:
Foles broke his hand in Game 15 of a 16-game season his rookie year.
I think it’s reasonable to infer he would have missed more than one game if there had been more games to play.
Yes, Foles missed a single game in 2013.
Then more this year.
The point here is, unlike these other QBs, Foles is missing games.
Is that not true?
How about Ben Roethlisberger? The guy gets injured all the time (except remarkably this year).
How bough that steelers D of the aughts. I think you need one or other. And since we’re going to have that kind of D i think the QB is even MORE important.
And remember who he was playing with that rookie year? EVERY other starter on O was hurt if I remember correctly
Yeah, I view FOles as a tough, durable kid.. Calling him an injury concern is insanity
..
What QB,hasn’t hit his throwing hand on an OL helmet at some point?
..
What QB won’t get a concussion if he is sacked and his head bounces off the ground?
..
What QB collarbone would have held up to that hit Nick took vs. The Texans?
…
People are running out of crap to bash this kid about
Its not like he’s Kevin Colb. Hope Sep. gets here soon
Hard to stay healthy getting hit every play. Most teams with our Oline problems finish with a top 10 draft pick.
Whatever else u wanna say about this team :
They are tough and will not quit (even in a meaningless game)
Billy any relation to Val?
I dunno man.
…
He hit his head on the ground getting sacked… Concussion, pretty common these days
..
He hit his throwing hand on a linemans helmet, another pretty common QB injury that happens to every QB at some point.
…
he hurt his should being sacked in the pocket.
..
These are pretty common QB Injuries that are pretty hard to avoid, fluky type Injuries.
..
We question the kids durability, but not to many QBs would have lasted as long as he did this year with the punishment he was taking thanks to our OL mess..
…
For me an injury issue is a guy who has had like ACL surgeries, that can be a reoccurring issue, or concussion issues…. This is a contact sport, and if you don’t protect your QB, he isn’t going to last….
..
big strong kid, who has been playing behind bad lines since college..I doubt Sanchez or Barkleys body could have made it past the Skins game, if they were in FOles shoes taking the hits he was taking, since the first quarter against Jackxonville..
..
Shoûlder injury, missing two games because of a concussion, and hitting your hand on an OL helmet, ARENT injuries I have ever thought of as reoccurring durability issues…just the cost of doing business in a rough sport… Stack the OL up to give this kid the best protection, and we have a Big strong QB, who hasn’t suffered any ligament damage, or any type of injury we can call a recurring issue
the ones that win sbs, or get there have physical tools or a great defense.
Some even have both! Seattle comes to mind
So that’s 1 QB but as Kelly says, you need 2
upvote the foles boat lol
Re: E-W Shrine Game / UMich Devin Gardner
You can make your reservations now for Eagles’ 2015 TC to watch this kid. He’ll be there.
Why you ask?
Why would Kelly want a 6’4″ 215 lb former QB — who did nothing but score TDs for Michigan, apparently — trying to re-learn the WR position (played some as a Soph)?
Because he’s a 6’4″ 215lbs former QB.
Kelly’s nothing if not consistent about loving players who’ve played QB.
Think of Gardner as Brad Smith’s replacement.
_______________
That’s the extent of my scouting analysis on Gardner.
No film.
No reviews of what the scouting literati think.
It’s all about his size and former position.
Soooo…Brad Smith’s heir?
Has been dropping passes all week according to Twitter, but maybe to be expected given the position change. Still, a bit worrisome.
Gardner seems like the kind of kid you want to root for.
Thanks for the intel.
Agree about Chip’s love of versatility but I wonder if he coveted Brad Smith in part because he had already successfully “transitioned” from QB to WR before his Eagles tenure?
Speaking of which, I would think Brad Smith owes Antwaan Randle-El a muffin basket for paving the way as college-QB-come-NFL-WR but I suspect you have a more historical view on said position change, AC…
How about Marlin “the Magician” Briscoe?
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrisMa00.htm
Another 14th rounder coming through…
But what was Gardner doing back in 1975?
I kid.
P.S. It is actually Tyler Aston. I think Tommy is having a weird Freudian slip and combining me with Mike Alstott.
T.A.:
Apologies. Will get that right now.
(And . . . have duly noted new alias.)
So what your saying is….U are our new goal line/short yardage back?
Worth noting: only 2 NFL teams have had the same head coach, offensive
& defensive coordinator since 2012: the Packers and Patriots.
The flip side is that the Eagles had that sort of distinction with Reid for a while. Didn’t mean much at the end. The key is that those two teams both have franchise QBs still in their prime.
LAE:
Great point.
Seems that when you mix a stable HC/OC/DC situation with a very good QB, you have success in the NFL.
That said . . . the NFL may have become too QB-centric. Same teams pretty much every year fighting it out.
If you’re an NFL head coach who doesn’t have a QB of quality, then you won’t be the HC for long . . . unless a Russell Wilson falls out of the sky for you.
(Ken Wisenhunt, we’re looking at you.)
Agree on the chicken/egg relationship. A very good QB promotes HC/OC/DC inertia. And a very good HC/OC/DC leads to QB stability. But one doesn’t necessarily beget the other(s).
To laeagle’s astute point, the Reid / McNabb partnership only provides more confusion. Also, with more successful pairings (Walsh / Montana, Belichick / Brady) can we definitively say which entity propelled the other? Was it the QB, the coach, more of one, less of the other, both great talents? The more we learn, the less we know.
Heck, plenty of people still debate whether Reid was more the product of McNabb or vice versa. Like most great accomplishments in history, trying to tease out the causal relationships from a synergy is generally dominated by confirmation bias.
Well put.
too soon to add russell wilson / pete carroll?
I think it is too soon. I mean, why not Harbaugh / Flacco or Coughlin / Manning? Though you raise yet another interesting question here: do you give credit to Carroll or Wilson? Or the dominating D? Or to Marshawn Lynch? Do you laud the Seahawks’ front office? When teams win (for whatever reason) superlatives and credit fly all over the place, and often it’s misplaced or at least never fully understood. Remember when Josh McDaniels was catapulted to OC in Denver?
I’m probably in the minority, but count me in the “too soon” camp, as that D and run game keep Wilson from having to bear too much responsibility for consistently executing an offense. He may be able to do it – there’s just no evidence, since he hasn’t been asked to; think Cunningham under Buddy and you’re in the ballpark of what Wilson needs to do for that team to be very good. And I know I’ve probably beaten this one to death, but Seattle gets blown out by NO last year in the playoffs if that D doesn’t outright dominate; Wilson’s game against the Saints was WAAAY worse than the QB that played the Saints a week earlier.
Bill – You wisely referenced “confirmation bias” below (as it relates to furthering hypotheses) but let’s not forget “recency bias” which I feel is often the precursor to “confirmation bias” when it comes to NFL analysis, rankings, etc. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl last year and are in the NFC Championship game this year, ergo they have the “secret” or are the “model to emulate.” Whoever wins the Super Bowl this year will next have the secret, etc. The unsettling truth is that there isn’t a magic formula short of winning enough games to get to the playoffs and then winning all of those games in a row.
After they get RW locked up and figured out the Lynch situation it’s hard to see that team getting a lot worse given the core of that team.
SEND TOMMY TO THE SENIOR BOWL!
Fellow Igglesblitizens:
Shake out your pockets, dig through the couch cushions, and sell your authentic Bradley Fletcher jerseys to the blind because it’s time to help Tommy make it down to the Senior Bowl. Six days hence he’ll descend upon Mobile to scout draft prospects, spy on Eagles’ personnel, and force some unsuspecting hotel maid to pick up empty Funyun bags like they’re flags in a Dallas playoff game.
This will be his fourth trip to the nation’s premiere all-star event; the kickoff of the draft season for non-draftniks… aka 99% of us (hi, D3FB!). Like other reporters and bloggers, Tommy will patrol the sidelines during the practices and post his observations, but unlike the rest he won’t have the luxury of expensing the trip. That’s where we come in…
CHALLENGE: If we can generate 36 donations (one for every turnover!), I will donate $100 ($1 for every disastrous Josh Huff blunder!). Any donation, large or small, will go a long way toward helping Tommy out. Think of it as buying him a tall can of PBR or a short cup of pudding in exchange for his unique, on-the-ground reporting that we all enjoy so much. Without him we’d be left with the musings of Howard Eskin and whatever Mike Florio’s “sources” manage to dig up. Yikes.
To participate in this year’s Senior Bowl Challenge simply click on the “Donate” button along the right hand banner of the page (underneath the “Blog Roll”), give any amount, and then reply to this comment. No need to post how much you gave, simply that you have. And if you’re unable to donate at this time, please consider an up-vote so we can get eyeballs on this puppy.
Hard to believe that only a year ago we were hoping to find a pass rushing OLB and some DB help. What a difference a year makes! Sigh…
Fly Iggles Fly!
******************
SENIOR BOWL ALL-STARS
(looking for at least 24 more…)
MAR2691
Avery Greene
RogerPodacter
Nailed it!
goeagles55
Anders
Dirty Harry
Crus57
HawaiianEagle
pkeagle
Caligreenbirds
Ankerstjerne
How much are you looking for in a donation?
Not looking for any number in particular and you can go as small as you like – the goal is really participation more than anything else. I like to think of it as buying Tommy a drink for his troubles or purchasing a mythical IgglesBlitz app.
Add me to the list.
With glee and gratitude!
Done!
Swooonius!
Donated. Even though i stay giving click and “refresh” donations.
Thanks, anon!
I’m in
Thaaaaankyou!
confirmed, as of 8:32 pm EST
the monetary value of approximately 1 case of PBR from a store, or about a dozen at a bar.
enjoy!
Cheers to the Beard! (thank you!)
Is the podcast going to be up?
TL, I’m coming to grips with the fact that Winston and Mariota aren’t realistic options, but what do you think of Cardale Jones as a mid-rounder?
“The Gospel of Chip Kelly’s QB”
There is legend out there
Every Eagles’ fan knows it
Of a mythical QB who fits the Chip Kelly offense
He is as swift as a Vick
With arm as mighty as Stafford
A body as strong as Big Ben Roethlisberger
A mind as keen as Peyton’s
And the courage of a Tom Brady
He is a super saiyan Aaron Rodgers
A supernatural Andrew Luck
As Chip Kelly is the father
And his QB is his son who sits at Chip’s right hand
He sends his son to the field
To lead his chosen nation of eagles
To promise land of a Superbowl victory
So we pray every day for our QB messiah
And rebuke all false QBs
The Foles, Vicks, Kolbs, McNabbs and the likes
And wait until the glorious arrival of our QB messiah
i wish this wasn’t so accurate.
… just like all but 3-4 fanbases in the NFL. Even Denver fans are probably starting to feel the itch…
How could Denver fans not feel the itch after Peyton sucked so badly this year in the playoffs? He couldn’t throw more than 10yards down the field with any velocity or accuracy. Even if it was injury, not age, causing it, he’s 38. Past time to start thinking about your next QB.
Interesting article from Billy B, discusses Devon McCourty AND some coachng philosophy
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/14/when-ravens-ran-same-play-twice-patriots-figured-it-out/
Do not make me want him even more and realize the chance is about 0 (greater chance we get McCourty in FA than Mariota in the draft)
If the Eagles were at say #8-10, I could understand the Mariotta conjecture. It is possible they might move up despite paying a hefty ransom.
Just isn’t worthwhile for a team at #20 and in their situation to even discuss it much. Already been given a ridiculous amount of overkill since the Ducks made the National Championship.
I wonder if rex took the buffalo job b/c he wanted to stay in the division. i think he’s got a legit hard on for beating billy b every season. be nice if they could find him a Qb.
He already has good pieces to start with on defense and he knows the Jets will suck as long as Woody Johnson owns them so he’s guaranteed at least third place.
I hope he does. I like that the Bills (with a good D) hired him, maybe they can really get after the Pats. And I like Bowles for the Jets. It’s just not fair that one elite team has been able to play with those other fools for so long.
Entire AFC East could be in for an upswing. Miami’s Tannehill is starting to develop into a really nice QB and they’ve got some talent there. Bills need a QB, which makes the selection of Ryan strange to me. On the positive side, an already talented D gets an exceptionally bright mind to play with it. On the negative, Rex hasn’t shown any ability to develop a QB or offensive talent in general. I like his selection of offensive coordinator though. Bowles should have been a head coach before, but he faces a tough road rebuilding the Jets.
Chip the ripper is at the shrine game today watching OL and DBs. Seem to be targeting DBs that can tackle and not ball hawks.
Interviewed Damien Parnes: the 6-2, 210 pound senior defensive back finished his 43-game college career with 186 tackles, 1 sack, 11.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 8 passes defensed, and 1 interception.
Look at that and what boykin does, cover catch balls, you can see that he’s not long for this world.
Thanks for sharing the intel…
Greg Mancz is going to get some Kelly love. 6’5, 300 lbs. Played center this year and they still had him pulling all over the place. Can play all 5 OL spots. Nominated for All-State good works team. Could be a great day 3 pick up.
Agree, I think now that CK’s stamp will be all over personnel move and he’s more directly involved (though he was pretty involved last year) I think we can start to make predictions about what / who he likes and what it means for our players and FA.
That said — do you think it’s weird that CK is doing all of this scouting? Wouldn’t it make sense for Kelly to be with Billy D, or Shurmur, or his scout guys — seems like the reports we hear are just “Chip Kelly is all over the country”. Any thoughts on a HC doing so much scouting (though obviously there’s been a lot of preparation just to identify who CK should watch before he goes to these events)?
Probably giving his staff time with their families. He’s able to do a lot more of that travel not having any attachments.
Since when is a GF not an attachments?
Doesn’t really seem to affect his habits of travling all over the country right now, and didn’t last year. So, I didn’t really count her. Not like he married her and they’re expecting little Chippers.
I’m sure Chip probably has at least a few of the Eagles Scouts there. As far as the other coaches, they should be in Mobile. No need to burn them out. The coaches really should be spending more of their time in the offseason on self scouting type activities.
The Shrine game players will almost all go on day 3 or as UDFA’s. Those guys you want to really trust the scouts and bring the coaches along later in the process.
Kelly have already had 2 weeks of self scouting and if this is one of the things he love, let him do it.
It’s not just Chip there:
Dane Brugler
@dpbrugler
·
1h
1 hour ago
NFL teams with the most reps here at @Shrine_Game practices from what I’ve seen: Eagles, Buccaneers and Browns (including GM Ray Farmer)
I find it interesting in a scheme where we WANT turnovers (I would put it even above sacks in terms of priorities) that we don’t have a ball hawking secondary. Is the CB the cover guy and then either the safety or the LB are supposed to come underneath or over the top and make a play on the ball? I just don’t know how you force picks especially given the technique that we play. Any thoughts?
I was thinking the same thing and on top of that we taught our corners NOT to turn their heads thereby decreasing the chance of an int even further. I guess we have the fumble thing going though. If the corners are simply covering, which is fine, you’d think they’d want the safeties getting some tasty ints. Nate grabbed a few this year but they were nothing spectacular. In summation, we need Gerrod Holliman…… lol, jk, Kurtis Drummond or dare I say…. Shaq Thompson *mouth waters*.
exactly. Jenkins isn’t exactly as much of a ball hawk as i think expected, seems like he was on a tear and then dropped more than he caught. Al those guys LBs, S, DBs should be on the jug machines just like WRs.
And teaching the CB not to turn their heads around not only decreases the chance for a turnover, but increases the chances for a penalty being called on them. Did anyone in the media ever ask Davis or Chip why is hades they taught the Cb that technique??
Our media is seriously lacking at these conferences. We need to get Tommy an remote press pass.
Boykin kept turning his head around in practice and making interceptions. Since he wouldn’t follow their teaching, he sat.
true story
Chicken or egg argument. Kelly is right, if the CB turns to early, he will get beat by the WR deep, so the most important part is staying with his WR (this also makes the QB not throw to him), once you do not get beat deep, you can begin going for the ball, but Cary and Bradley are simply not good enough to go for the ball, so they are not asked to do it.
Holliman and Prewitt are a no no for me. I want my DBs to know how to tackle and not be afraid of it.
I know. I was kidding. Holliman is just so bad at tackling… Derron Smith would be a nice piece. If he is 2 inches taller he goes in the first.
Hard to be a ball hawk when the CBs don’t play the ball, ever
The only time the CBs don’t look for the ball is when they’ve been hopelessly beaten. The only reason you’ve heard about this before now is because Fletcher got beat so badly so many times. This is a common technique and I’m not sure why we’re still talking about it.
Good tackling, keep things in front of you, make them earn every play. You don’t have to be a ball hawk, if you force them to go 15 plays to score, statistically you’re going to get turnovers, the other team will get frustrated and make a mistake.
That’s the concept.
I think the big thing that is overlooked when evaluating QB is the teammates they have around them and how those internal supports help a QB succeed…
If you look at the 4 QB you highlighted, Tommy, all 4 have advantages from a team perspective that has helped them win/succeed/grow.
Wilson has a killer defense and thus Seattle can play a run-heavy offense that is focused on grinding out 17-24 pts a game, but does not need to dominate to win and can get by with lesser talent at WR and TE.
Brady has always had pretty good defenses as well and good OL. Protection is the key for Brady since he is not very mobile and, if hit a lot, can struggle like any other QB. ST has also been a keystone of Belichek’s focus and that helps a QB with field position and points from the K etc.
The key for Rogers is offensive balance…when he has a run game like he has now with Lacy or had on their SB run with Starks et al., he can toy with a defense and the whole playbook is open. If the run game struggles and they go pass happy, Rogers does not do as well.
So, I think Chip and the Eagles need to focus on surrounding Foles with the best OL and defense they can. I would give Foles another shot next season, go heavy draft and FA on defense (CB, S, LB, pass rush) and OL depth. Foles is most like Brady in that he needs a strong OL and run game to allow him to use the play action pass game effectively. We have a good D-Line, but need more pass rush from the LB position and a much better secondary. If Foles needs to score 17-24 pts a game, he will succeed. If he has to score 30+, we will see more problems.
Skins hired Joe Barry to be their DC. He was the Lions DC in ’07 & 08 (their winless season) & their Ds were dead last in the league. He’s also Rod Marinelli’s son in law.
I didn’t think it was possible to have a worse guy than Haslett, but lo & behold, the R-words found a way. They always do.
Mixed reports if this has actually happened or not.
I know it can be hard to tease out variables, but I don’t understand why the Seattle D coordinator is such a hot item. What are the chances that within 2 years, there are 2 DC’s there that will be successful head coaches. Or, is there a systematic advantage there (talent, other coaches, ball control offense) for which the DC is getting too much credit?
I think a lot of coaching candidates are just right place, right time. Of course, so goes the success of head coaches too – often timed to whether they have or get a QB.
D wins championships and playoff games, Carroll is D coach, Belicheat is a D coach, Harbaughs are D-oriented. There’s something to be said for power running, defensive teams. Steelers, Ravens, SEA, Giants, have all won multiple championships in the past 15 years (and look at the other people in the championship games) and a lot of them aren’t TB, AR, PM, DB every single year. Even the year where DB won a SB the defense was on point.
DB?
Drew Brees
Ah. Sorry, had a brain fart there.
I don’t think just D wins, but let’s assume that. What makes the Seattle DC responsible for that D, rather than 100 other factors? Did that DC put together a program there, install the D, work with the GM on what players would excel? no, no no no
I’m not saying GMs know what they are doing (I agree with everything you are saying). But you can understand why it looks like a good business decision.
Belichick hasnt had a good defense since forever, he is winning with a HoF QB passing to his HoF TE.
John Harbaugh is a ST guy who was a defensive assistent for 1 year and win most of his games with an average defense and a QB/RB who can win him games (he won his SB behind one of the great post seasons by a QB).
What about SB winning offensive HC like McCarthy or Sean Peyton?
It’s more than just the fact he’s the current DC for the ‘Hawks. He’s got 10 years experience in the league as a DL coach. He then became the Gators DC for two years, and ran a fearsome unit. Then he came back and now has 2 years of NFL DC experience. He ran different schemes at both places. If I was going to hire a head coach from the defensive side of the ball, he would be my first option. Granted I would mandate that he pay Lincoln Riley whatever the hell he wanted to be the Offensive Coordinator.
Many fans can make the argument for Foles being the guy, but it seems they completely overlook that he’s an Andy Reid guy. You can’t expect a full commitment from a coach that didn’t draft him and has another preference who hasn’t been drafted yet. Kelly would be a fool to not look at other QBs who fit his scheme.
In a slightly more homeristic rose tinted glasses view, competition is always a good thing if Chip wants to draft his QBs.
I agree. But I think if Chip makes the bold move for his guy, chances are Foles might be a part of it.
“Kelly would be a fool to not look at other QBs who fit his scheme.”
_____________
Not a bad opening line for the chapter about his career with the Eagles in Matt Barkley’s eventual biography.
‘Til this day I do not understand why he drafted Barkley. Only thing I can think of is the AJ Feeley strategy.
Because accuracy, football intelligence(ability to quickly process info) are the most important things Coaches look for in QBs, and chip must have thought he had enough potential in those two areas to warrant a 4th round pick.
…
I never liked Barkley, or USC for that matter, but I’m not really sure why everyone is assuming that we are done with Barkley? Growing young QBs take 3-5 years, I’m not so sure that Barkley has been so horrible that chip would give up on him so soon. fans have seen Barkley play:
1) rookie Preseason
2) 2 games as an unprepared rookie
3) Sophmore preseason
..
Yet every one is assuming Barkley has shown so little growth that Chip would give up on him this soon, when it’s costing us cheap 4th round money to grow him? If you only give a young QB 2 years, you are a fool for drafting him in the first place.
..
Like I said, I never really liked Barkley or almost anyone to come out of USC, but I don’t know where people got this idea that we are done with him. Fortunately, I couldn’t care less if he stays or goes, but this is becoming the assumption it seems like, and I’m confused as to where people got this idea? you can’t grow a young QB in two offseasons…..
barkley is a chip kelly guy, who stylistically ISNT what you would expect from a “chip kelly QB”
..
Chip could have gotten quality draft picks from andy Reid, but he didn’t want to trade Nick even tho he had VICK as his starter and even after he drafted Barkley.
..
I would be shocked if having young Nick here, was one of the things that attracted him to philly.
…
Bet you a beer FOles starts for us September of 2016….
..
I’m not saying we shouldn’t draft other QBs… I’m saying this isn’t a case where we have to find another young QB in this draft. If there happens to be a young QB chip strongly believes available when it’s our turn to pick, we should and most likely will draft him, but I could just as easily see another year of FOles, Sanchez and Barkley
,,
I don’t like Matt Barkley, but I have no idea where this fanbase got the idea that we were going to trash him after two seasons… A QB not being ready to start after two years, ISNT exactly that uncommon to where the consensus seems to assume we are so down on Barkley that we don’t even want to continue developing him.
..
Lol Im not so sure how anyone can be so down on a young player after seeing him in two preseasons and two games as an unprepared rookie lol. Young players are continuosly growing and improving, and mo one has seen Barkley since August, yet everyone is ready to assume his time in philly is over.
..
I would buy THS Nick FOles ISNT Chip Kelly’s guy stuff, if Chip Kelly didn’t spend a draft pick on Barkley, and didn’t sign !ark Sanchez, two players who are much closer to a Nick FOles type, then what people think of as a “Chip Kelly QB”…
…
chip has aquired two QBs so far, and he hasn’t prioritized mobility yet in QB selection.
…
For a young QB, at his experience Level, Nick grades very highly in the mental part of the game. few young QBs in this league I trust memtally to develop into a quality QB than Nick…Very sharp kid, QB Intelligence, work ethic we can count on to continuosly improve at his craft, and Physically, he has a skillset that has succeeded in this legue before. Not a Cannon, but plenty of arm, all the arm we need….. Actually there seems to be a big discrepancy with how players who have played with Nick view his arm talents, and how Fans and Media view his arm…
…
mentally he has it, Physically he has it… Just needs experience, he is one of the few young QBs that you can win with, while they are growing and working out there flaws. unless you are a young player like Wilson, KAp, or Rothlisberger, who was drafted on to a team that was really strong around the QB position, it’s pretty rare to see young QBs who are still being developed win as consistently as Nick has.
..
There is no reason why Nick can’t be groomed into a Flacco, Eli type, and we already know that he has the intangibles, heart, leadership to not be a JAy Cutler type, who has the talent, but lacks the heart and mind to really win at the highest level.
…
I’d bet anything that Chip Kelly today, is much higher on FOles than the consensus opinipn seems to believe
Raiders are hiring Del Rio as head coach.
Also, if Adam Gase becomes 49ers head coach, it sounds like Dennis Allen could be his DC. That could mean guys like Fangio and Ed Donatell become available.
Well, we know Del Rio is a pretty solid bet to run a 4-3 attacking defense.
I think the only way you trade for Mariota is if in FA significant moves were made to upgrade the secondary and get a mid tier MLB.
No. The only way you trade for Mariota is if he fucks up the pre-draft period so bad that no team in the top 20 wants him, and in that case you fucked up.
Just stop the Mariota thing, it’s not happening.
Lol…what’s funny is even if we lived in a dream world where we could trade for Marriotta, when the hell, in the history of the NFL, has a team that traded away a TON for One player, ever Not live to regret it? it’s so rare to see a team spend a boatload trading for a player, and it ending up being worth it.
…
Cowboys made out like Bandits trading Hershal Walker
saints were crippled by the Ricky William trade
We still laugh at the skins for trading everything for RGknee
…
Thankfully, we are so far away from 20 that it’s almost an impossible trade, so we don’t have to worry about it…. Where we are as a roster rigjt now. We aren’t good enough to cripple our ability to build this tem so that we can add a young QB who will need 3-4 years of growth like every other young QB needs
…
The ONLY WAY we have ANY SHOT at trading for Marriotta, is to include Nick FOles in the trade With a HC like Wisenhunt that wants to run pro style offenses…but I’ll burn Novacare to the ground if they trade Foles for Marriotta…. And if I’m Lurie, and you tell me that you are including FOles, in a trade for a system QB like Marriotta, THE ONLY WAY I allow that is for chip to sign some crazy extension that binds him to keep him here for like 7 years, and we don’t let him out of the deal until we can get rid of marriotta if he doesn’t pan out
So it’s that time of year of football for us. Who’s on your don’t draft list?
Leon Sandcastle
I think he might still be a better CB than Bradley Fletcher
“Our” don’t draft lists? Or who will be on Chip Kellys “do not draft list”???
The igglesblitz peoples.
Hundley should be on the do not draft list.
Shane Ray.
Shaq Thompson.
Eric Rowe.
Arie Kouandiou
Vic Beasley.
Gerod Holliman.
Devin Funchess.
AJ Cann.
No Shaq or Eric Rowe?
Sexy Rexy might want sanchez back in Buffalo. Not a terrible idea. I think with a better D maybe we win some of the games he lost, maybe? Plus he can throw to sammy watkins.
A:
Ryan would be signing a more mature Sanchez to play in a city with a pretty low wattage level on the spotlights — and some good talent around him.
Plus, it’ll be ground-and-pound the ball with Greg Roman (from Holy Spirit HS, the arch-rival of AC HS).
It’s probably a solid idea.
Plus, who else is out there?
________
Would really like to know what those two — Ryan and Sanchez — really think of each other.
After all, Ryan put Sanchez in to play in the 4th Q of an exhibition game. What the heck was that about?
Or Rexy can send a 5th or 6th to Chicago to help them offload Cutler’s contract. In either case, Rex didn’t sign there to start bum EJ Manuel.
If anything the Bills should demand a 2nd for the bloated Cutler deal
Looks like Gase isn’t going to 49ers. Maybe he becomes Broncos’ HC.
Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
3m3 minutes ago
49ers set to promote DL coach Jim Tomsula to head coach, per sources. Still
ironing out details, but Tomsula expected to be 49ers next HC.
I’d be surprised if Fangio stays considering his position coach got the HC job over him. La Canfora is saying that Fangio could be DC with the Redskins. It seems that the report that they were hiring the Chargers’ LBs coach was false. I’d guess Donatell becomes the 49ers’ DC. Not that Tomsula isn’t a good position coach, but this to me seems like the GM purposely picking a mild-mannered guy that won’t challenge his authority a la Harbaugh. All in all, I’m really underwhelmed by the choices teams are picking for HC this year.
He said he was leaving if they gave the HC job to someone younger than him..
Fangio?
Yeah
49ers in rebuild mode?
Yup yup..
..
Skins can’t wait to overpay for their veterans. Like Ahmad Brooks replacing Orakpo opposite of Kerrigan
Need to upgrade QB before they’re truly rebuilding.
I like Ryan for Bills and Bowles for Jets.
that foles pass to maclin in texas deep over the middle was awesome!
he can air it out
I knew Nick could throw, but I was really shocked by the drop off in arm strength from FOles to Sanchez. I knew Sanchez Wasnt Flacco Cannon arm, but I thought his arm was much better than what we saw this year. I don’t know if the injury robbed him of some power, don’t know if it will get stronger with time…. But when we signed Sanchez I really didn’t expect the drop off in arm strength that we saw when Nick went down, I also didn’t know that team mates and Defenders viewed Nick as a big arm QB. I knew it was much better than fans and media gave him credit for. I hadn’t forgotten his Arizona college tape, or the precise BOMBS he was uncorking in the preseason of his rookie year.. But in a league with so many talented players, I was unaware of just how much our players believe in Nick,and view him as one of the special ones…
…
Go ask Demeco Ryan his honest thoughts of FOles.. Go ask Malcolm Jenkins, Connar Barwin, Trent Cole.. Go ask Jason Peters what he really thinks about Nick. Ask Celek, MACLIN how high they think of Nicks Talemt and future…. These players know what a quality QB looks like. Our veterans like Celek and MACLIN played with Donovan. jenkins played against Drew Brees every day.Meco is one of the most respected players in theNFLandhe adores Nick and thinks the world of him.
..
But fans and Media seem to feel much different…
yeah I was surprised by sanchez’s arm too. I did like the way he played though, fast, and got the ball out quickly for the most part. he can run faster and that helped get a few 1st downs.
if foles had just a bit more speed to pick up 1st downs when people are covered that would be cool, but I don’t know if you can really get faster by training. even if he ran as fast as brady that would be good in those spots.
the thing that a mobile qb gives you like russel and luck and even alex smith is they can pick up a 3rd and 6 when everyone is covered. picking up first downs is what matters and a little speed helps.
I’ve seen nick do it though. more then once, but its scary.
If he would learn to consistently slide, I would feel much better about it. heck his big slow ass running will make defenders want to murder him,and he doesn’t have a reputation for sliding, so if he starts to slide, I’d bet he could draw a few 15 yard penalties for defenders wanting to murder him so badly for how slow he is running lol…. Nick is actually a really good athlete. Wish he would get a little faster. he can 360 dunk with ease. im sure he can out run a few 300lb defenders for a few yards
Really was two differnet offenses – the only game where i thought he was just awful was SEA (missed the GB game, but don’t hink i missed much). I think he ran the offense efficiently (w/ 2 TOs a game) but he was very fast with it, which was really cool to see.
Also his ability to roll out to create clear throwing lanes was nice as well.
I agree, he did well on the roll outs to matthews
I’m hoping the Jets aren’t ready to give up on Geno Smith yet.
Also wonder what Todd Bowles think of Nick?
Nick + 1st + 2nd + 2016 1st might get it done if the Jets want a more “proven”, “pro style”, QB.
If we’re trading up for Mariota then we almost have to include Nick, purely from an assets perspective. I’d think Nick is valued around the same as Alex Smith (two 2nds), so that is valuable currency in a trade up scenario.
mariotta doesn’t have foles’ arm. and in the Pros he will end up broken like RG3 pretty quickly
Mariota has a much better arm than Nick.
except when passing
you see that bomb against Texans and the cardinals?
mariotta can’t make that throw at all.
i’m surprised anyone would think MM has a pro arm really. its close, better then sanchez but not foles
Okay. If you say so.
sweet
Yeah Mariota not as much INTs i guess..
college defenses
There’s not a single throw Nick can make that Mariota can’t. Not. A. Single. One.
There’s a reason why MM is going top-5 and Nick fell to the 3rd round.
Arguing otherwise is simply being obtuse at this point. MM has flaws, but his arm is not one of them.
if you say so, but he doesn’t have the strength in the arm nick does, he’s really good for sure, but will get hurt quick
out of curiosity what throws do you think he can’t make that nick can and vice versa. personally i was never impressed by his arm strength or accuracy but his stats don’t lie so i’m open to reconsidering.
I also dont understand the “foles has a big arm” people. He can make throws but a lot of them are lobs.
it looks to me that mariotta has a nice arm but he can’t throw the deep ball the same, it might not matter.
but if you rewatch some games nick can throw deep pretty well
and here is the kellystrator of FOLES to Maclin:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/videos/videos/Kellystrator-Coach-Breaks-Down-Foles-To-Maclin/aa5d6e65-deb1-41a2-8032-3276217e20bd
Not being biased, but someone ont 24/7 posted something about the accuracy of the downfield passes from Mariota/Winston. It’s not a throw Mariota does often and when he has he’s struggled. Not sure if it’s an arm strength issue or just a ball placement issue. Obviously Foles regressed some there but I thought he was starting to click with Maclin before going down with the injury.
Its a lost cause. Mariota does not come from a pro style offense therefor he cant make the throws…… (in the eyes of Nick Foles defenders)
been saying this over at PM 24/7. the only way eags can get MM is a, MM falls, and B, someone values Foles as 2 firsts.
If Foles is valualed as 2 2nds, then Nick+2 1sts is already enough to move from 20 to 6th
Del Rio + the Raiders = Commitment to Excrement
They could draft Hundley and make that a trifecta of excrement!
Cowboys fans saying that Murray should just taken the deal offered and that anyone can run for 1500 yards behind their dominant o line, think they are really not giving Murray respect, he was nasty this year
that’s cold, and they wouldn’t think that if they faced the eagles for 16 games because the dominant offensive line looked weak against our d line. imo
They are convinced whoever starts running back for them will rush for a ton of yards
was a huge dropoff when they went from Murray to Dunbar and Randles. that’s so far from the truth. more of JJ selling his snakeoils to the delusional masses, and trying to make player the bad guy in negotiations.
I thought randle looked pretty ok
terrible blitz pickup. running ok. Murray was incredible at everything, running blocking catching. guy was/is a cowboy, so dont want to fluff his nuts too much, but he’s really really good.
he runs like an anvil
No lie I think they have a talented 3 but panty thief can’t pass block and neither can dunbar.
I think Murray can do it all and proved this year that he can handle a full load. They are so stupid to think he will be easily replaced
Would like to get him out of the division — he’d be great on the colts. Though it’d be interesting to see what his market is like given his workload this past year — and the fumbles.
Jets would love him. I think this year will probably be his anomaly. Dallas used and abused the kid.
Problem there is getting him out of the division may mean bringing Peterson into the division.
Held on EVERY play fucking BEARHUGs and still got dominated by The Cox
grasping at straws, ignoring cap situation that’s right infront of their faces too. they also believe players think it’s an honor to wear the star. delusional bunch.
Yeah that should take huge discounts to play for a super bowl contender in the almighty Cowboys.
Discount double checks from Aaron Wroggers
Cowboys fans all trying to short Murray but how many teams won a SB recently with a DEZ vs how many won with a Murray?
I love how mentally inept cowboy fans,coaches and owners are :))))
I guess I’m too mentally inept to even understand what you just said there.
The last few superb winners:
Sea- RB-lynch WR- no superstar
——————————————————
Ravens- RB-Rice WR-Boldin not true #1
——————————————————-
Giants-RB- Bradshaw WR-Cruz first year break out not real #1, greats season tho
—————————————————
Packers-RB- Jackson WR-Jennings better WR but not a star
———————————————————
Saints- RB-Bush WR-Colston even imo
Point is a star WR is not needed to win a SB. If anything a talented RB is worth more. Sorry for the convoluted post before. Hope this cleared up my thoughts.
All 5 teams had at the moment great QB play (for the Giants and Ravens only in the play offs, but who cares if you win the SB?)
Very true but a QBs best friend is a strong running game. Shady killed us this year leading the league in negative runs. All that does is make the QB into a tough situation
That not Shady’s fault, but the OL and the Kelly scheme (Oregon often was among the leaders in negative runs)
Not Shadys fault? Please tell me your kidding. Im not completely blaming him but I didn’t see a Polk or Sproles negative run (I’m sure Sproles had one or two)
Thanks for explaining. Seems to me the point is actually having an excellent/hot QB, and the WR/RB dichotomy is a stretch.
YEs I agree but pointing out that ALL the Dallas fans are completely trashing Murray and riding on Dez nuts. Both are great but if anything Romo needs that consistent running game to do what he did this year. If he has to throw 30+ I think they will lose a lot of games next year 🙂 Fickle fans I guess lol
Panty thief is the best according to any other cowboy fan. Never mind he only had 40 carries, they will tell u he had higher yard per carry lol
Murray had 500 touches this year and probably cut his career shorter by 2-3 years lol
don’t try and argue logic with them just enjoy the implosion
40 carries, probably 38 of them on 2nd/3rd and 10+ when D is giving up easy 5. thought the 4yr/16m contract was an insult, but thinking Dunbar or Randle’s are in murray’s league is even bigger one.
They won’t get Adrian Peterson for that type of money. jerry going to be stuck paying for a RB one way or another
They’re f***ed regardless to many FAs not enough $$
That is sad. Murray should come here where we sort of respect our RBs.
Sleeper FA for Eagles: WR Marcus Burley.
Bicknell familiar with him from Buffalo. One of the better STs gunners in the league. Replacement for Brad Smith.
Is he better than Pooper?
Pure STs player. Think Bryan Braman at LB. Probably won’t contribute at WR(although he was a 4th rounder that had potential before some injuries) but will help STs continue to excel.
Gotta respect the attention paid to the bottom of the roster. I liked 2013 brad smith, i though he could improve but 2014 brad smith was a dud.
Is Brads contract expiring? If not, what do you have to eat to waive him? And is Burley so much of an upgrade to Brad that it’s worth breaking up our continuty?
See my correction. It’s Marcus Easley. Brad Smith’s contract is
expiring.
His time on the team should have expired for staring at that kickoff from Dallas.
Beasley struggled with Seattle. Their defense got a lot better at the end of season when injured guys came back and they weren’t forced to play him.
I’d prefer Beasley.
Yip lead the team in ST tackles last 2 years
My goodness. Marcus must have been the No. 1 baby boy name in the US 22-23 years ago!. Was there a major motion picture about Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra in the early 90’s? Just curious.
Maybe there were a lot of Marcus Allen fans around.
Could be, although he was drafted in 1982. He probably didn’t hit his stride for a while so you’re probably right. Sometime try checking out his brother Damon.
Tomsula reportedly bringing in Jason Tarver(Oakland’s DC) as defensive coordinator. That’s not definitive though. I believe Donatell is still under contract so they don’t have to let him leave if they don’t want to, even if he doesn’t get promoted to DC.
Look out for Darren Waller at the Shrine Game. He’s 6’5, 230+ lbs and has strider speed. He would be a good WR project to replace Cooper. Speaking of which, where the hell does Georgia tech find all of these big and fast WRs???
So would Kasen Williams.
Kasen would have been at least mid-round pick if he declared last year. Everyone loved Sanu when he came out, Kasen is a similar player but is less consistent. He fits the mold of what Chip wants if he’s healthy.
He’s a low round pick that is better than Pooper after one year. I like him and wouldn’t be mad if we came out of this draft with 2 WR’s.
Is there a history of guys like this working out?
Big, fast, projects that are raw with questionable hands and route running ability?
I’m a big believer in natural WRs, I don’t think its a position you can really acquire the necessary skills if you don’t already have them.
I don’t know about questionable hands but..route running isn’t such a problem anymore. Mike Evans/Kelvin Benjamin get by with their size since they’re still raw. The smooth route-runners like ODB/Watkins also have everything but height. Given that Georgia Tech has produced 2 of the top 5 WRs this decade, I’m willing to take a late round flyer on this guy.
Don’t know if id call Thomas a top 5 wr of the decade
It’s not the 2000s anymore.
They get by with that but would be even better with smoother route running. Saying route running is not that big of a deal anymore due to size and speed is settling on a certain level where with that and size/speed would take it to a whole new level. If you have the potential then take advantage of it. Thats what seperates the good from the great. I will never forget what Rice said about Moss. He said Moss had such great physicals that if he had a better head on him and better work ethic then he himself would not be considered the best WR of all time but Moss would be. Most WR in this league dont have those ideal measurables but what makes alot of them good is there route running and working on their technicals. Maclin is a good example of that. So is Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, the list goes on. Route running is extremely important in this league and always will be. Sometimes the difference betwen running a great route and a sloppy one is an interception.
You will get better at route-running over time. You have WR coaches and other mentors that are willing to work with you weekly to help you learn how to run routes. What you don’t have is some miracle drug that will make you bigger, stronger, and faster. Smaller and better route runners have less of a catch radius and perimeter since DBs are able to blanket them. You can be a good route runner and have good hands like Jason Avant..however was anyone afraid of him compared to Desean Jackson? Those two WRs that you mentioned had some elite physical skill. As well as the top 10 WRs of every era. Their physical traits allow them to be just good at route running.
I agree. I thought you were trying to say that route running isnt important and doesnt need to be developed over time and that a player is going to make it through his NFL career using his elite measurables. While Harrison and Wayne did have some elite physical skill it was more of great hands, good quickness, and good speed. Neither of them had great size like Calvin Johnson or great speed like Moss. What really set them over the top was great fundamentals and route running. Lol, Peyton Manning also helped. I just feel as though sometimes when a WR is truely physically gifted depending on his mind frame he wont practice the fundamentals such as route running as much and just really on his size or speed. There are numerous examples of that in the NFL.
Is Benjamin able to “get by” with all of those dropped passes?
He will if the Panthers don’t get other WRs.
We should draft Cordell Broadus in 2017.
Stop watching sport center 😉
Haha. Like that show though. #Snoop&Son
Lol watching the same thng as you
I think Randall Cunningham Jr will be available by then.
A new WR would be fun.
Thank God for young FOles. I would hate to be a team desperate for a QB in this draft.
..
Your options are:
1) a “system QB”, who’s college tape makes it very difficult to evaluate him as a pro style QB. Hasnt had to make Many NFL throws in his impressive college Career. This doeamt mean marcus can’t go on to become a quality pro style QB, it’s just that I would like to see more throws that translate to the NFL level when investing such a high pick on a QB. In our situation it wouldn’t matter because Chip knows exactly what this kid is capable of, but It can’t be easy for these QB desperate tems that don’t have a coach like Chip, trying to evaluate if Marriotta is worth a significant investment of a top 5 pick, or even having to trade up to like #2 from #6 to get him.
..
2) your other option is a kid who’s tape easily translates to pro style game. Doesn’t take a trained scout to see Jameis making NFL throws in every game. Unfortunately, this sure shot pro style QB very well might be a sociopath lol it can’t be easy in TODAYS SENSATIVE NFL landscape to spend a top pick on a kid with this type of history, and make him the face of your franchise in 2015, after the year we just went thru with Ray Rice/AP scandals..
…
If you are desperate for a QB, and have a top pick, you have two options that can end up being home runs for you, but they also have a significant amount of risk attached to them.. More risk than I would like from a top 5 pick and what was supposed to be sure shot QBs in what was supposed to be a good QB draft. Marriotta may end up being the next andrew Luck, I just dont know how you can reach that conclusion from his college tape, and its not really the kids fault, it’s the offense he played in…. But for example. If I’m a team with the 10th pick, that needs a QB, and has coaches that run pro style offenses, I don’t know how I could be comfortable payng what it takes to even trade up from 10 to get Marriotta, and crazy how Jameis is the opposite, you can trust his tape, but you can’t trust him as a man…
…
I would hate to feel like I absolutely have to come away with a QB from THIS draft class. Personally, I wouldn’t want to draft marriptta at all, unless chip was our coach. The only thing I really like about him, is his reputation to process info on the football team. That’s what impresses me in QBs.. Not how fast they run, or how hard they throw
he’ll be fine once he has a million bucks in his account and the ego of a number one pick…what could go wrong?
he won’t need to steal crabs anymore…
I prefer what you argued in a previous comment: Get a younger, capable OL, and keep adding defensive starters. If Chip wants another QB, I am hoping he has another candidate that he can get after round 3. Foles is nothing if not serviceable, and Barkley may have grown into a capable backup. I think going for either of the big 2 would seriously bite.
Don’t stay up late at night hoping Barkley will grow into anything. I’d rather have a journeyman backup….
You and many others have written off Barkley as another USC QB bust, and your view may prevail. I just think it is premature. When I think of how many open receivers Sanchize ignored while throwing into coverage, his future’s been written. Barkley will get an open mind from me unless he shows similar default stupidity.
I think we would have read better reviews from camp if he was progressing. Maybe 2015 will be different…
What does pro style QB means anyway? Brandon Weeden played in a “pro style” in college
If you DONT know, figure it out…
I know what it means, but term is so stupid because in one end you have Aaron Rodgers coming from a “spread” and in the other you have Weeden playing a pro style
sign Maclin!
a stroll down memory lane, Foles to Maclin on the kellystrator:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/videos/videos/Kellystrator-Coach-Breaks-Down-Foles-To-Maclin/aa5d6e65-deb1-41a2-8032-3276217e20bd
Until I see Maclin early, I’m assuming Maclin is being difficult and will want to test the market. The 24/7 article on his possible future contract being ballparked at 5 years / $50 million is right on the edge of the number I’d not cross to keep him.
Give him the transition tag, which gives you the ability to match any offers for him(thus discouraging teams from giving him an offer sheet and tying up resources in him and then having to wait to see if the Eagles match). Then reach a long-term deal with him.
Alex Marvez
@alexmarvez
23m
23 minutes ago
Source tells @NFLonFOX that @49ers plan to part ways with all assistant coaches except RBs coach Tom Rathman
Crazy, I wonder if we’re making any calls. I’d probably take that whole staff.
Fangio alone is fine with me
Tomsula sticking knives in the backs of all of his former colleagues on D?
The only reason that team played poorly this year is due to the poor situation at QB. That D staff is great. I hope we get several of them.
The FA market doesn’t look bad at certain positions Parish Cox with a blow up team (him and Devin McCourty i’d be happy), lots of edge rushers around (Sam Acho!), OL. CJ Spiller is a FA, though he may want to stay in buffalo now, Frank Gore, Roy Helu who is good in pass pro and great catching balls.
I’m now more excited — though know we probably aren’t going to do anything.
Not interested in old running backs, but a couple quality guys in the secondary would shore up the defense enough to fix most of the rest of the problems in the draft.
We could have the brothers Acho AND the brothers Kendricks, potentially? Sign me up!
We won’t even consider Perish Cox, he is a piece of shit
Well, I thought my computer was crippled, but all it needed was an old fashioned CHKDSK /f/r to fix some errors on the hard drive. Took a couple of hours but it’s almost like a new machine.
We have talked about being able to scout secondary talent in the later rounds and the good news is Chip is at the Shrine practices watching the WR/DB/S drills closely. Maybe that counts for something.
1-Ty Sambraillo
2-Paul Dawson
3-Ladarius Gunter
4-David Cobb
4-Josh Harper
5-Greg Mancz
6-Kenny Bell
7- Adrian Amos
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/6500000/Jensen-animations-from-Eye-of-the-Tiger-jensen-ackles-6546310-300-169.gif?1360015956593
You forgot Sammie Coates!
Kiper had Bud Dupree falling to #21. Therefore:
1 – Bud Dupree
2 – Paul Dawson
3 – Chris Hackett
Kiper also had Damontre Moore as a top 10 guy well into March.
Just watched some Sambraillo and I came away impressed. He seems super patient in pass pro and aggressive in run blocking. Finishes to the whistle, pulls easily. I saw him block 3 people on one play against BC. Also, in that game, I was going to ask you about the stunts he had to deal with, it seemed like he handled them very well, thoughts?
Scherff, Sambraillo and TJ Clemmings will go up this weekend.
I have to put a few things out here, and I’m sorry for it being crappy. I just got in and for those of you that follow all the teams, I feel your pain. I just got back from the Flyers/Caps and it’s crappy that they lost. But it made me realize (actually this is a re-revelation) that the Eagles are all we have to hold on to.
The Sixers are 2 years away from competing. I love the team and how they’re progressing, but Hinkie is doing the right thing.
The Flyers are not there yet. They suck on the blue line and the goalie situation is mehhh.
The Phillies will most likely suck for the next 5-7 years. Amaro sucks. So does the team and so does the system. But I promised my brother I wouldn’t talk about them because I get too mad.
So that leaves the Eagles. The best team, but not quite there yet championship. The Eagles are our only hope for the next couple years and we hold on so tight because we want to cheer for a good team. We want a championship and they are close, but need a few key pieces.
It sucks being a Philly fan right now, but I truly believe that this team will deliver, and right afterwards, the Sixers will too. I just hope the other teams can get on the train.
Outside of Ruben being an incompetent dolt, I’m more hopeful with the Sixers ad Flyers than you are. The Sixers, by virtue of Embid / Saric / 2015 high lottery pick player, are going to make a huge jump in wins soon and be one of the best teams in the league. The Flyers, with 4 future Norris trophy level players in their system (Hagg, Ghost, Sandhiem, Morin), are going to have that D line situation shored up in the next 2-3 years with some very affordable players.
Saric? Chances are he may never be a decent starter. You can never tell with Euros until you see them in the NBA.
A Euro guy like Saric playing against growing men is playing far tougher minutes than in college. Also things like the 3 point arc is same distance as in NBA where it is closer in college.
Saric would have been a top 5 pick if he hadnt already signed his 3 year deal with his current team.
The same is true for hockey players, playing in SHL or KHL is much tougher than playing in the juniors.
I had Saric 8th but yeah I get what you’re saying. I’m optimistic about Saric but I’m not sure he’ll start for us with all the big men we are bringing in, unless you like him at the 3?
I have seen Saric play multiple times in person since he was 16…
..
You see what Nickola Mirotic is doing for the Bulls? Saric is on a level above him, and will come over as the top player in Europe. SARIC will 100% be here in two years.
I love the optimism with the Flyers, but Hagg is not future Norris material. I’ve watched him multiple times with the Phantoms this year, and he’s … not good. He’s got some tools to work with, but he’s really struggled against AHL competition. He’s young, yada yada, so I’m not writing him off as far as being a future contributor, but he’ll never be a top 2 defenseman on a good team.
Ghost has all the skill in the world, and I do mean that. Skill-wise, he’s the best D-man the Flyers have had since Mark Howe (obviously adjusting for era). But I said this summer that he doesn’t have the body to survive in the NHL, and sure enough, he had a catastrophic injury in the AHL less than a 1/3 of the way into the season. If he can add the necessary strength (not saying he has to be 210 pounds or anything, but with his frame, he should be 190 or more) without losing his speed/agility (praying that the injury doesn’t rob him of them), he could be the heart of a fantastic second pairing, if he’s paired with a physical guy.
I’m pretty optimistic about Morin, but I’ve seen little of his play against real talent. What I”ve read says the talent is there, but he’s still raw – which isn’t surprising at his age. But even there, he’s no surefire Norris guy.
The thing that makes me feel the best about the future of the Flyers’ blue line is that Terry Murray is there. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at developing young defensemen. He should be able to get the most out of all these prospects they’re stockpiling.
I heard Foles has been working out with an Olympic sprinting coach and is running a 4.5 40
You do realize that the typical units used for those measurements are seconds and yards, don’t you?
Had to have been a 40 foot dash
a 4.5 hour 40 foot dash
“The biggest thing for me is that Chip Kelly needs to figure out what he wants to do at QB ” — how do you know that he hasn’t already figured that out?
Anybody who thinks that the Eagles should put the acquisition of a QB that “somebody” believes in ahead of other needs such as OL, CB, SS, OLB will probably be whining like a baby when that QB cannot grow into a star because of breakdowns at other key positions. I don’t see the point in sacrificing the today and tomorrow for an imagined “down the road”. If Chip and Co. continue to turn over the defensive roster and shore up the OL, if he learns that Nick Foles is not his guy, he’ll find somebody who is without mortgaging the franchise.
In 5 Minutes Cardale will declare to enter or not the Nfl draft this year.