Understanding the Offseason
Posted: February 4th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 316 Comments »The Eagles must spend their first 3 picks on defense!!! They just have to. Anyone who saw that defense this year knows the only answer is to load up on defense. Right?
Wrong.
The offseason starts in early March with free agency. This is when teams try to fix clear holes in their roster with immediate solutions. You don’t build through free agency, but you have to use it to plug holes. There are always going to be roster issues that need to be addressed. Maybe a draft pick didn’t pan out as expected. Maybe there was an injury late in the season to a key starter that will carry over to the following season. Retirement/age or salary issues can force a team to make cuts, which open up starting jobs. Free agency is a way of repairing the roster.
The draft is all about long term thinking and roster building. You cannot go into a draft thinking “We must address this, this, this and that.” There are some occasions when a team has to force a pick because free agent plans didn’t work out, but even that isn’t recommended.
The best teams focus on talent when it comes to the draft.
Let’s not turn this into a debate on semantics. If 2 players are equally rated, of course you will take the one who fits a need. If one player is rated slightly lower and the need is great enough, you can make an exception in that case. The point isn’t to go into the draft thinking “We must come away with players at these positions” but rather to go find good players you believe in.
Finding the right guys is more important than filling the right positions.
The Dallas Cowboys fielded one of the worst defenses in the history of football in 2013. They added some help prior to the draft, but not much. Then they spent their 1st round pick on an OL, Zach Martin. He stepped in at RG as a rookie and played at an All-Pro level. That helped the offense to play better. That helped the run game to become dominant. That helped the offense to stay on the field and keep the defense off it. That helped Dallas go from 8-8 to 12-4.
Most people were screaming for Dallas to draft defensive help. It was the obvious need. Instead they showed great discipline and went with the best player.
The Eagles had the best secondary in the NFL in 2002. And then they turned around and spent their top 3 picks on DBs (Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis and Sheldon Brown). Andy Reid, Jim Johnson and Tom Heckert knew the secondary was aging. They had 3 draft prospects they liked and drafted them. Those guys made the transition from Bobby and Troy a seamless one. They also were a big reason the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2004.
I was shocked when those picks were announced. I just knew the Eagles would draft a WR or maybe a stud LB. Maybe a DT to pair with Corey Simon or a young TE. DBs? No way. But the Reid and Heckert made the right call.
Every human being on Earth and even people as far away as Pittsburgh will tell you that the Eagles need defensive help. No one disputes that.
The Eagles need to focus on free agency and trades with finding immediate help for the secondary. I do think they will spend draft picks as well, but those players will be for the future, not 2015. If the Eagles are looking for a starting CB at pick 20, then 2015 is not going to be the kind of season I want it to be.
I’m not saying a rookie can’t play his way into the lineup. Obviously you love when that happens. You don’t want to be counting on a rookie to solve a big problem. That’s when you are in trouble. Even a really talented rookie is still a rookie. He’s going to make rookie mistakes. You’re better off with a veteran starter if that is possible.
Both free agency and the draft are critical to building a championship roster. The Pats don’t win a Super Bowl without great picks like Brady, Wilfork, McCourty, Collins, Edelman, etc. or key signings like Revis, Ninkovich, Browner, Blount, etc.
The Eagles will want to sign free agents to help the defense and if that goes right they can draft the players they want rather than focusing on needs.
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Tommy – always keeping us grounded!
It was surprising to see how few starters on both SB teams were 1st round picks. Sea and NE have both been picking at the end of the rounds lately.
Meanwhile teams like the browns draft based on opinions of less fortunate: http://nypost.com/2014/05/09/browns-take-hobos-word-on-manziel-over-100k-of-research/
I trust Chip to not put the organization into the hands of the salvation army. Even if we trade back and pick up a few good O and D prospects, I bet our good coaching staff can turn a handful into long term contributors. Howie was wheeling and dealing last year at free agency, can’t wait to see how it plays out this year.
That story leaves me wondering. If that homeless man knew the weight his advice would carry, do you think he would have told Haslam to end world hunger, or to turn Cleveland into the gaudy buckle of the rust belt, or to do what it takes to get to 8-8?
Probably wouldn’t care as long as he had a sufficient supply of booze.
Well said. The draft is for building, not for short term fixing.
While I agree with the overall idea, some positions can provide immediate impact to a team, most notably RBs/LBs (hence why they are the positions with the most ROY awards). CBs is clearly not one of them, and nearly every CB struggled as a rookie, even the most talented one (ie Revis). We have to fix the starting CB issue in FA.
However, I am not overly worried about ILB for example, and I think we can find a starting 2 downs ILB within the first 3 or even 4 rounds.
They *can* provide immediate impact to a team, certainly. But you never want to depend on that.
You ( as the Eagles have proved ) can’t ” depend ” on the draft either. I would rather depend on a ( free agent ) who has a proven track record, playing at a high level, to make a ” immediate ” impact. The bottom line ( of bottom lines ) is, that it doesn’t matter if you ” fill ” a roster spot with a free agent, or a draft pick. It only matters how well your personnel people did at evaluating that player. If your pro personnel people pull a ” Nnamdi “, then your screwed. But, if they get you a ” Asante “, then your golden. It is totally obvious that you ( fill roster needs ) through free agency. What are you going to do, make a run at Demarco Murry, when you already have LeSean McCoy ? The Eagles should ( try to ) fill two holes, in the roster ( EVERY ) year with the best – top teir, players at that position, in free agency. Remember, they are not ( as everyone thinks and says ) blowing the salary cap, by doing that. They need to replace Nate Allen at Safety. They have been screwing around with that safety position for ever. Go back the truck up for Devin McCourty, and FIX that position once and for all. They have been saving millions and millions on that position since Dawkins left. Time to ante up.
If you overspend at one position, then you have less to pay for another. Dallas can’t pay both Bryant and Murray. The Redskins will lose a few more players since Snyder likes to overpay.
Overpaying to fill a need will leave your team short in another area.
fill two holes in the roster every year with top tier players in FA????……top tier players at their position rarely are available in FA…..if they did get to FA getting them signed require upfront money as well as a long term deal…..you really can’t do this every year….Also saying “lets go get McCourty” is not simply us giving him the money….he has to get to FA….outside if him getting to FA there is not anyone worth signing or that is top Tier…..same at the CB position……which is why filling two hole every year is not a sound strategy…this is also why we have not made big splashes in the early portion of FA for several years…..
Of course that is premised on availability. You talk about ( signing them / up front money. ) They have to pay ” somebody ” to play those positions. Maybe, one ( top tier ) free agent, every year, is more feasible, but every free agent won’t be making $ 10 plus million a year. Some can be signed for Connor Barwin, or Malcolm Jenkins type deals. I just think sometimes ( when you just can’t get it right ) you have problems drafting at a particular position, you should suck it up and pay, sometimes ( ie – safety position. ) Yes, it depends on if Devin McCourty becomes available. But, if he does ….. he should be on the Eagles radar, big time.
I agree with your first point. I am very concerned about the second one. The Eagles have not drafted a pro bowl linebacker, since Jeremiah Trotter, in 1998. I know ( different coach and GM ) , but it still worries me. The last time they drafted a pro bowler on defense, it was Trent Cole in 2005. That was a lonnnnng time ago. Nine years, to be exact. The last pro bowl cornerback that the Eagles had was Asante Samuel, and he was a free agent. The last pro bowl cornerback the Eagles drafted was Lito Sheppard in 2002. My point is obvious …. this team has been terrible drafting on the defensive side of the ball, for over a decade. Ten years, and one pro bowler on defense, if that doesn’t define ” Gold Standard “, I don’t know what does.
Id argue that Fletcher Cox & Mychal Kendricks are pretty damn good draft picks with and honorable mention to Bennie Logan, & Cedric Thornton (UDFA) all within the last few years. I agree it’s been a while since drafting a good DB but c’mon, give credit where its due.
Whatever helps you sleep at night. Honorable mentions don’t win Super Bowls. Either does pretty damn good.
So you dont think Cox was absolutely dominant most of the year? Or that Kendricks has potential to be a perennial all pro? If not we’re clearly watching different players. Either way we clearly see things very different so i’ll leave it at that.
No, honorable mentions don’t win super bowls. But apparently Pro Bowl selections do. Except the Eagles had the most Pro Bowlers this year and didn’t make the playoffs. But clearly the only way to determine talent is by looking at a popularity contest.
Now, now. Most of the Eagles in the Pro Bowl were substitutes. Second most popular. ;~) Remember how excited some folks were about the Foles jersey in the HOF? While it was interesting, it didn’t fix Foles footwork in 2014. Addon: I still think the change in QB coach impacted Nick more than we know,
We have a really strong core on D
just need a ballhawk CB and competent CB and rah moore
Dont forget Boykin who has turned into.a good 3rd round pick.
That was AR all the way. He handed the keys to the D over to Jim Johnson, and JJ got Simon, and Shepppard and Brown (which,btw were not even close to “seamlessly” replacing Taylor and Vincent, but not bad), and when JJ left us, Reid took on the defensive roster responsibilities, which he never wanted and for good reason. Our defense is still trying to recover from his damaging defensive picks from 2005 to 2010.
I think we can agree Kendricks may be one as soon as next year. Regardles out trackrecord for LB is not good.
Did Dallas RG really play at an all pro level??? (maybe in Run blocking)
I feel like if he was on the Rams nobody would have even noticed him. Imo (non expert) opinion he had great unblocking and par to sub par pass blocking.
The point is, sometimes the best defense is a better offense, and if the Eagles take that approach in the draft, I wouldn’t object to it.
I agree.
Interesting how they always say, “Build from the trenches” yet we always want them to draft the stars so far from the trenches. That said, our DL seemed to do a great job this year. Maybe it’s time to acquire some talent in the outfield..
I wouldn’t mind that, but if they go O-line, I’d be on board with that.
That approach didn’t work very well for the Cowboys this year.
How so Ben Hert? The Cowboys were expected to be a .500 or worse team this past year, but they put their offense over the top with the Zack Martin Pick. I think it worked very well for them. Going 12-4 when you were expected to be a bottom 10 team is definitely good.
Trenches are mostly set. Could use depth on DL and OL never hurts to draft but we need somewhat reliable DBs who can do their jobs at least half the time.
We still should have won 12 games last year with that excuse of a secondary….CK will be a king in Philly
you are absolutely right. good run block, average at best pass protection…. truth be told, the Center for the Packers was the Best Rookie OL last year, yet everyone blows zack martin because he has a star on his helmet and plays for an owner who looks like the male Joan Rivers
LOL
I gotta say I endorse this 100% but may he live forever and ever!
BPA or we will bust
Yeah, if it comes to that, although you sometimes just have targets to trade up for, targets at the position you’re drafting, and options if you trade down, and just try to get as many of your targets as you can wherever they happen to be.
I just don’t want a situation like last year where we had targets we & couldn’t move up to get them. If we have 6 guys targeted than move up and get your player if thats what it takes. I have a hard time with Smith (but only because it felt like settling )
I can’t help but think that someone messed up there. But that was not a problem with the approach, it was a problem with not being prepared for the way the draft happened.
Just maybe Roseman overrode a few too many scouts and coaches with his alleged knowledge of the value placed on some draftees by other teams?
Yes, that would be one possibility.
I agree, you can sort of just sense something didnt go right.
It reminded me at the time of when the Giants drafted David Wilson after Bucs got Doug Martin.
As in “well the guy(s) we wanted are gone and we could use (This position) so lets get the next guy at that spot.”
I will be very disappointed if that happens again. I don’t really care if we burn a 3rd on a 4th or 5th projected player that CK loves, but a 1st or 2nd needs to be talented at the very least (as in 1st nd talent)
All that said I honestly believe CK will not make many mistakes twice and we will see a clearer draft mission this year.
We killed in in F/A last year imo
From what Chip has said about the draft I doubt they go BPA unless marynowitz has more influence on his picks. He’s willing to take a Taylor Hart in the 3rd, so it does worry me. I’m crossing my fingers that he does the right thing.
“You don’t want to be counting on a rookie to solve a big problem.”
But isn’t that exactly what the Eagles are doing by going into free agency and the draft with Kelly and Marynowitz making the decisions?
Completely different situation.
And no, they aren’t rookies. This will be Ed’s 4th draft and Chip’s 3rd. They may not have ideal experience, but they are far from rookies.
But how about free agency? For example, do you think Chip Kelly has a good idea of how much money Jeremy Maclin can get if he goes to free agency? Does he have knowledge of teams would likely be interested and how much money they could be expected to offer him? It would seem to me that knowing these things would be essential when going into contract negotiations with Maclin’s agent. It also seems that expertise in this area was something Howie Roseman definitely had, and now….?
Roseman still knows that kind of stuff in his sleep. He sits in his office every day, with a little Chip Kelly voodo doll, just biding his time till 2017, when Kellys contract is up.
All Chip has done is go 10-6 in his first 2 seasons in the NFL and you are hating on him….. smh.
Now they’ve got Marynowitz and the guy from Alabama. Please don’t say that the Alabama personnel people don’t understand the monetary value of NFL players. I don’t particularly like Alabama, but would never call them stupid.
“Please don’t say that the Alabama personnel people don’t understand the monetary value of NFL players. I don’t particularly like Alabama, but would never call them stupid.”
Has nothing to do with being stupid. It has to do with experience. The guy who will be negotiating Maclins contract will have ton of it. The Eagles only have Roseman with the same kind of experience and god knows if he has anything to say.
Belichick was a football coach for all of his life, but he’s as tough as you can be in contract negotiations. But he didn’t became that overnight. He learned it.
Chip is smart enough, I’m sure Marynowitz is smart enough. They can learn those kind of things. Question is: how long will it take? Will there be mistakes made on that road? And will they cost the Eagles, like. f.e. the Cooper contract costs them at the moment. Even tough Howie was certainly involved, it sure seems like a Chip move to re-sign him pre-FA, because he wanted to keep him.
Also, Chip has to learn that he’s now Chip the HC AND Chip the GM. The GM has to make tough decisions, especially with veteran players who have a huge salary cap hit. Chip the HC can love Ryans like his own child, but Chip the GM has to say: I want to keep him, but we HAVE to reduce his price tag.
Belichick traded Mankins, one of the best OG in the NFL, who was a very hard worker and one of the finest Patriots (Belichick said this himself). But the price tag was too high. Took a 4th rounder, a young TE and ran with it.
Chip has to learn that. And he better is a fast learner.
Howie is still responsible for contract negotiations. Basically how it works is if Chip wants a player, he tells Howie, and Howie goes and tries to sign them. This is ideal because Chip can evaluate a player based on talent, then Howie can try and get them for the best value.
Wouldn’t call it ideal. Not even close. It would be ideal if Howie wouldn’t have an ego, and Chip wouldn’t have an ego. But they both do (I do, too, it’s not like it’s a shame to have one). If Chip wants a player, he expects him to be signed. Howie doesn’t have the power to say no, at least as far as we know (that’s the famous final say, after all).
I would assume so because just as an outsider you can estimate what Maclin is worth. What you are describing is Howies job anyway in which he would collect all that info, share it with Kelly, and then HOWIE would negotiate from there. Again what you are describing is Howies job and you are applying it to Kelly.
Chip’s job is not to know JM’s worth or market value. His staff is responsible for that.
Roseman still does contract negotiations Cafone. If Chip says I want to re-sign Maclin, then Roseman will work out the best deal for the Eagles and get him signed. If Chip says I want to sign Rahim Moore in FA, Roseman will try to work out a contract that will get him to sign. There is no controversy here. If Chip wants someone, Roseman has to go get them.
Are we sure about this? The last I heard were reports that agents didn’t know who they were supposed to talk to yet.
I’ve seen a bunch of articles explaining it the way I said above. So I’m about 90% sure. From my understanding, Marynowitz is pretty much leading the player evaluation process with Kelly and the scouts (pretty much Tom Gamble’s old job). Kelly has the final say with all roster decisions. Anything that Chip wants to happen to the roster, whether it’s a cut or acquisition, it’s up to Roseman to get done. So, as far as I know, if Chip says he wants McCourty, Roseman has to try to find a way to sign him. If Chip wants to trade up in the draft to get Mariota, Roseman has to find a way to do it. Pretty much anything Chip wants to happen when it comes to the players he wants on this team, Roseman has to try to make it happen. Now I’m sure Roseman still has a bit of sway in this matter. If Chip says I want McCourty, but I also want LB A, and CB B, Roseman may say we prolly won’t have enough money, who do you want to prioritize? I’m assuming that’s how it will work. The biggest thing I worry about with Chip, is that he will override what his scouts say and that he will reach for players in the draft. If he can minimize that, then things should be fine.
Tommy, with all due respect, your comment was a little misleading. As it stands NOW, not AFTER this years draft, Marynowitz has been part of ( 3 drafts ) and Kelly has been involved in ( 2 drafts. ) Saying ” this wiil be Ed’s 4th, suggests that he already has the ” experience ” of that 4th draft, when he doesn’t. Also, I tend to lean towards Cafone on this one. In the world of scouting and drafting players for theNFL, Ed and Chip are still well behind the learning curve, of people like – Gaine, Wolf, Fitterer and Ross. Also, not for nothing, but when is this team going to get around to, doing things the ” ideal ” way ? The fans of the Eagles desperately want to see them win a Super Bowl, and all Jeffery Lurie is interested in is – bieng innovative or trendy. Hiring Bruce Arians, in 2013 would have been ideal. When Arians was hired by Arizon in 2013, he had 15 years of ( NFL ) coaching experience ….. 15 years ! Kelly had ZERO ! Hiring Kelly was the trendy hire. Was Arians the ” exciting ” coaching name out there ? No, but he was vastly more experienced, and would have given the Eagles the best chance of winning a Super Bowl, in the NEAR future. Arians forgot more about NFL football, than Kelly will know over the next 10 years. The fans deserve better. First Lurie allows Roseman to ( intern ) in the GM role …. now Lurie is allowing Kelly to ( intern ) the head coach role, with another intern at GM. I would love to see how the Eagles will do, when Lurie puts the team and the front office in the ” ideal ” situation. Thanks for reading.
I think you might be unclear about the meaning of the words”will be”. Saying this will be Ed’s 4th draft does not suggest that he already has the experience of the 4th draft, it suggests that this coming draft will be his 4th draft. Just like for all the rookies that are drafted, this coming season will be their 1st season.
I would not take Arians over Kelly. This reads like Arians just won 2 SB’s this year. I don’t agree that NFL experience means you are a better coach, that’s a really big leap there.
Silly me, i thought we hired Chip because he was a good coach. Trendy would have been Gus Bradley who ALOT of people wanted. Didnt Lurie hire Reid who at the time was a no name? Last i checked going from 4-12 to back to back 10-6 with no real franchise QB and in a tough NFC is pretty impressive. Am i wrong. The issue here is that people only have very short term memory. They do not realize we were a very bad team in which could have stayed bad and been stuck in the NFLs basement like sooo many teams are and just stay stuck there. Winning isnt easy, and turning a franchise around is even harder. Give credit where credit is due. To add, just because you want someone doesnt mean they want you. Is it possible Arians didnt want to come here? Nobody thinks of that..We were a MESS in 2012.
Come on, everybody knows that Reid lost the team, in 2011 and worse in 2012. Juan Castillo, defensive coordinator …… really ? That team WAS NOT a 4 and 12 team. Kelly inherited some pretty damn good players on offense. You have your opinion, that’s fine. I fully believe that Kellys ” hurry up and punt ” offense, is going to get old. Sooner than later. Three quarters of their offensive line is over 40 years old, and Kelly has them running a hurry up offense, like he’s still coaching with 20 year old college kids. I’m a huge Eagles fan, so i’m pulling for them.
Well thats why when players get old you draft or sign new ones. You think we are just going to completly let them age? The point is the team went 8-8 then 4-12. That is a talent and coaching problem. We now went 10-6 two seasons in a row. Are you going to sit there and deny it takes good coaching to do that? If you do not deny it then that means Chip is a pretty good coach. Chip is producing some good results in the past two seasons. Sorry if i try and use logic and judge based on results.
Nothing misleading about Tommy’s statement at all. This will be Ed’s 4th (that means he has been part of 3 already). And are you saying that Arians is a better coach than Kelly? The last 2 years, Arians is 21-11. Kelly is 20-12. Both are 0-1 in the playoffs. The Cardinals fell apart when their starting QB went down. Kelly went .500 when our starting QB went down. A head coach has to get experience some how, and Arians was only a head coach for 3 quarters of a year in 2011. No head coaching experience in the NFL before that.
I also don’t remember Belichick (agruably the best NFL head coach of all time) sitting down with Arians to discuss tactics about football. I think Belichick knows more about football than you do.
Yeah, what the heck was I thinking ….. Bruce Arians – 2012 and 2014 NFL coach of the year ! Boy i’m a idiot, to say that, huh ? I’m not saying that Kelly isn’t a good coach, although, my point about Lurie, I believe speaks for itself.
Who the hell cares about coach of the year!?! You know that the Associated Press votes who coach of the year is? I think that Kelly should’ve got it in 2013. Arians is an offensive coach. Who has had the better offense, us or the Cardinals? You put the Cardinals defense on the Eagles team and I bet we would have a much better record. Arians inherited a much better defense. What has Arians done to make you think he so much better than Kelly? Win coach of the year twice!?! I like how you ignore most of my statement and just say that Arians won coach of year. Did Belichick ever consult with the genius Arians about football? Nope.
what, like a rookie like Malcolm Butler ??
..
if you got a problem yo he’ll solve it / check out his hook while the dj revolves it
I think the other component of this is the talent development system/processes the Eagles have in place….we’ve drafted 15 CB and S in the last 7 years and I can count 3 that have amounted to much of anything: Boykin, Allen and Coleman. That is a lot of resources invested with few results; now it may be more of a talent evaluation issue, but either way we need to greatly improve our hit rate. It is a great advantage for teams to have a sizeable group of drafted players who produce well since we are paying them small amounts compared to vets, FA etc. Plus if we continue to whiff in drafting secondary talent, that forces us to do what Tommy talks about – sign expensive and usually older FA to plug those holes…
The thing is, not many of those 15 players where in the top 3 rounds. Allen, Jarrett, Marsh off the top of my head. Allen looked like he was on track to be a great pro before the injury. Jarrett was a clear reach, no doubt but our Wide 9 didn’t help. Marsh was always a project, he just didn’t pan out, perhaps that goes on the coaching staff.
In summation, I think it would behoove us to draft more secondary before the 4th round. There we have a higher chance of success and as we all know, picks after the 3 are often up in the air.
Allen (2010) and Jarrett (2011) were 2nd rounders. Marsh (2011) was a 3rd rounder.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/draft.htm
Yes. I said that above.
Misread, sorry. I thought you were saying they weren’t, but I see it now. Sorry. 🙂
I remember the first time I saw Curtis Marsh on the field; he sure did look the part of a stud NFL CB. Perhaps the late-Reid-era instability in the defensive coaching staff really held back his development. I’m also coming around to the view that all of our picks in the first three rounds should come from Power 5 conference schools (Marsh came out of Utah State); they play in something approaching a pro atmosphere, and are up against the best competition in the heart of their season.
Come on, you don’t like Rosemans ” batting average ” theory ? He was lauded for being one of the biggest movers and shakers in the NFL over the last 5 years. He made more trades than any other GM in the league over the last 5 years. They forgot to mention that he traded 3rd rounders for a 4th and 5th rounder, then drafted ( wasted ) both picks on busts. He would trade a 3rd rounder for 4 seventh rounders if he could. The Eagles last drafted a pro bowler at these positions – in this year. Linebacker – 1998 ( JeremiahTrotter ) Cornerback – 2002 ( Lito Sheppard ) Safety – 2002 ( Michael Lewis. ) One pro bowler drafted on defense in 10 years ( Trent Cole. ) …… priceless.
Tommy didyou ghost write Bill Simmons’ fantastic article recapping the super bowl a few days later ..
very much your humor and very terrific piece ..id say mmust read .. belickek out card played peter carroll we may never have to watch another super bowl again.
Tommy tries to keep his fandom at bay and be pretty neutral about the Eagles. Simmons has given up even pretending and is a fanboy. It’s entertaining to read don’t get me wrong, but he is so wickedly pro-Boston biased.
One thing, if it were the Eagles getting down to the 6 like the Seahawks we would have all 3 time outs left.
under Chip yes .. under Andy ?? har NO WAy !!
I’m all for adding young talent over reaching to fill needs. The thing is, there are positions on this team (like the secondary) where the team has neither youth nor talent. Those have to be priorities if the right guys are available.
Interesting exercise: what’s the earliest round you’d be happy with the Eagles drafting at various positions, assuming nothing crazy happens like an elite prospect falling much farther than projected? Mine:
QB: 3rd (I think Foles deserves one more shot and want to see if he bounces back from 2014 but think it would be smart to hedge and bring in a developmental prospect with potential starting tools to develop behind him)
RB: 2nd (Shady’s getting up there, but drafting RBs in the first round is sub-optimal value at this point)
WR: 3rd (think anything higher would be a luxury assuming Maclin doesn’t leave; I’m quite high on both Matthews and Huff)
TE: 4th-5th (only need a blocker to supplant Celek eventually)
OT: 1st (Peters won’t play forever and we could always start this guy at G)
OG: 1st (if he’s an elite prospect)
C: 5th-6th (purely a backup unless he can also play G)
DE: 4th-5th (don’t see this as a need area at all so unless there’s a supremely talented guy available I wouldn’t take one higher than this)
NT: 5th-6th (ditto)
OLB: 1st (only if Graham leaves, otherwise 2nd-3rd)
ILB: 1st (if it’s a guy like Kendricks)
CB: 1st (duh)
S: 1st (double duh)
I don’t look at it that way. If you’ve got a great talent on the board at #20, that’s the guy to take, whether he’s at an immediate position of need or not. So I don’t care if we’re fine with Bennie Logan, but if you’ve got a guy you are convinced is the next Vince Wilfork (21st pick in 2004), you’d have to be an idiot to pass up on it. (I’m not suggesting that such a person is available, just making a point about how to look at the draft).
Needs be damned if you can find the most superior talent.
I did provide the caveat “assuming nothing crazy happens like an elite talent falling much farther than projected”. I don’t think OLB is the most pressing need but if Randy Gregory is there at #20, I take him. Ditto Mariota at QB.
In reality though, that rarely happens. You’re usually picking from among a pool of similarly clustered players, and the position-by-position differences are much more marginal. In that case positional fit matters a lot more. I’ve already got an A- nose tackle in Logan and a B+ in Allen. Nose tackle is not a high impact position. I’m not taking a guy even if he’s an A+ like Vince Wilfork if I can upgrade my D cornerback position to a A- instead. Similarly, if you draft a C or a TE, where’s he gonna play? We already have one of the league’s best young Cs and a rising star as well as veteran depth at TE. Hugely upgrading depth at those positions does not help us nearly as much as significantly upgrading it at other, shallower positions (notice that I did say I’d be willing to spend a first round pick on almost half the positions on the field).
You seem to be a little misinformed. there is youth in the secondary.
Who? There’s Jaylen Watkins and…
Williams and Jenkins are veterans. Fletcher and Allen are gone. Wolff and Boykin are are young but neither appears to be in the long term plans. Prosinski, Maragos, and Couplin are pure ST guys and/or replacement level players.
Jaelen Strong at the end of the first is looking super tasty right now.
Honestly, any talented WR at around 20 is looking good to me. The best QBs will probably be gone, as well as the top DBs. So I’m thinking you’re probably looking at OL, WR, and maybe ILB as being BPAs at that point.
WR or OT is where I’m at.
Agreed. Will probably probably be the two strongest positions at that point. I definitely think OT will be really strong, with a guy or two that could probably play guard initially and slide out to tackle later on. But either of those would be good.
rather have the Oregon lineman who i know can handle playing an up tempo scheme, and Grasu and Fisher(Oregon OL dont need to be drafted in round 1)
not McKinley?
benardrick McKinney? the 6’5 inside linebacker from Mis St?
yes him.
i wouldnt mind him, i just wouldnt draft him if Erik Kendricks is still available
I’d be happy with either. Speed for an ILB is great, we’ve seen that with Kendricks. I’d trade size for speed but not sure Kelly will.
wtf??? what happened to your boy sammie?
no no it’s McKinley or whatever his name is. The big ILB. Besides I thought Mitchell wants Sammie in round 2.
Were probably gonna have to spend a first to get Coates and as explosive as he is, he isn’t worth a first. Strong is.
should fall to round 2, but early round 2… Strong is def better value in round 1 tho… no worries, im just breaking them. i will fall in and out of love with a hundred prospects from now to april
If you watch Strong, watch the way he runs his routes, its straight at the defender. He doesn’t deviate toward one side of the field or the other to tip the cb/s off. It’s beautiful. I know he doesn’t have “gamebreaking” speed but his routes are pretty crisp to where he can create separation down the field and he can win at the point of the catch consistently.
you dont have to sell me… he has always been one of the only round 1 WRs in this draft that really interest me. amari and the west virginia kid wont get close to #20… strong is probably the best we have a shot at finding on our draft board,. worried andy reid steals him
Well, there’s always Devante Parker. He is faster but his route skills aren’t as good. I’d be happy with him too.
yeah i dont think he is lasting to 20 either, i always forget about him, but Parker, Amari and White i assume will be the first 3 WRs drafted…
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wish Strong would add 15lbs of muscle lol
Strong looks pretty big already. Parker is the thinner of the two. Strong is already pretty physical but with another 15 lbs? good gawd!
he is tall, but isnt he a little light? think he is under 210lbs…could be wrong, i havent gotten too into the WRs yet..trying to wait til combine for WR/DBs
Strong is 210-215. Parker is 208.
220-225 would be perfect for strong, he is a tall kid
I could see him being jumped. Cooper is good but not so much better that another team may like one of the other 2 better.
starting to lean that way too
For some reason, I feel really good about this draft. There is a lot of mid-upper tier talent but not a lot of elite talent. Perfect for tradedowns at 20.
absolutely, i like this draft class too… the only way i would stay at 20, is if there is a top 15 player available who i never expected to fall to 20, like Shelton, White, Dupree, thats about it… the only way i wouldnt trade back is if there is a no brainer available at 20 that we have to pinch ourselves to make sure its real, if not, trade back get an extra 3rd or two… so many good players will be available in the top 5 of round 2, hopefully we trade back to 26 get an extra 3rd, then at 26 one of the teams picking in the top 5 of round 2 want to trade back into the end of round 1 and we trade back again and make our first pick in the top 5 of round 2, but we would have gotten 2 extra 3rd round picks…..trade back into the beginning of round two and we will find a LB like Benardrick or Kendricks, or a CB like jalen Collins or Q Rollins, even a WR like Sammie or Devin Smith..
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after we get those two extra 3rd and end up making our first pick in the beginning of round 2, id try to find a team that will give us their top 15 second round draft pick for our first rounder next year, so we would end up picking
1) top 5 of round 2
2) in the 8-15 range of round 2
3) our 20th pick in round 2
three 3rd round picks
two 4th round picks
5th
6th
7th
…
hand;le our business this year and our first orund pick will be like #25 next year which means we will be stuck giving a second round talent a 1st round contract, might as well trade it away and get an extra 2nd rounder this year if we can
Not to mention Strong is from Philly.
Sammie or Jaelen for our 2nd round pick after a small move up using 4th round pick
We’re gonna have to move up pretty far for Strong with a second. I would take him with a trade down from 20.
kendricks is my trade down from 20, shelton is my trade up from 20
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im happy with WR devin smith in round 2, our deep threat opposite Maclin
Trade up for a nose tackle? No way I do that.
ok…
Just don’t think a pure NT, even a good one like Shelton, merits giving up extra resources. For a guy like Haloti Ngata maybe.
More interested to see if they take a pretty tepid approach again FA as they did last year with their only notable signing being Jenkins (and several minor players to contribute primarily on special teams) and if the value ‘versatility’ as much as they have the past year or two.
The concept of having so many parts being interchangeable is nice but not always realistic. Sometimes you have to find guys who can play well and adjust your system to make it work.
Let’s not forget that Chip often says things to the media that might not necessarily be written in stone either. ;~)
I’ve been thinking about this theory a lot since the SB. This kind of D is the counter to the Kelly offensive philosophy – get the ball to places where you have a numerical advantage. Interchangeable players can respond to this kind of offensive approach better.
The last play of the SB highlights the weaknesses of this approach on offense. But there are broader lessons. Sometimes you just need to be great at something and execute. (We know Kelly feels this way about the game too, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition with his numerical advantage philosophy, but anyways…)
I guess I agree with you. It’s all about balance. I love Barwin because of his versatility, but (1) there aren’t many true quality swiss army knife players like him out there, and (2) sometimes you just need someone who’s unstoppable off the edge
It would be great if everyone could do everything but in practice if you can get a “box” safety and a “center field” safety and not have them so interchangeable, the lack of flexibility in their swapping assignments should not be the overriding priority.
Agree. Nobody does this better than Belichick, which is what makes him the best coach in football.
Yep. But one of the keys to being able to do that was having a 0-tech who can keep a couple of offensive players occupied just trying to keep him from collapsing the pocket.
I just know if we dont sign Urlacker this year im going to freak!! Would make perfect sense with the Ryans injury, and it would be a veteran to continue and help groom Kendricks.
He retired.
Thank you captain obvious. Its a joke among many of us from EMB.
Wat
[…] Understanding the Offseason – Iggles BlitzThe Eagles must spend their first 3 picks on defense!!! They just have to. Anyone who saw that defense this year knows the only answer is to load up on defense. Right? Wrong. […]
Dallas was 8-8 a couple years ago (Not 9-7). The last game they lost because Boykin made their backup look like Romo :), don’t give them an extra one.
Fixed.
Me understanding the offseason: gtfo Riley Cooper, hello Randall Cobb.
I guess I can dream eh………
last year — our safeties were terrible going into the winter. With a boat load of safeties on the market, we didn’t address a clear need.
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Some train of thoughts — those safeties that were available didn’t fit with chip. Or those safeties were too expensive. Or “too many coaches in the years they were here” blah blah blah
…..
Reality – the secondary was terrible in epic/historical numbers. Some fans saw this going into last season. For those fans, what confidence do we have going into this offseason that Chip and company will get the job done? Confidence that Chip learned his lesson?
I thought we got this cat named Jenkins? Last i checked he acctually even had a much better year then the big named safeties liked Bryd, and the other in which i forget his name, while having crap in front of him at CB.
yes, they solved 1/2 the problem…
* 1/4
Without a doubt the overall S play would have been worse without him. To say they ignored the safety position is just not true. He had a better year then most safeties in the league including the big name ones alot of us (including me) clamored for last offseason. Take into account the garbage that he had to cover for last season also. Replace Jenkins with MCcourty, same trash at CB and i bet you MCcourty would have a down year.
basically this article says what i post like once a day/…. if you looking at the draft to fill an immediate need, you are looking AT it all wrong! immediate needs in free agency, longterm roster building in the draft… this isnt a debatable topic, its fact
hello Da’Norris Searcy! Hello Davon House!
NFL is disgusting, Goodell better get his head out of his ass and start dropping the hammer!
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3 NFL players were arrested yesterday. Daqwell jackson punchespizza DELIVERY BOY OVER A parking spot, GB’s scumbag DL: Letroy Guilon was arrested with guns, 365 grams of weed, and over 100k in cash, John Randle Dallas theif RB was arressted again.
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patriots, Falcons, browns are all in limbo after being caught cheating.
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WTF? enough is enough… drop the fuckin hammer and get your damn house inorder you scumbag puppet(goodell).. dude made 30 mil last year and he cant even keep his house in order?
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from someone who claims to protect the sheild, seems like he is taking a piss on the shield
maybe Deflategate will lose Roger the support of Kraft, one of his biggest supporters, and that will lead to Roger leaving.
doesnt seem like slimy Goodell will punish the superbowl champs for cheating… if he wont even punish them for cheating, Kraft wil continue to support him, why wouldnt he as long as goodell continues to be a bob kraft puppet
well Kraft and the Pats feel strongly there’s nothing to Deflategate. I read that only one of the balls was 2 lbs low, and the rest barely low (which could be from the weather). I have no idea of the actual facts, and of course the NFL doesn’t even tell you basic things like how low were the balls.
So let’s assume the Pats are right. Well, you just spent two weeks or time before the SB which should be a great time answering stupid questions about Deflategate. Listen to how defiant Kraft was when he accepted the SB trophy. I could totally see Kraft not backing Roger as much anymore if he thinks the Pats were unfairly treated.
Kraft is just going off what bellichek and Brady told him. he believes they would tell him the truth if they were actually cheating lol… joke!!
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NFL needs to clean itself up now. its getting disgusting in so many different ways
ATLs owner is upset also over noisgate.
he knows they have evidence and his team is caught dead to rights cheating for the past 2 seasons… he is just trying to get in front of the story, admitting it before all the damning evidence is made public
how can he be upset with Roger over this?
He claims the league is blasting his team in an unjustible manner. That was the report on PFT.
I’m in the wrong business.
Letroy Guilon is a pretty big loss for the Packers defense,… getting caught with guns and over 300 grams of drugs, i assume would keep him off the field next year, but you never know with scumbag Goodell…. Letroy was one of the bright spots of that Packers defense, losing him sets GB back… its bad enough they will lose two CB, House and the old corner to free agency, they need to draft an ILB, and now they need a DL…
I have a new dream job, Commissioner of the NFL.
right…. what a .. if we have to sign all boy scouts i want these scumbags punished!!
when 3 NFL players get arrested in one day, time to man up and do something!!
I agree.
Politics aside, Condelezza Rice wants that job, and I think she’d be far better than the clown that’s there now. She definitely knows how to deal with rich self-entitled men, been in far more pressure situations than Goodell could ever dream to be in, and she loves the game.
anyone is better than Goodell, dude is a scumbag dracko Reptilian… anyone would have more integrity than this scumbag commissioner. jackass has the audacity to think he is a nerd who is qualified to try and change the game of football smh… what a clown, i hate him. i cant truly enjoy the nfl til he is gone
If the owners would allow the commissioner independence -like Kenesaw Mountain Landis -she’d be an ideal person for the job.
But that ain’t happening, and I’m sure she’s sick of being a puppet.
Rice is quite adept at using mis-information. No question about that.
But she would still be carrying water for 31 scumbag billionaire owners. You think they want someone there to lay down the law when it hits home?
wow 100k in cash
It was actually $190k in cash. He said he was taking it to help his family. Dumbass
wow. Really, his family doesn’t have a bank account and only deals in cash?
I love this picture! It looks like they took the change out of his ashtray too! Effin hilarious!
Im from a not so good area in Philly. Now i reside in FL which is poverty stricken. The large majority of people in areas like this deal with cash. To someone that is raised different or lived in a different type of area it might sound crazy. Fact is that a huge portion of the U.S. population lives like that.
The quantity of marijuana in Guion’s qualifies him for probation under federal law. It’s just above the threshold that triggers felony prosecution. (I don’t know Florida law.)
Also, the firearm was boxed and unloaded, so it’s fair to say the handgun wasn’t being used “in furtherance” of a drug offense — which, if it were, would tack on an automatic 5-years’ imprisonment on top of any sentence for the dope.
As for the money, if he can demonstrate the source is not drug profits, the case won’t go federal. And the Florida cops won’t be able to forfeit the $190K, without a trial or conviction, to their “Let’s Buy More SWAT Supplies” fund.
Why didn’t Guion carry a cashier’s check or his check book? Lots of athletes didn’t grow up with bank accounts and credit cards. Life was lived week to week on cash and money orders. Not an excuse. Just an explanation.
Guion would seem to have a good shot at walking out of court with a misdemeanor possession conviction in Florida, at worse. Maybe even a deferred adjudication.
His bigger problem is he was on a 1-year deal with GB that’s about to expire.
And of course he’ll be subject to the NFL’s collectively-bargained drug policy.
so, in theory this dude could be on an NFL field next year, while plaxico Burress goes to jail and has his career taken away for shooting himself? gotta love Murika!!!
then again, Italy has its own legal absurdities, you can sue a man for having an affair with your girl lol
Now that’s something I’d expect in Georgia . . .
Burress was prosecuted under a New York City law.
So many shootings in NYC, ‘specially at that time.
The DA’s position (and the mayor’s) was no exceptions for a knucklehead who didn’t even have a conceal-and-carry license.
Plus, Burress discharged his weapon.
Guion? It’s just dope.
He is only there because the owners like him, and he is probably as powerless to “drop the hammer” as you or I. That is like expecting Mueller to find that Goodell lied and ignored the video of Rice cold-cocking his girlfriend. It is as much theater as the games on sundays.
how does the GM for the browns even get caught sending texts to the coaching staff during the game? how does the NFL even find out about something like this?
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how can an owner let the GM bother the coaches during a game?
kyle shanahan spilled the beans when he left. must be a horrible place to work
ahhhhhhhh finally i respect a shanahan…. dude couldnt take it any more in that dysfunctional mess
When Kyle Shanahan asked to be let go, he said that the text messages from someone high up was one of the reasons why.
Another reason was “This place makes Washington look like a model franchise”
Why should it be illegal to send texts during the game? Of course, as dysfunctional as it gets, but why should there be a fine from the NFL?
Jerry told Garrett on the sideline that Romo has to play, where is the difference?
why is josh gordon banned for atleast a year because he had a drink on a plane after the season had ended?
Because he signed up for it when he was reinstated. I’m not saying I like this decision, because he can smoke and drink all he wants imho, but there are rules and I at least get those rules.
I don’t get why a GM shouldn’t be able to text an emloyee during the game. Like I said, the GM is an idiot, but why should there be rule against it? What’s the point?
but you like gronk, so…
??
one is in substance abuse program, one isn’t.
i dont know how the NFL can stop any player from legal activities during the offseason.. and just because they forced the kid to sign the agreement doesnt mean its not a disgrace. you act like Josh Gordon had a choice whether he signed it or not…
The thing is, when the CBA is negotiated, all the players want is more money, money, money and less practice. If they would actually care about things like suspensions, Goodell wouldn’t have the absolute power he has.
If I’d be Goodell, I’d give up the dictatorship about suspensions and let a committee decide. He only loses how it stands right now. But still, the players agreed to this kind of power, they have to deal with it. If you don’t like it, blame your union rep.
You think Ray Farmer, former Eagle, is an idiot or any random GM?
I don’t know where you’re going with that one, mate. What’s your point?
No point, just a question. You wrote: “…I don’t get why a GM shouldn’t be able to text an emloyee during the game. Like I said, the GM is an idiot, but why should there be rule against it? What’s the point?” I don’t know much about Cleveland GM except that he once played for the Eagles. If you say he’s an idiot, I just wanted to know why.
I can’t really evaluate his work in Cleveland. But it’s pure idiocy to text a coach during the game imho. Your coaches have things to do, like coaching the football game. 😉
Plus: X and Os should always be on the coaches imho. That’s what they’re paid to do. If you don’t trust them, hire new coaches. A GM (with actual power) has to manage the roster, of course he has a strategical say in the schemes. But when it comes to sunday, it’s the job of the coaches. At least in my opinion.
assume it has to do with Fair play… coaching staffs have the same vantage point where as, a GM could be seeing something from the TV feed that the coaches arent getting a good look at… we can debate whether it should be legal or not, but if i was an Owner, i damn sure wouldnt want my GM interfering with the coaches on game day… if Farmer wanted to say something he could have followed the rules just like people are crucifying Josh Gordon for not following, wait til half time, go to the browns locker room and tell the coach face to face
“but if i was an Owner, i damn sure wouldnt want my GM interfering with the coaches on game
day…”
Totally with you on that one. Still a very, very stupid rule imho. Almost like an NCAA rule, like another commenter wrote.
And the TV feed is no explanation. The coaches in the box have the TV feed. It’s not something the GM has exclusive.
of course its stupid, but so are half of their rules
this rule seems like something the NCAA would come up with, makes no sense.
Agree!
With all the technology at the coaches’ finger tips, seems crazy.
The only way the rule makes sense (to me, at least) is if the texts occur during a period when the communication systems are down for both teams.
_____________
Curious what Belichick thinks about this.
Also, what kind of communication systems were the coaches using when he played — at the D3FB level.
Coaches up in the box had headsets as did the coaches on the sidelines. Offense had a channel, defense had a channel.
The NCAA loves stupid rules. Our opener every year is against Hobart. It’s a five hour drive from Carlisle to Geneva up in the Finger Lakes so we go up Friday night and stop just over the NY border to break up the drive. We have a couple alums in the area and they always buy the team dinner, but they can’t pay directly. So they literally have to write a check to the AD, who then writes a separate check to the restaurant. Because god forbid we use feeding our players as a “recruiting advantage”.
Lol. That’s a good parameter. Would the NCAA think that’s a good rule? If so, then just don’t do it.
Someone in the organization under an anonymous name probably leaked it for some mulah. Or disgruntled employee. Or someone just has a huge mouth.
If all these teams are getting in trouble, why can’t Jerry Jones get in trouble for talking to Petersen?
oh man…. you are right…. but no one is getting in trouble. if they arent punishing anyone for the crap that has gone on, jerry talking about AP wont even get a slap on the wrist
Has the role of Joe Pannunzio as a staff member been defined?
To get s*** done…
http://ibuildmvps.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/the-wolf-pulp-fiction.jpg
it takes 20 minutes to get across town, ill be there in 10
interesting,.,,, the skins sent a letter to its fans talking to them about going forward with the nucleus of the team and they listed the GM, HC, DC, desean, Kerrigan, trent Williams, Alfred morris…but RG3 name was left out when listing the team nucleus going forward lol
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hows that RG3 “Brand” doing? lol learn to read a defense you donkey
Was there a vote on the owner? Because Dan the man is the 8 alarm fire that Redskin nation can not put out. How lucky are we to have Jones and Snider in our division? Jerry’s best boy Tony finished 2014 with highest average QBR.
gift that keeps on giving…. i will shed a tear when Jerry and Danny Boy die… i assume Jerry will be a strange micheal jackson type death, suicide by viagra or something strange..
Billy Davis better not go after Antrel Rolle… NO THANK YOU!! Giants owner said they want Antrel back, but at “the right price”
Bright side of having a corner and safety bad as bradley fletcher and nate allen is almost anyone would be an upgrade. The patrick chung effect.
Todd McShay drops another mock draft with…surprise, Landon Collins at #20.
Ugh. This season of mock drafts is the worst. Every single one is either Trae Waynes (maybe?) or Landon Collins (no chance).
McShay’s entire mock is kind of invalidated in my mind because he has Bud Dupree falling out of the 1st. That would shock me.
Dude, Landon Collins is gonna solve all our safety issues…….
Ha, duh, how could I forget.
The best mocks are the ones who let us pick Marcus Peters. F.e. Brugler from CBS:
I’m not saying there won’t be a team who rolls the dice. It’s just, no way in hell the Eagles will. You really don’t have to be a hardcore Eagles fan to know that Chip would never bring in a rookie who has such character red flags – especially in the 1st.
FREE AGENT: Keep an eye on OLB Pernell McPhee, Ravens probably cant keep him. one of the better OLBs that few people talk about…
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i hate to say this because they are inaccurate clowns, but just to get an idea of why to take him serious, PFF rated him as the #2 3-4 OLB in 2014…rotoworld rates him as 6th best free agent edge rusher
McPhee
Brandon Graham
Worlids
Jabaal Sheard
Derrik Morgan
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if one doesnt become an eagle, we better have a trade on the horizon for an edge rusher. we need atleast 3 quality OLBs..
Or Mauldin in the draft!!!!!
like him!! reminds me of a better Jeremiah Attaucho
how’d he end up doing this year — a lot of people were high on him last year.
good, def helped his stock this year…. kids body is just beastly. you can tell he wont take too long to transition to the strenght of NFL game… Marcus body looked like an athletic 250lb kendricks, obvious he needed to get stronger, Mauldin already looks like an NFL beast… But Mauldin isnt the athlete Marcus is, but his pass rush and run defense potential is strong
He looks pretty good and projected in the 3rd/4th but sadly because he is a pass rusher will be taken in the middle of the second.
PFF’s rankings may be screwy, but they’re not clowns. About a third of the NFL teams are using those guys to keep track of custom stats that the NFL itself does not provide.
sorry anyone who claims they can accurately grade every single DB from TV footage in one night is a clown, and a liar…
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but if you have to pay attention to their rankings, i would assume there most accurate work comes from grading the trenches, you know? the position that you can actually see every snap of from TV footage…
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rating every DB without waiting for all 22 footage is clown blowhard behavior!! as if you can tell what the DBs are doing half the time on TV, not to mention they are guessing on the DBs assignments.. no thank you to pissing in my ear and telling me its raining…
The per-play ratings are probably just fine, but the method of simply averaging them together as if all plays are equal is not.
They keep track of a lot of stuff.
The very best, most experienced guys can grade a game in about 6 hours.
They use them for the snap count thing, not for their grades
Not just for that. For data that the teams specifically order. Stuff that tracks tendencies, etc.
what do they do from tuesday to saturday? if they want to continue pretending they can accurately grade everything in one night, the least they could do is buy the ALL 22 when it comes out in the middle of the week and spend wed-friday re grading everything off the all 22 footage and average the two grades to have a semi accurate product on saturday(day before the next weeks games start),,.. tyes i know thurs games throw a monkey wrench in the timeline but you catch my drift…
What they do is grade what they can and note where they need to check the all-22 later in order to complete the grades. But they can’t wait half the week to start grading.
i dont like grading as it is without knowing the assignment but i really struggle to understand how they can claim to grade every DB off of TV footage…but whatever… NFL players often chime in and say the team graded them much higher and that PFF isnt accurate.. wonder if as the nfl continues to capitalize on fans thirst for more access do they eventually force the coaches to post the grades of each game for the public to see
Thats what I meant with snap count thing, like how many snaps did player x have in the slot and how productive was he
kinda wonder how much they charge teams. McCloughan’s fee was 75k to evaluate players for the draft before Wash hired him as GM. MMQB had an article a week or so ago that made it seem like the teams that have hired them ask them to do a bunch of moneyball type stuff they don’t want made public.
Yep.
Yep. You might want to know about a player that does different things all over the field. What he tends to do when lined up strong side. Weak side. Wide. In tight. In the backfield. And sometimes what a player is doing could be key to what the team is doing.
He’s a good player. Would be happy to have him.
right… be like signing Barwin, a name that wont excite the fans, but a name that would go on to prove to be a great signing. his best ball is still ahead of him and i can see the ravens losing him, like they lost Kruger, Ellerbe,
Mcphee 100% has the size Kelly wants and he can play DE when we go to 4-2 or 3-3 nickle front
yup.. def think he is towards the top of our OLB wish list if we sign one…. McPhee/Barwin would be so badass… 3 years ago eagles fans would have laughed at that pairing, but them boys can play… i didnt realize McPhee contract was up, no brainer in terms of our interest IMO, especially since there is a chance he actually reaches the open market
Worlids and Maxwell are at the top of my FA wishlist, but I’d be cool with McPhee and Davon House.
wonder if Raven will release Haloti Ngata? 1 yr left on his deal and they tried to hammer out a new deal last year that went no where. Ravens dont have a ton of cap space, they have 3rd year NT brandon Williams, and Timmy Jernagan(ngatas future replacement) is already in place… if Ngata dont give in and sign an extension he could find himself on the open market
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how can the Lions make Suh the highest paid defender? sorry, but i would never pay a defender more than JJ WATT is making…
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wilson vs. Luck who will sign the NFL richest contract?
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wonder where Fairly and JPP end up? hopefully both not with the Giants
As far as Suh, as you know contract amounts arent always given out based on who is better then who. In a perfect world JJ would be paid more then Suh.
considering agents and teams often use similar players recent contracts to set the parameters of negotiation, i would NEVER, repeat NEVER pay suh more than Watt… if Suh contract is more lucrative thats a big win by his agent
I agree, but DET might view him as vital to their success and be willing to pay out. It really depends on how the team feels about the player, and how they think they would fare without the player. Look at Flacos contract. He really isnt the type of QB his pay would indicate but the Ravens know they would be screwed without him. Players and agents will use that as leverage.
but DET has him, Stafford on a huge deal and Megatron on a huge deal.
i dunno. i believe in allowing certain players to set the market.. i would rather lose him than pay him more than Watt, especially when detroit is fortunate that they have the option of telling sUH TO F OFF and sign Fairley to a cheaper deal if suh is going to be unreasonable. No defender is better than Watt, and what isnt a liability o get suspended for being a piece of shit like Suh,. he is high if he thinks he should be paid more than Watt. Suh has been a beast for years and accomplishes nothing.. so what if they lose him
I’ll go with Luck for the simple reason that he is as plug and play as they come. If he stays relatively healthy he will Brady Brady, the way Tom has Bradyed Montana and Peyton et.al. I love Wilson’s game, but I think he’d have issues outside of the right scheme.
cant disagree…. Luck would have 4 superbowl rings in 3 years lol by now if he had beastmode and seattles defense…
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no way should wilson make more than Luck, especially since the more wilson asks for the more it will be harder to keep his team together, and without his stud Defense and RB, i dont think wilson would have had half the success Luck has… luck goes to the playoffs with no run game, average defense, average weapons…. wilson needs the best runningback and best defense of the decade to win….
Yeah if i’m Wilson I take 13-15 and keep going to the SB. If i’m Luck i take the full $25m b/c they aren’t trying to put real pieces around him.
exactly….. i would absolutely take less to keep a bomb squad around me, where as luck has no reason to take less right now… milk the colts for every penny, and if they need money later because they want to add a good player, you always have the power to renegotiate or take a paycut to make room to add that player… but until they atleast give that kid a competant running back, he should milk them for every dime
Jimmy Bama likes to pencil in the Eagles for the season opener at NE but I’m afraid recent history will prevail:
http://t.co/6ZANjbMqEx
No problem! See a defeat jinx has been in play. The first victim was the Lions who suffered the picked up penalty flag. The victors then carried it to the next week when they had a likely game winning catch overturned and proceeded to lose the game. The victor the went. On to suffer one of the unlikeliest losses of all time in Seattle with a large number of freak moments. The Victor then carried the jinx to the superbowl, was given assured victory with a freakish Tyree catch, then possessed Pete Carroll to call the game losing call.
The Patriots will lose and have their hearts broken in week 1. I’m more worried about week 2!
I had an interesting simulation on Fanspeak:
1. Shane Ray – DE
2. Quinten Rollins – CB
3. Jake Fisher – OT
4. Phillip Dorsett – WR
4. Anthony Harris – S
5. Bryce Petty – QB
6. Stephone Anthony – ILB
7. Josh Shaw – CB
Holy cow. That is what we, in the business, like to call a “haul.”
For anyone interested in the ” business ” side of football, here is a very good article from Andrew Brandt, about how the NFL salary cap works. Brandt writes some terrific articles, about the NFL scouting, and draft process also. Article – http://mmqb.si.com/2014/02/26/nfl-salary-cap-explained/
Interesting read.
Search for ” Andrew Brandt ” articles. There are many other great ones also. Anything from – free agency, the draft, trades, scouting, etc.
And here I thought Howie would be relegated to smoothie runs.
I NEVER thought I’d say this …… poor Howie.
good article. I like his other articles too. Seems odd that this good informative writer works for Peter King.
Not really… that’s typical of the way it works. At least he gets his own byline.
True, King is a troll ….. for lack of a better term.
Interesting article on BGN about Tra Thomas and him leaving the organization. Sort of funny that the units he worked with (2013 OL / 2014 OLB) outperformed, seems like a guy i’d want to keep around, but whatever — hopefully he parlays it to a new job someplace better.
see my post from yesterday…
just reiterate – I’m lazy and don’t want to go searching through two sets of blogs… 🙂
chip created that position for tre thomas, and he told tre that position will no longer exist this year
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tre confirmed the only reason marcus Smith was moved to ILB was simply a numbers game and that Marcus futrure is at OLB.. one of the main issues with Marcus is that he needs to get stronger, which is common for edge rushers transitioning to the NFL.
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i liked hearing his thoughts on bellichek. he thinks bellichek is a stonecold cheater, but he laughs and respects it because he is amazed by all the crazy ways bellichek comes up with cheating,. seems like he really respects the “you aint cheating, you aint trying mantra”
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he likes Foles, but isnt sure what chip wants to do, does he want to continue with the offense we been running, or does he really want to bring oregon to Philly?
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thinks as a team, we are close to the top teams, but we are like 3-4 good pieces away, and that its clear to chip he has to keep building….
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first year Tre was working with the OL, last year chip let him experience working on the defensive side and his job was to work with the OLBs on being able to beat OT’s with pass rush, and he didnt take all the credit but pointed to Barwin trippling his sack total from the previous year and BG having a breakout year… also claims that Cole definitely has enough left in the tank for a few more years.
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tre has reached out to a bunh of franchises like KJ and Tampa because he wants to continue coaching because not winning a superbowl still eats away at him so he wants to win one as a coach
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i dunno what the BGN article says, but i heard Tre speak live
🙂 thanks
as if anyone would really be that SHocked TO SEE A DRAFT LIKE:
rd 1 Arik Armstead, DE Oregon
rd 2 Hroniss Grasu C/G Oregon
rd 3 Jake Fisher RT/RG Oregon
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wonder who will be the first media member to mock that to us???…
why stop there? Ifo Oomu falls to round 4 CB Oregon lol
Is it bad that if this happens, I won’t even be upset?
lol.. i wouldnt be upset, but im rooting against it just to spare us from all the crap that our media and fans woulb be saying about it…. as if its a horrible idea to draft 300lb Lineman who have actually proven to be able to handle the uptempo offense. heck just the fact they can play in Oregons tempo while keeing the weight on, makes them attractive to me for our scheme.
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i really want Grasu because kelce is always hurt, and center is so darn important, Grasu can slide in at center when Kelce gets hurt, and he is a little bigger than Kelce, but also has the athleticism we like in our center, and if Kelce never gets injured again, Grasu can start at right guard/..
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if we draft Grasu and Fisher, we can cut herremans and trust that one of those two can start at guard, even if one is our backup center and the other is our eventual RT when lane slides over to the left to replace Peters
Buy a goat, put it in the ILB position and see what it can do. Kendricks can teach it how to wrap up and hit. RBs might even run backwards away from it rather than come into contact with it.
They’re hoping to draft the GOAT, not an actual goat.
Meh, potato, potatoe.
nothing would make me laugh more at this city and its media if the Eagles found away to trade all the way up to #1 and draft Jameis Winston LOL i would be so happy, and amused…
That’s funny i figured your head would explode. It goes agaisn’t everything we’ve been told / have come to expect from the organization. I’ve heard that we might do a trade with the skins.
winston is an NFL passer, who doesnt even like to run…. works for me.
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Marriotta may have hadto make 5 NFL throws all year, and im not interested in how fast a QB runs. i save those judgments for punt rturners, WRs and DB’s
If Winston does a Manziel like drop and is there around 20 do you do that?
Yup.
If Winston does a Manziel like drop, it’ll be because most teams believe he actually raped someone. If most teams believe he is a rapist, I’d prefer we pass.
This would infuriate me.
Winston’s an idiot and I think he’s going to fold like a cheap suit once he’s facing NFL pressures, a la Ryan Leaf, Todd Marinovich, JaMarcus Russell, etc.
In his day Terry Bradshaw was labeled an idiot, and like Bradshaw, Winston has a strong arm and is an accurate passer. You may not like him, I don’t, but he’s still a kid, and his teammates believed in him. He may be a bust, but if he’s been paying attention to the NFL lately, he may surprise a lot of folks and do two things nobody expects: shut up and listen.
i dunno about that,…. think he is much more suited for the NFL than Marriotta. and i think there is something to say about a kid who can live in the middle of constant drama, yet block it out entirely every time he steps on the field and wins… winston is way more developed as an NFL QB IMO
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of course, i dont believe we need a QB so i was just kidding. i want no part of a round 1 QB, and the people who thin chip will want Hundley are just foolish…
The drama in Winston’s case was entirely self-created. This is a guy who couldn’t keep his ass out of trouble and constantly created headaches and distractions for his teammates and coaches when he wasn’t being paid and was only jeopardizing his future earnings. How’s he going to act after he gets a big contract? He is a thief and he might be a rapist. Sure, he was highly productive on the field, but so were Manziel, Russell, Marinovich, and a host of other QB prospects with similar character issues when they were in college. When you’re more talented than everyone else on the field, you can get away with being a self-centered knucklehead. Get to the NFL, where everyone else is just as gifted as you are, and judgment, commitment, maturity, etc. matter a lot more. ESPECIALLY for a quarterback.
I think it’s not only more likely Winston is out of football in 5 years than that he’s a Pro Bowl QB, I think it’s far more likely. If I were running an NFL team he would be on my “do not draft” list.
oh trust me, i know he is a complete jackass, who is lucky to still be in the league 5 years from now… but in terms of NFL QB ability, i trust him much more than MM
just having some fun on fanspeak
0: R1P20
QB
MARCUS MARIOTA
OREGON
52: R2P20
CB
QUINTEN ROLLINS
MIAMI (OHIO)
84: R3P20
WR
DEVIN SMITH
OHIO STATE
110: R4P14
RB
TEVIN COLEMAN
INDIANA
116: R4P20
ILB
STEPHONE ANTHONY
CLEMSON
148: R5P20
G
ROBERT MYERS
TENNESSEE STATE
180: R6P20
S
SAM CARTER
TCU
I don’t know guys, I think I would be a little bit happy if the draft went something like this
think mariota falls to 20 in like a third of the mocks i do for fanspeak. they gotta fix their algorithm a little
maybe they know something we don’t
oh no doubt, there’s no way in hell Mariota falls to us at 20. most of the other mocks i did landed me Eric Kendricks, or Bud Dupree at 20 (also another fat chance of actually happening).
The Titans cut OT Michael Oher. He was blindsided by the news.
lol love it. Very clever.
Howie has been at novacare every day since returning from Vacation. no issues, business as usual at novacare
From what the media would have you believe, based on the past it being “business as usual” and there being “no issues” are mutually exclusive.
By the way, where is this coming from? I don’t see it on his twitter timeline. Was he interviewed by some sports radio hack?
our media would rather fabricate drama than lead us to believe in harmony
The media exaggerates things to a degree but I tend to doubt everything has been harmonious in the past. I’ll settle for tolerate each other and be professionals and work together to get shit done.
oh its definitely hasnt been all peaches and cream.
Though that combo has been proven to make a great shake. I think sometimes it’s just donuts and coffee.
Yeah but of course he will say that. Eagles tell him what to say. Then if something breaks through other media outlets he has to address it.
david spadaro “No chance, No chance, No Chance, Marriotta ends up with the eagles”…. and spads is usually as positive as it gets
Caplan says that he hearing shouldnt be a problem getting an extension done with Maclin before the deadline, and its only slowing up the process because of the switch in agents, but ultimately he will be an eagle… not surprised.
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I think they wait for DT to set the market or T. Smith and then go from there.
maybe DT, i dont see how Torry can be extended quickly, i assume there is a big discrepency with how Torry smith views his ability and how he actually performed this year, so thats one of the situation i think they will need to wait for guys like Maclin, DT, Colbb to set the market, so the ravens can get him signed to cheaper contracts than those 3 get, because Smith wasnt close to the beast Maclin was this year
Agree with that. DT has also come up pretty small in key games (SB, Divisional Round) so I wonder if that will have any effect on his value. That said, I also wouldn’t be too anxious to play with Brock Osweiler.
I would put the odds somewhere around 2%. I think Kelly would like it to happen, but a lot of what seem to be unlikely things would have to just fall perfectly into place.
what are the list of prospects we could say there is no chance they fall to #20 at this point?
1)Marriotta
2) Winston
3Leonard Williams
4) Randy Gregory
5)Amari Cooper
6) Danny Shelton
7)Bud Dupree
8) Shane Ray
9) Devante Parker
10) Brandon Sherff
11) TJ commings”
12) Erik Flowers
13) kevin White
14) trae Wayans (assume he first CB drafted)
……..
anyone disagree with these names, or see any names missing of someone who has no chance of falling to 20?
I have a problem saying 14 guys are guaranteed top 19 picks in Feb.
specifics?
Yep. If you look at where the mocks were putting people last February I bet there are a lot of guys who were assumed to be going a lot higher who “fell”.
“alot”… you really think you cant name 13 of the first 20 players drafted?… shouldnt be hard to know the best of the best, but thats only if you judge for yourself and pay no mind to the media, they will only screw you up…
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after 20, it becomes so hard that its not even worth trying to guess
There are always some guys who, depending on their combine measurements, depending on their interviews, maybe depending on medical reports, could go high in the first round or not. There are also guys who get hurt, arrested, whatever, who fall out of the high first round.
dont think you are giving yourself enough credit..bet you had 12-15 right last year
shouldnt be that hard to identify the elite tier of players
I get that but draft day is weird and guys rise and fall only a few guys I’d feel comfortable saying absolutely won’t be a 20
well thats you, 14 or 15 of the guys last year i had correctly in the top 20, of course the order was all screwed up… but i was able to go 14/20… not bad
Me too. In fact winning the lottery might be more likely than predicting exactly those 14 players mentioned above going in the top 19.
People thought Manziel and Teddby B would be top picks last year. Gotta wait until at least the combine.
“people”.. im talking about the more intelligent community
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at no point was johnny a top QB… heck this time last year the media thought Calvin Prfyor was a 3rd rounder, yet i didnt buy the BS… we should be able to get atleast 13-15 of the top 20 correct, especially after the combine…. the hard part starts at 20… if i cant guess 13 of the top 20 players drafted their is a problem
I GET what you’re saying man but you said these 14 guys have no chance of falling to 20 and I think it is too early to say, I wouldn’t be surprised when it is all said and done that multiple people on your list are there at 20. This time last year we were talking about drafting guys like ODB, Fuller, Barr and by draft day they were unrealistic
Here is a typical NFL mock from last February 28. This was from Chris Burke.
1. T. Bridgewater
2. G. Robinson
3. J. Clowney
4. J. Manziel
5. S. Watkins
6. Ja. Matthews
7. K. Mack
8. B. Bortles
9. E. Ebron
10. M. Evans
11. H. Clinton-Dix
12. D. Dennard
13. A. Barr
14. L. Nix III
15. J. Gilbert
16. A. Donald
17. T. Lewan
18. M. Lee
19. Z. Martin
20. D. Ford
21. C. Mosley
22. C. Pryor
23. O. Beckham Jr.
24. K. Fuller
25. J. Verrett
26. Jo. Matthews
27. B. Roby
28. B. Cooks
29. K. Ealy
30. K. Benjamin
31. T. Jernigan
32. J. Amaro
14 of his top 20 guys actually went top 20 but I’m sure he would not say those 14 were guaranteed to go there
If only ODB had been available at 22
exactly, you should be able to know 13-14 of who wont be available at 20…..
can’t be right, where is MS3?
not born yet, but surprisingly MSII not on the list.
exactly what i said, you should be able to know atleast 13 of the top 20 prospects…last year the only ones on that list were teddy, maziel, dix, dennard, lee, ford…. thus, he was able to know atleast 13 players wouldnt make it to 20
That’s a pretty compelling list from what I have seen. I think Winston could fall for reasons noted, and I think somebody is going to grab Armistead before we go. Vic Beasley could be up there too.
Winston goes to Tampa. Perfect fit. He is bay far the safest QB prospect since Luck, talent wise. His off the field issues are more immaturity than anything else. Whether that stops in the NFL or not is anyone’s guess, but his character isn’t like DGB or Peters.
You’re probably right, but there is a question mark about his ability to grow up. That and the fact that Lovie may not want to risk a #1 pick on a potential bust, when he can grab a sure thing in Williams.
I can see Mariota,Dupree Clemmings, Waynes,Flowers,and maybe even kevin white being at 20 in some scenarios.
no way dupree, marriotta or White last to 20…. cummings i doubt, waynes wont make it to 20 if he is the first corner drafted, and i dont know who you would draft ahead of him. marcus Peters is the best but he wont be the first corner taken, my favorite is jalen Collins but i assume Trae wayans is the first corner drafted, and we would never see a corner not get drafted til pick 20…. flowers is the only one with a shot at falling to 20
How terrible would Matt Schaub be? He’s fallen of a cliff really quickly but he’s got a lot of experience, isn’t a statue. Though I wonder if, after the Mark Sanchez project, chip realizes he can’t teach and old dog new tricks.