Super Bowl, Here We Come

Posted: April 8th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 254 Comments »

On Tuesday the Eagles signed DB E.J. Biggers and WR Seyi Ajirotutu, giving them the single most talented collection of people united for a single cause since Patrick Swazye led his castmates in the 1983 production of The Outsiders, possibly the most important piece of artwork in the history of mankind.

(Was there really ever a time when C. Thomas Howell was that far above Tom Cruise? Yes, yes there was.)

Some of you may wonder if I’ve lost my mind. The answer is no. I’m just practicing my hyperbolic writing. You can’t just wake up in the morning and expect hyperbole to flow from your keyboard without a little practice. And in case you want to see more of the powerhouse The Outsiders, enjoy.

Biggers and Ajirotutu are nice depth signings, but that’s about it. One of the exercises I like to do is jotting down a depth chart. Look at a projected 53-man roster as well as a 90-man unit. Certain areas jump out as weak. That was certainly the case with WR and DB prior to yesterday.

That isn’t to say Biggers and Ajirotutu are answers. But they could be. The Eagles needed someone to take over for Brad Smith as a WR/STer. Ajirotutu can do just that.

Originally signed as a rookie free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2010, Seyi Ajirotutu (pronounced Shay-EE Ah-jeer-uh-too-too) has appeared in 57 games with two starts over his five-year NFL career, totaling 420 yards and three touchdowns on 24 catches. In addition to providing depth at the receiver position, Ajirotutu (6-3, 215) was named the 2014 Chargers Special Teams Player of the Year and led the team in special teams tackles in both 2013 (12) and 2014 (17).

As for Biggers,  he can play S or CB. He just can’t play CB well. I have to think the Eagles see him as someone that could battle for a Safety spot, whether as a starter or backup. He does have experience.

A six-year veteran, E.J. Biggers was originally a seventh-round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009 and spent the past two seasons with Washington. Biggers (6-0, 185 pounds) has appeared in 76 games (31 starts) and recorded 235 tackles, four interceptions, 38 passes defensed and one sack.

In 2014, Biggers, 27, saw action in 15 games with two starts, recording 31 tackles and four passes defensed. He originally joined Washington as a free agent in 2013 and started five games for the team in his first campaign, notching 51 tackles, one interception and five passes defensed. After missing the 2009 season, he appeared in 32 games over his first two seasons with the Buccaneers, totaling 105 tackles, two interceptions and 22 passes defensed. He started 12 of the 13 games in which he appeared for Tampa Bay in 2012.

The Eagles needed someone to be competition in camp, if nothing else.

History has shown some DBs will get better with time. I remember Mike Adams as a young player with SF (2005) as someone the Eagles torched over and over and over. He was an alternate for the Pro Bowl last year. Part of being a good DB is knowing what you do well and what you struggle with, and then playing accordingly. Hopefully the Eagles can figure out what Biggers does well and focus on that. It sure seems like playing man coverage over and over is not his strength (or anything close to it).

I do think getting Biggers out of WAS will help. They consistently exposed DBs to bad situations and the players struggled in part because of that.

The Eagles got veteran help by signing Biggers and Ajirotutu. Time will tell if that help is for summer competition or actual help in the regular season. And Super Bowl, of course.

* * * * *

The Eagles aren’t done.

This would be more about depth/competition. Still, it is funny that with Murray, Mathews, Sproles, Polk and Matt Tucker the Eagles would be looking at an outside back.

_


254 Comments on “Super Bowl, Here We Come”

  1. 1 ohitsdom said at 8:42 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    “They consistently exposed DBs to bad situations and the players struggled in part because of that.”

    Funny, if I read this I would have thought you were talking about our Eagles. Billy Davis’ scheme does not seem very flexible. Hopefully getting the right players in here will improve our pass defense, but I’m not counting on Davis putting his players in a better position to succeed compared with the average coach.

  2. 2 Mitchell said at 9:06 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    LOL. I came down here to write the same thing. Well, at least make a joke of Davis not being able to place players, for whatever reason, I’m better positions. I’m not completely convinced he won’t again this year. I think we have a tad more talent in the secondary this year, so we’ll see. You beat me to it Dom!

  3. 3 sonofdman said at 12:46 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I also came to write the same thing. I was reading the comments in the wrong order and missed this one, so I posted similar thoughts as well.

  4. 4 Michael Winter Cho said at 1:39 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Football Outsiders had the Pass D ranked 18th, on the weak side of average, but nowhere near the truly bad ones such as WAS or ATL. Considering the lack of talent in the secondary on the one hand, but the good D-line on the other, it’s defensible to say that Davis might be somewhat below average coaching secondary. However, not much evidence that he’s “turrible”.

  5. 5 anon said at 1:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    pass d was decent until the end of the year

  6. 6 CaliEaglesFan said at 9:05 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Biggers sucks. You can call a spade a spade sometimes Tommy. Peerman was 2nd in the NFL in special teams tackles and is consistently a really good STer for the Bengals. Him being on the roster would pretty much mean Polk is gone. We have Murray and Mathews who are hard one cut runners there is no need for Polk when Peerman is the better player on special teams. Polk also lost his KR duty to Huff after the Titans game. He has no place on this roster if Peerman is signed.

  7. 7 Mitchell said at 9:10 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    The more I look at it, the more I think we need to grab a DB in round 3/4. Depending on how Watkins turns out we just have a dearth of talent back there. I think the Eagles should nab a couple guys, say in round 3/5, like Drummond, Geathers or Eskridge or perhaps 1 guy early like Byron Jones, Anthony Harris or Eric Rowe.

  8. 8 wee2424 said at 9:42 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    If Clemmings lasts to our pick then I hope we pull the trigger on him.

  9. 9 GEAGLE said at 8:11 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Our secondary will be very much improved. I think it will be much better then people think and I’d gladly wait til round 4 to draft a DB

  10. 10 P_P_K said at 9:40 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Isn’t a tendency towards hyperbole one of the first signs of mental disturbance? Or maybe the second and third signs?

  11. 11 MagsDaffyDilly said at 12:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Small children are good at it too. Not to mention teenagers!! The pubescent mental disturbance would fit right in!!

  12. 12 Gary Barnes said at 10:36 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    I think Peerman is here for his ST skillz….does he return kickoffs? Maclin is gone and if Polk is out the door, we might need someone for that role to compete with Huff.

    Not impressed with the CB and WR pickups, but like you said they may just be camp bodies or a hedge against not getting the guys we want in the draft.

    This “one cut” runner thing has gotten out of control…if the hole is open they can do fine, but if not (and this happened a lot last year) I’d rather have a Shady who can improvise than the “one cut” guy who will simply get stopped.

    If people watch the film again, Shady may something out of nothing a bunch of times, sure he would get caught sometimes behind the line, but he also would turn some into bigger runs then they could have been. There were may plays when, as soon as Shady got the ball, there was a defender right in his face and he’d have to avoid him before he could even think about running the designated play. Using the “one cut” RB puts even more pressure on the execution of the OL since Murray and Matthews are unlikely to be as good at avoiding defenders, especially right after the handoff.

  13. 13 eagleyankfan said at 10:52 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    re Shady — people look for excuses/reasons why CK let him go. Saying DM > SM in this offense is silly. Shady was tremendous.

  14. 14 Mitchell said at 10:55 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Tremendous yes but also inconsistent. To not think his negative yardage plays constantly stalled our drives is ignorant.

  15. 15 eagleyankfan said at 10:58 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Agreed. Gun to my head though, I’m taking Shady all day, every day. That’s today because I haven’t seen DM in our offense. Oct I might have a different opinion…lol.

  16. 16 Mitchell said at 11:12 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    That is completely fair. We can’t really tell because we haven’t seen anything yet. If Murray gets hurt or plays like crap because he got run into the ground last year we all might sing a different tune. However, even if Murray isn’t as good as we may think or not think, we were still able to pick up Alonso and sign some other players by taking away Shady’s contract.

  17. 17 anon said at 11:14 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Alonso is a first round calibur player on a 3rd player’s salary = value.

  18. 18 Gary Barnes said at 11:56 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    I think it was much more the poor OL play, the turnovers by our QB/WR etc. and poor red zone execution that stalled our drives, but yes Shady did play a role as well.

    The points you’re overlooking are the positive plays Shady made and the reality that Murray/Matthews will be much more dependent on OL execution than Shady was…Shady still got 1300+ yds behind an OL that really struggled. Murray, OTOH, ran behind one of the best and healthiest OL last season. Here he may not be as productive.

  19. 19 Mitchell said at 12:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    He doesn’t have to be. He just needs to take less negative plays. Shady led the league in negative plays the last 2 years. We don’t need home runs in this offense, especially early. We need methodical positive yardage and when the defense is tired later on we can hit them for a big gain. Our offense needs to stay on the field better than it did last year. I completely agree that QB and OL play had something to do with the stalled drives as well. We traded away our RB but we also traded away the QB that led to stalled drives. The OL had many injuries and I think we can agree if they had not, they would have been at least a bit better. In terms of red zone production: It was pretty apparent what Kelly thought of Shady when he took him out for Polk several times last year in the RZ. Polk ran straight ahead which equal TD’s several times. Sometimes you just need a bigger body which Shady isn’t. I think you are overlooking the fact that Shady took several negative plays again this year not just because of OL play but due to dancing. Also, I’m not so sure the RB’s we have now are completely reliant on excellent OL play. Of course OL play helps and Rb. It helps every RB. However, whose to say if the penetrating D in the backfield weren’t there, Shady would have danced and missed the whole anyway? I’m not advocating the trade until I see what happens this year but what I do know is we got a great ILB in Alonso and 2 backs which can actually share the workload this year instead of it being all on 1 RB. Also Chip got the style of players he wants even thought Shady will always be great.

  20. 20 Gary Barnes said at 1:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Believe me, I am ok with the trade of Shady for Alonso + the other pieces we used that $$ on. What I am challenging are the assumptions that the “one cut” runner will lead to less negative plays if the OL struggles as much as it did last year and that our run game will automatically be better this season…I think both of those assumptions will be tested this season and it may turn out surprising, and not in a good way for us.

    In a nutshell, Chip better get the OL ready to execute at a high level and have depth ready to step in if we have injuries again….because if we have a repeat of last season’s performance, I think Murray/Matthews are not going to be better than Shady at handling that.

  21. 21 bill said at 1:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Shady had something to do with the QB struggles, too. He consistently put the team in 3rd and longs early in the season. Most of his 1300 yards came later in the season, with a much healthier OL and against much weaker defenses.

    Some people take the Shady criticisms too far, agreed. But some people go equally in the opposite direction and find every excuse to absolve him of his own faults in last year’s struggle. Watch the SF game closely – Shady was more at fault for the struggle than Foles was (though it’s close); Shady could have consistently gained 3-5 yards in the IZ plays, as SF rotated the safety late (another indication that SF didn’t fear the run that game, as they were daring the eagles to run it with that pre-snap read), all Shady had to do was run hard. Instead, he danced in the hole and was lucky not to lose yardage, constantly putting the offense in 3rd and long.

    For all the talk of the OL struggling, the reality was that Molk and Gardener were far better run blockers than pass protectors, and Tobin was a somewhat better run blocker than pass protector. Shady’s struggles early in the season were just as, if not more than, baffling and frustrating as Foles’s.

  22. 22 MagsDaffyDilly said at 12:23 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    All the public sulking is getting a little old, though.

  23. 23 GEAGLE said at 8:09 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I assume if shady was willing to play for us on demarco Murrays contract, shady would still be here. 11mil is a lot!!

  24. 24 Jernst said at 11:45 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    The Shady we know and love from 2010-2013 did what you are talking about on a regular basis. I went back and watched his yearly highlight videos from the past few years. He’s got a 9 or so minute video on YouTube for each of his years in the pros. In 2013, throughout the 9min video I counted about 20 times that he made a dynamic cut and literally made something happen when nothing else was there, where most mortal backs would have been tackled but Shady somehow got away. It reminded me why he’s one of the best backs I’ve ever seen play. Then I watched the full 9min highlight video from 2014. I counted precisely zero times he did such things. Zero times in 16 games that nothing was there and he made a dynamic move to create something out of nothing. Zero times I saw him do something that most backs couldn’t replicate. Perhaps 2014 was an aberration and the loss of so many linemam was impossible for even Shady to overcome. I’m sure shady has a few more good years left in him too. But, it’s be foolish to assume that 2015 Shady will definitely revert back to his old self and look like the 2013 Shady. THe dude never looked right last year. Watch the videos yourself. He wasn’t making those same plays you’re talking about that he used to make. It’s very possible that a slight decline in his agility and acceleration and cutting skills could lead to a dramatic decrease in his ability to create those magic plays when nothing’s there. Then you’re just left with a back that loses yards at s high rate and leaves yards on the field looking for the miraculous play he’s no longer capable of making.

  25. 25 Gary Barnes said at 12:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Would it be more reliable to bank on 4 yrs of a certain trend or 1 yr of a different trend (still 1300+ yds) when evaluating Shady?

    I watched the games and have re-watched them many times, I saw him make some of those plays…I agree the number/frequency was different than the other years and agree the possibility of slight decline could exist with Shady.

    The point I’m trying to make though is not about Shady. It is about the “one cut” Murray and Matthews behind this OL and how many people think there will automatically be better production than Shady because they can “one cut and go” and that Shady “danced too much”. I think those assumptions will be tested this year and we may see our RB be less effective if the OL struggles again since they do not have the skills Shady has for making defenders miss and creating something out of nothing….

    I could be wrong and hope I am, but I think the assumption we need a “one cut” runner to be effective is highly questionable and Shady’s performance over the years proves it.

  26. 26 RobNE said at 12:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I don’t think anyone is suggesting we need a one cut runner to be effective. Shady was league rushing leader. I think the argument is Chip would rather have more 2nd and 7’s and less 2nd and 12’s and will trade that for a less elusive runner. But I also believe Chip thinks some of Shady’s long runs were then cut short b/c he doesn’t stay in his lanes.

  27. 27 Gary Barnes said at 1:35 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I disagree…I’ve heard the media and fans say just that – Shady needed to go because he did not fit Chip’s offense and it was less effective because they did not have a one cut RB…I would also challenge whether we will necessarily have less 2nd and 12’s with Murray/Matthews if the OL struggles again like it did last year…I agree Shady has issues as a RB, but he performed well here under Andy and Chip…we’ll have to see what happens

  28. 28 Avery Greene said at 1:42 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I think we will. There were a lot of execution problems on the offensive side of the ball and I’m not willing to let Shady off that easy. There were times the OL played well and got bad QB play or Shady didn’t run straight ahead and get the needed yards.

    I saw an article that CK was pretty conservative this year and I think that’s more to do with not trusting the RB position on 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1 to get the needed yards.
    He brought Polk in more during goal line situations, so that means both he and Staley thought Shady wasn’t up to the task to get the tough yards.

  29. 29 RobNE said at 2:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I can’t defend against all arguments everywhere but I think you are reading into what exactly is the argument against Shady. He didn’t need to go. Could he be less effective in this offense? yes he could be. That isn’t the same as saying Shady sucks.

  30. 30 Jernst said at 2:11 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    We missed out on a lot of 40-60 yard TDs when McCoy would inexplicably cut across the entire length of the field 20 yards passed the LOS when he had one guy to beat and a blocker in front of him. So many times I’d see him try to be way to creative in those situations and inevitably get caught from behind while running across the field, and he’d sit there and slap the ball angrily and smash it into the ground. It was like, come on dude, make a subtle 20 degree cut/change of direction at full speed without juking or slowing down and you’d blow past that guy. Why the hell are you trying to make crazy reverse field Barry Sanders runs that far down the field when you’re already in the open field?

    I think this drove Chip insane. When his scheme works to perfection and presents the opportunity for a huge play and a potential TD, it’s a huge detriment and loss to mess that up because you’re trying to hard to freelance. A 20 yard run looks great on the stat sheet for McCoy, but in Chips eyes I’m sure he sees his scheme got him 40-60 yards and McCoys style cost him 20-40 yards.

  31. 31 RobNE said at 2:13 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    right, so you are agreeing with me?

    Shady doesn’t stay on the sidewalk.

  32. 32 Jernst said at 7:12 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Yes! I’m in complete agreement with you. Sorry if my response sounded like I was being antagonistic. Just trying to add to what you were discussing because I completely agree with what you said and your assessment of McCoy. He’s a great back with incredible skills. And, it’d be foolish to think you can easily replace someone that led the league in rushing in 2013 and was 3rd in the league last year despite having a down year just because of scheme. I think we agree that the move towards a 1 cut back that will take a few yards by plowing forward when there isn’t much of a hole isn’t Chip thinking that McCoy sucks or that a 1 cut power runner would somehow far surpass McCoy’s numbers and overall production. Rather it’s the subtle effect that routinely being in 2nd and 7 or 3rd and 3 as opposed to 2nd and 12 or 3rd and 8 has on the overall efficiency of the offense.

  33. 33 Jernst said at 2:01 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Very good points and I agree wholeheartedly! If the line struggles again there’s little chance that our new backs will make the type of plays that we’ve come to expect from Shady over the years when he’s gotten us out of a jam when the lineman miss a block. Also, there’s little chance the new backs will have the same statistical success as Shady has these past two years. It’d be hard to be better than 1st and 3rd in yards in consecutive years. It’d be foolish to expect even more than that just because these guys hit the hole harder. Shadys an incredible back. At best Murray is a lateral move, but overall he’s more likely less talented and more injury prone.

    However, I think the increased success of the run game, while statistically insignificant, will show up in more hidden terms. Instead of gaining negative one or zero yards on some blown running plays with the occasional miracle 10 yard scamper, we’ll see more 2-3 yard gains where the back just drives forward for whatever’s there. There will be less dynamic 10 yard runs that started out looking dead in the water, but also less negative gains and stuffs as well. Those few positive yards will add up though. The offense will see more favorable down and distances, convert more 1st downs and stay on the field longer. Also, when huge holes open up we might end up seeing more long TDs since both Murray and Matthews have better long speed than McCoy and don’t inexplicably cut across the entire field 20 yards passed the LOS. Overall, the run game might not even put up the same numbers, maybe the numbers will be identical, but the types of yards and carries will still end up having a positive effect on the offense by operating at a higher efficiency within the offense.

    Or Murray will get hurt in week 4, matthews will put up pedestrian numbers splitting carries with Chris Polk while McCoy finds new life in Buffalo running behind a great FB and pounding out yards in low scoring games and we’ll all crucify Chip at the end of the year for thinking it was smart to get rid of the best RB in franchise history while he was still essentially in his prime.

  34. 34 GEAGLE said at 7:34 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    peerman will only be here if we lose Polk…. no he doesnt return kicks, he is known for his tackling on kickoff coverage.
    ..
    Polk is good on kickoff coverage
    Can return kicks
    is a better RB
    younger

    we would have to lose Polk, to sign Peerman, who is a downgrade from Polk

  35. 35 eagleyankfan said at 11:05 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Classic Video Tommy! thanks!!!

  36. 36 Bert's Bells said at 11:18 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    “He just can’t play CB well.”

    So Ajirotutu is aiming for Brad Smith’s spot, and Biggers is a lock for the Bradley Fletcher role.

  37. 37 OregonDucker said at 11:31 AM on April 8th, 2015:

    Not sure if the following was posted on the previous thread. The friendship between Ryan Mathews and Seyi Ajirotutu is something special – roommates, best man at wedding, etc. They will bring some real energy on the sideline and hopefully great play on the field.

    http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/28/ryan-mathews-seyi-ajirotutu-chargers-fresno-state/

  38. 38 Mac said at 3:16 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    It was noted in my comment about Chip building the Super Friends!

    (or International Justice League of Super Acquaintances).

  39. 39 Formidable said at 12:08 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “I do think getting Biggers out of WAS will help. They consistently exposed DBs to bad situations and the players struggled in part because of that.”

    Please replace Biggers and WAS with one of the following:
    A) Bradley Fletcher and PHI
    B) Cary Williams and PHI
    C) Nate Allen and PHI
    D) All of the above

  40. 40 sonofdman said at 12:40 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Ha ha. I was going to post the same thing.

    Luckily Biggers is coming to a defense that doesn’t consistently expose DBs to bad situations. Oops.

  41. 41 Joe Minx said at 1:22 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Yeah, I know Tommy’s trying to stay positive but the sell job on this one just isn’t going to work. Biggers is crap. He’d better not be here for anything more than summer work. And the Eagles are the last team you should be using as an example of one that knows how to get the most from their DBs.

  42. 42 Formidable said at 5:36 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    That one just went right over your head Joe.

  43. 43 Joe Minx said at 6:46 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    No, but I see why you said that. Really poorly worded by me. I meant you in the general sense, not you personally.

  44. 44 Anders said at 3:26 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Believe it or not but Cary Williams and Nate Allen was a ton better than anything the Skins have seen in a few seasons

  45. 45 Avery Greene said at 12:11 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    April 30th can’t get here fast enough.

    ESP pointing out that Bradford’s jersey isn’t for sale in stores right now, only online. His logic:
    – Eagles put Foles’s jersey on sale
    – 12 days later Foles was traded
    – Murray and Maxwell have jerseys to buy
    – M&M were brought in before Bradford and their jerseys are available
    Logical Conclusion: The Eagles are flipping Bradford.

    Sigh. MM talk will never stop, I won’t read much good news about the Eagles, and I’m destined to bang my head on a wall until the draft.

  46. 46 RobNE said at 12:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    as if the merchandise folks call Kelly and ask if they should sell Bradford jerseys and he told them no. Not a very good secret keeper if that’s what Kelly is doing.

    but of course they are flipping Bradford, I just don’t believe Kelly told the online store manager.

  47. 47 Jernst said at 2:46 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    ESP sucks! There’s a huge difference with private retailers not wanting to buy a bunch of merchandise they might not be able to sell if Kelly does something crazy and the official Eagles website putting Foles jerseys on sale. If you go on the official website for the Eagles Bradford jerseys are for sale just like everyone else.

  48. 48 anon said at 3:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    her’s referring to the stores owned by the eagles

  49. 49 Jernst said at 7:15 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Well then…I take back what I said. Except for the part about ESP sucking. He’s the worst. A total hack and I hate him and his writing. I literally get angry when I start reading an article and realize halfway through that I’m wasting my time reading that click-baiting TMZ wanna-be.

  50. 50 GEAGLE said at 7:31 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    doubt many eagles fans will line up to by an injured QB, on a 1yr deals jersey who everyone keeps speculating wont be here at the end of the month..
    ..
    how many Bradford jerseys will the eagle store actually end up selling before he ever signs an extension? 100 jersey sales tops?
    ..
    its not exactly bad business for the eagles store to wait to order up a bunch of jerseys that they probably cant sell with all the media speculation being thrown around…

    once things settle down after the draft, all the stores will feel better about ordering jerseys

  51. 51 GermanEagle said at 12:12 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    The Eagles have until 24/4 to sign Gipson to an offer sheet. #hopeofdeliverance

  52. 52 Avery Greene said at 12:13 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    This backwards Euro way of writing the date confuses me. There is no 24th month!!!!

    🙂

  53. 53 GermanEagle said at 12:13 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Haha. I did it on purpose. 😉

  54. 54 Alistair Middlemiss said at 12:16 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Is not going to happen – either we offer a contract the browns wont match (and they have more cap space than us) – so at least FA safety money (look at what Nate Allen got, would need to be ++$’s) and a 2nd round pick. If we offer a more reasonable contract then the browns will just match it and he is signed with them for the next 5 years and will not be a FA target next year.

  55. 55 Greg Richards said at 5:20 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    The Browns are interested in Bradford. They’ve also been showing a lot of interest in safeties in the draft. Now that would make sense anyway as Whitner is older and Gipson is one year removed from UFA, but #19 and Whitner for Bradford?

  56. 56 GEAGLE said at 7:26 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    maybe in madden

  57. 57 Avery Greene said at 12:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    This is an interesting breakdown (heatmap) of RBs in the league last year and how they ran against the league averages.

    http://www.footballperspective.com/running-back-heat-maps/

  58. 58 Mitchell said at 1:15 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Looks like Demarcos hot spot is right where we need it to be, around the 3-5 yard area. Shady on the other hand was just barely above league average in anything except for carries.

  59. 59 Avery Greene said at 1:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    This was the first thing that jumped out at me, the 2nd being the red area for negative yards.

  60. 60 Mitchell said at 1:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    To be fair, as people said below, Shady didn’t benefit from stellar an or oline play but the red shading still means something.

  61. 61 botto said at 2:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    he’s a star, didn’t you hear?

  62. 62 CrackSammich said at 2:45 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    It’s an interesting way to look at things, but most of the guys on the list are a few percentage points from the average, and a lot of that can be caused by statistical noise. What’s the standard deviation, etc? Just saying, there might not be a lot to be gained from that, except that it confirms what we already think about Shady’s running style.

  63. 63 CrackSammich said at 2:48 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Actually, it looks like you’d have different standard deviation for each column. I’d like to have seen the numbers be percentage off from the mean, but they’re doing a simple math on the percents (RB1 had 10%, but average is 11%. Column reads -1%. I’d suggest that it read -9.1%)

  64. 64 Anders said at 3:24 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    https://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/1921/6437/original.jpg?w=800&h

    Compares McCoy with Eagles current 3 RBs

    From http://www.footballperspective.com/running-back-heat-maps/#comment-1952923254

  65. 65 MagsDaffyDilly said at 12:25 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Like I’ve been saying. Gotta have 90 people in camp.

  66. 66 Nick C said at 1:02 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Still stuck on the Bradford trade being an absolute silly move. How do you give up a 2nd and Foles and not sign Bradford to a modest extension. His 13 million cap hit is killing us, and we have no security at the QB position. It’s just a lose-lose situation that was not thought out at all. If we don’t win the super bowl (I know… How could I say such a thing); there are two outcomes– 1. Bradford plays well and gets 100M contract for an injury prone QB. 2. He gets injured and we lost picks for nothing… Or the dreaded number 3– he plays well for 6 games and then gets hurt and we are in the same dilemma of whether to resign him, franchise, etc.

  67. 67 ICDogg said at 1:13 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I don’t think Bradford would sign a modest extension. If you were his agent, would you recommend him to do so?

    Besides, I don’t see his being here this season as a sure thing. I think there is a realistic chance that he will be traded before ever playing for the Eagles. In fact, I would peg the odds of it in the 30% chance range. Others put it higher still.

    For all we know there could exist already a conditional deal worked out to trade him.

  68. 68 Avery Greene said at 1:22 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    This is what worries me. Manziel is hot garbage, and there’s no one on the roster worth getting excited about. Hundley might be able to come in and play right away, but they’d have to spend a 1st and they still need help on the OL. Petty might be an option in the 3rd, but can he come in and start right away?

  69. 69 Michael Winter Cho said at 1:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    People seriously think Manziel could be traded for Bradford? That strikes me as much less likely than Chip moving heaven and earth to get, you know, the perfect QB for his offense.

  70. 70 RobNE said at 1:56 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    they don’t need to trade Bradford if they take Petty in the 3rd.

  71. 71 DanJ3645 said at 2:56 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    How is the $13m killing us?
    I’m not a fan of over paying players but it’s not stopping us signing players now.
    The only player it might have stopped us getting is McCourtney, and I think he went for the Pats over a higher pay cheque else where.
    Chip obviously didn’t think it was killing us as they took weeks to do the trade.

    I’m not a fan of giving up the 2nd. I’m not convinced Bradford is the man, but I think he’s going to be better than Foles from ’14.

  72. 72 Nick C said at 4:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    You’re right, “killing us” is a strong phrase. However, that 13M could get someone extended or be used for carryover. Without our carryover from last year, we would actually be over the cap at this moment. Which means if we do not have some significant carry over again this year, we may not have as much financial flexibility as we would like next offseason. I know there are a lot of moving parts to my argument, but the bottom line is that Sam Bradford’s production is nowhere near a 13M QB. And when it comes to veterans, they are compensated based on past production–not potential. I realize that his agent had no impetus to sign a modest extension, but when that is the case you don’t make the trade and let the guy get hurt again behind that shitty StL line.

    Your next argument about being better than Foles from ’14: Foles did not set that bar real high, and you can blame that on injuries or whatever. I do not even mind the Foles for Bradford straight up (both are risks); but considering the cap hit of Bradford and the pennies being paid to Foles, we should have received compensation– not them. Period. The 2nd rounder is my problem with the trade. I’d like to be proven wrong with Bradford having a “Brees-like” revival, but anything other than that, and we overspent. (surprise, surprise)

  73. 73 Anders said at 4:42 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    We have Howie Roseman and Jake Rosenberg. Those two are considered among the best cap guys in the NFL and both are trained by Joe Banner, master cap guru.

  74. 74 GEAGLE said at 7:24 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    modest extension? LOL… how the hell are you going to get a kid who is owed 13mil this year, to rip that contract up and sign a modest extension? should chip have held Bradford upside down threatening to drop him off a 20 story balcony if he doesnt sign with us like Vanilla Ice?
    ./..
    sign a modest exstension? we going to put a gun to his head and force him to rip up his 13mil one year deal?
    ..
    think your post is “an absolute silly move” lol

  75. 75 Nick C said at 1:45 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    I don’t think you are necessarily interpreting my argument in the right way here. If you can’t get him to go for a “modest” 10 a year for three years or so with the guarantees up front OR a restructure at least to save us some space– you don’t do the deal in the first place.

    You’re absolutely correct that Sam has no motivation to sign a real modest extension, but you don’t throw in the extra picks and pick swaps in such a situation. Sure, if you want to to bradfords potential for foles 2013 production/ potential straight up (even with the cap discrepancies, I could probably get on board with that. But my point is you’re paying a decent QB, a 2nd rounder, and pick swap later in the draft for an expensive one year rental.

    No one is arguing that Sam and his agent should sign a deal…

  76. 76 GermanEagle said at 1:34 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Lol, that’s not our Mr. high Percentage, is it:

    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/4/8/8144549/eagles-marcus-mariota-trade-up-2015-nfl-draft-cost-rumors-oregon-ducks-quarterback#298544844

  77. 77 Avery Greene said at 1:36 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Exactly.

  78. 78 Avery Greene said at 1:35 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Brent Hundley.

    Should it say something that the Eagles did a film room session with this guy and none of the other QBs? Yes, they don’t need one with Mariota since CK knows him as a coach, but Petty and Fajardo just spoke with Ryan Day without the film room session.

    Is MM a smokescreen for Hundley? Can we expect the Eagles have serious interest in the only other QB they’ve done a film session with?

  79. 79 anon said at 1:42 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    gotta kick tires, but i wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an option if MM isn’t. ready to start right away? who knows.

  80. 80 Avery Greene said at 1:45 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    We’ll see, but I find it interesting that the other QBs they talked to didn’t get a film room session.

    It could mean they know the tools that the QBs bring, but wanted to see where Hundley’s mind was about certain defensive formations or offensive decision making. I think from my perspective that shows more than a passing interest.

  81. 81 anon said at 1:47 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    chipwagon has an article noting that UCLA ran a lot of the same plays we did.

  82. 82 Avery Greene said at 2:14 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Just read it, interesting stuff. I really think the point at the end about Arians and the transition of QBs into the NFL is also pretty good stuff.

    For others who haven’t seen the article:

    http://www.thechipwagon.com/eagles/2015/02/why-brett-hundley-likes-chips-offense.html

  83. 83 Tdoteaglefan said at 3:53 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I’ve been thinking the same thing. There’s been plenty of
    indication in my mind that Hundley could be the target. They met with him at
    the Combine, then held a workout and film session with him a week or so later.
    He’s been speaking with McNabb. He’s a smart captain and obtained his degree (checks chips requirements) He has similar measurable’s to Mariota, and UCLA
    ran a similar offense with less talented offensive players and coaches which
    resulted in some bad habits that could be remedied with coaching or sitting
    behind a very accurate veteran QB and stable O-line for a year. I don’t know …but It seems like every time I flick
    on the TV or turn on sports radio I’m catching some interview with Hundley and
    found myself impressed with the maturity and equanimity he seems to convey, I’d
    be way more open to us trading back a couple spots and netting an extra 2nd
    or 3rd round pick, and taking Hundley than I would be with us giving
    up resources to move up and draft Mariota.

  84. 84 Ankerstjernen said at 5:55 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I noted this earlier as well, I have the exact same impression. In every interview I have seen with that guy, he just comes off as such a relaxed, intelligent and confident kid. And we know he has the tools. You have to wonder, if he had been recruited to Oregon in stead of MM, if he could have had the same succes? At least it seems the coaches are asking themselves the same question. I will not be shocked if they pick him up, perhaps with a trade back to the top of the second round. They should give them a chance to get that OL-prospect, like Fisher, they need at the top of the draft too.

  85. 85 76mustang said at 2:47 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Not convinced Hundley has the accuracy Chip requires, or that it can be fixed (think Jake Locker):

    http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/52722/349/2015s-quarterback-conundrum

  86. 86 GEAGLE said at 8:05 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    But he can run fast! Jk….

  87. 87 scratcherk said at 1:44 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Chargers planning Mariota workout. Good, let them get him. I’m glad not to overpay for him.

  88. 88 anon said at 1:55 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    they’re considering moving rivers, be interested to see if we gave them a call. not sure we’d have the $$ though

  89. 89 Alistair Middlemiss said at 3:07 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Only way Chargers get Mariota is if they use Rivers as a trade piece.

    Something like Rivers for Mariota and a 2016 1st.

  90. 90 GEAGLE said at 3:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Rivers has 7 kids… not sure how willing he would be to move his entire family cross country to Philly…at least he is from Tennessee.. but I would LOVE to see us get 4 years of chip and Rivers..
    ..
    If Eli Manning breaks free from the Giants in the next two years, I think Chip would go after him hard, and im sure we will have talked to the chargers about Rivers once rumors started emerge that he could be on the move..
    ..
    Matt Lombardo is on twitter ripping the Eagles for passing on Teddy Bridgewater twice…

  91. 91 anon said at 3:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    that’s reasonable to rip him, but coming off of 27/2 they weren’t really in the market.

  92. 92 GEAGLE said at 4:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    if the Eagles talked Rivers into moving his family here, thats probably the one move that could possibly made that gives us the best chance at winning a superbowl
    ..
    Love Rivers Fire, and his loud mouth smack talk competitor… Really like that he spent time running tempo offense with Mike McCoy, getting Rivers in Philly, would probably be the best thing possible for the Chip era.. It would be awesome if Rivers saw it THAT way…

    My DREAM is for Mariota to fall right into the chargers Lap, so they have no choice but to just draft him. Rivers has an Expiring contract, the moment Chargers draft Mariota, I immediately call up the Chargers, ask them permission to start talking a longterm extension with Rivers agent, and if Rivers would be willing to come here, we do what it takes to

  93. 93 unhinged said at 5:44 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Don’t know that this is gospel, but a guy I know knows a guy in SD who thinks Rivers wants out of SD because he finds it too “urban”. He’s longing for the unpaved roads and slow life for his big family. Says if Rivers goes anywhere, it is going to be 1) southern and 2) rural. That means Titans or Panthers, and possibly Texans and Falcons if he’s willing to commute. If any of this is correct, you can kiss your dream goodbye.

  94. 94 anon said at 6:23 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    yeah he seems a little country for SD even though SD used to be a small town kind of place.

  95. 95 GEAGLE said at 8:03 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I actually find that believable…but if he doesn’t change teams til next year, hopefully our improved defense, top run game and new WR corp makes him feel he has a solid chance to win a Super Bowl here… But if he is moved now, I assume we wouldnt be attractive enough to have him choose us instead of going home to Ten… Maybe if we show enough Improvmnt this season a QB will view himself as the missing link to our suoerbiwl run..
    ..
    But I’d be happy just to have healthy Sam, I think he could be awesome with chip

  96. 96 James Skip Carl said at 9:01 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    He could live on an Amish farm in lancaster and take the train to Philly

  97. 97 unhinged said at 8:48 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    What an image that paints! Great.

  98. 98 anon said at 1:48 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    From ESP: “A survey of the Eagles three Pro Shops, located in Cherry Hill,
    Philadelphia and Lancaster, showed that as of April 7, not a single
    store is carrying a No. 7 Sam Bradford jersey.

    New running back DeMarco Murray? All sizes are available.

    New cornerback Byron Maxwell?
    That has been a popular item, but two of the three stores had them
    available, and the third was expecting a new shipment any day.

    As for the team’s quarterback?

    Not
    a single one of the three stores, owned and operated by the Eagles, had
    received a shipment of the Bradford jerseys, nor did any of the
    employees have any information as to when they might get one.”

  99. 99 bill said at 1:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I have a feeling the only person asking for them in the stores is ESP.

  100. 100 Bert's Bells said at 2:07 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    And Tebow

  101. 101 anon said at 1:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    i post this because shortly before the foles trade the eagles.com had his jerseys on sale.

  102. 102 jpate said at 2:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    if the thought is the eagles haven’t made the jersey available i don’t think that’s true i think stores are hesitant on ordering them incase of a trade and get stuck with that inventory

  103. 103 anon said at 2:12 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    these are eagles-owned pro shops

  104. 104 ICDogg said at 3:02 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    They weren’t selling well and they had too many of them. It makes sense without adding context.

  105. 105 RobNE said at 2:12 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    this would only make sense if Chip also power played his way into running the online merchandise store for the Eagles. Otherwise, it’s likely that the store has to buy the shirts up front and the buyer for the store doesn’t want a lot of shirts that they may be stuck with.

  106. 106 anon said at 2:14 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    but these are shops owned an operated by the eagles. if they don’t want to have the jerseys there must be a feeling internally that he’s not going to be here for long.

  107. 107 RobNE said at 2:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    yes but they have a buyer, who buys the inventory. the buyer doesn’t want to be stuck with shirts the store can’t sell. Because that affects the P&L, and his bonus.

    The choices seem to be 1) the buyer for the store doesn’t have his head up his butt and thinks Bradford could be traded, b/c part of his glory in working for the store is saying he works for the Eagles, so he is almost assuredly an Eagles fan and reads about the Eagles and somehow stumbled upon the MM rumors.

    2) Lurie and/or Chip despite all their incentives to bluff, can’t help but call down to the store and say STOP the orders for Bradford jerseys b/c we don’t want to get stuck with the shirts, b/c that affects 0.00001% of my income.

    I’m going with choice # 1. That’s just me though.

  108. 108 anon said at 2:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    1./ possible but hink 2./ is more probable. Could a buyer simply not stock the QBs jersey, AT ALL. You’d almost want to stock the jersey just to make it look like you’re thinking about keeping sammy b around. i’m sure the buyer’s boss’ boss could have sent that message down from on high.

  109. 109 GEAGLE said at 2:55 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    i posted about this last week, my understanding was that it was a case of Jersey store owners being too afraid of ordering Jersey’s because they had no idea what chip was going to do, and there is so much assumption around the league and media members continuing to parrot phrases like “Chip Kelly isnt done yet”, Chip kelly has another big move up his sleeve”
    …,
    My understanding was that this is just a case of stores having to wait til after the draft before they are comfortable ordering some guys jerseys.,..
    ..
    IMO this is probably a non factor.. if stores are scared to order a bradford jersey because they are afraid he will be traded, I bet there arent many fans living under a rock wgho would be comfortable buying a Bradford jersey til after the draft anyway

  110. 110 ICDogg said at 3:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Right, and even the Eagles pro shop has to anticipate supply and demand and every store selling Eagles jerseys probably is still getting rid of McCoy and Foles jerseys. They will wait until after the draft at least.

  111. 111 GEAGLE said at 3:01 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    and even if Bradford isnt traded and will be our QB this year, are fans really going to line up to buy a Jersey of a player with past injury concerns who is currently only on a 1yr contract?

    ..

    you would think the majority of fans would wait til he signs an extension before they go buying up Bradford Jersey’s no?

    ..

    so even tho he should probably be the QB of the Eagles next year, Is it really wise to order the normal amount of QB jerseys that you typically would order on a normal year?

  112. 112 ICDogg said at 3:03 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I think they’ll try to do an extension if they’re not going to do a trade.

  113. 113 GEAGLE said at 3:14 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I def think they will TRY to do an extension. Right now he is still rehabbing and probably wont even be ready for OTA’s so I dont think the extension would come right now… but by August, September, I would think they would be trying to work out an extension…
    ..
    whether or not Bradford AGREES to an extension is another story..Bradford is a very rich man already, he certainly has financial security to gamble on himself and see if he can be the next skill position player to have a monster career year in the chip Kelly offense, and go get PAID in free agency after the season…. or he could want as much security he can get as soon as possible after everything he has been thru with injuries..
    ..
    The thing I worry about, is its probably not going to be too cheap to make it worth a kids while who has 13million coming to him this season, to rip that deal up and sign a new one….we would have to make it worth his while, and im not sure if we have the trust in him to offer him enough to make it worth his while and rip up his 13mil deal that he has coming to him..
    ,.
    be very interesting to see how this all unfolds.
    ..
    of course, there is also a chance that he loves it here,loves having Demarco here, loves playing in an offense similar to the one that made him the next best QB prospect to Luck that we have seen in recent years, has made so much money, that he would be willing to play ball and knock out an extension…lol but his agent probably wont be rooting for that option..

  114. 114 bill said at 8:47 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Like I implied earlier, my bet is that demand for Bradford jerseys just isn’t that high, especially amongst those that buy their jerseys at brick and mortar stores. If you asked those store managers how many people inquired about Bradford merchandise, the answer probably would be something along the lines of “this one guy named Elliot called last week…”

  115. 115 Mac said at 12:07 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Journalizin’

  116. 116 GEAGLE said at 2:48 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    The Cedrick Peerman thing is interesting because he is another ST beast, especially covering Kicks…
    ..
    whats interesting is what does it mean for Polk?
    ..
    I think I can confidently say that we would never cut Polk for Peerman. Like Peerman, Polk is pretty good at getting Tackles covering kicks, but he also is capable of returning kicks and he unquestionably has more ability as a RB then Peerman…..so IMO the only way we would ever add him, is if we either A) dont want to pay Polk(which is weird because i doubt he has much leverage) B) we want to include Polk in a player for player trade or move him for a very late draft pick…
    ..
    Peerman may statistically be an upgrade to Polk in Kick coverage, but Polk is younger and more versatile, adding so much more to our team then Peerman would..

    But you can bet, we looked at him because of his ability on kickoff coverage, at least thats my assumption

  117. 117 GEAGLE said at 2:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Is Hernandez going to get away with Murder?

  118. 118 ICDogg said at 2:57 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Even if he’s somehow acquitted, they’ve got another shot at him for double murder. Unless he’s Robert Durst fortunate, he’s not getting away with both of these.

  119. 119 peteike said at 3:07 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    oh really, didnt know that. I think its very possible he gets off considering its just circumstantial evidence. Expensive lawyers tend to cast enough doubt

  120. 120 jshort said at 5:06 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Wonder if he’d be a good locker room fit for us if acquitted.

  121. 121 eagleyankfan said at 6:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    why? Did he tear an ACL or 2?

  122. 122 unhinged said at 6:03 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    There is a considerable amount of damning character testimony, and his lawyer will pooh-pooh all of it, but when his “closest” friend spends a half-hour outlining the man’s pathological paranoia which, among other things, resulted in the friend being shot in the eye by Hernandez, circumstantial evidence may be enough.

  123. 123 GEAGLE said at 3:44 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    lol yeah his lawyers closing arguments reminded me alot of the Durst Texas trail defense when he managed to convince a jersey that he killed an old guy in self defense, but admitted to dismembering his body to hide the evidence… very fortunate that they have other charges they can hit him with later, but Its still a disgrace if he gets acquitted for killing Lloyd..

  124. 124 ACViking said at 3:52 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    There’s no confession.

    No eye witness.

    No co-conspirator cutting a deal with the govt.

    No video or audio.

    “Beyond a reasonable doubt” is the constitutional standard because the framers of the 5th Amendment wanted to avoid putting people in prison — and on death row — because they seemed guilty or were probably guilty . . . when actually they weren’t.

    Since the 1760s, the Anglo-American view has been: “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.”

    The price of liberty.

  125. 125 eagleyankfan said at 4:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    OJ says what?

  126. 126 ACViking said at 4:47 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    OJ?

    He says that if you have $3 million, you can get win a murder case.

  127. 127 anon said at 6:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    The number was ~1.8 for Durst. Wonder what Hernandez’s legal fees are at.

  128. 128 RobNE said at 4:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    the defense yesterday in the closing arguments admitted he was there for the killing. So it’s basically, yes he was there, but he didn’t pull the trigger, then he is on camera walking into his house with a gun, then he breaks all the equipment and helps cover it up sure. But he wasn’t in on it.

    which I find awfully hard to believe. It’s plausible. But I don’t buy it.

  129. 129 RobNE said at 4:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    when I say there I mean he was physically there.

  130. 130 ACViking said at 4:56 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    RNE:

    A couple things.

    One is, judging the arguments in a closing without having heard all the evidence can sometimes be a fool’s errand.

    The other is, Hernandez’s lawyer is trying to get just 1 juror to say “not guilty” to create a mis-trial.

    That’s what the whole BARD standard is about at trial for defense counsel. Just get 1 juror.

    Presence at the scene’s not proof guilt (without taking some act to aid or cause the murder).

    So, tactically, Hernandez’s lawyer took an interesting approach. Don’t deny everything. Be reasonable about some facts and push the envelope on others.

    Have to play the cards you’re dealt.

  131. 131 RobNE said at 5:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I am great at judging things without all the facts. It is one of my specialties. Ask my wife.

  132. 132 ACViking said at 5:05 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    EXCELLENT!!!

  133. 133 SteveH said at 6:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I’m curious ACV, how do lawyers feel about defending people like Hernandez? I’ve always wondered how someone could sleep at night knowing they helped get someone off the hook for murder. Unless they’re utterly devoid of a conscience, that must make for at least a little bit of internal conflict.

  134. 134 GEAGLE said at 7:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “F*** You, Pay Me!”…. That’s how they feel. The American way…

  135. 135 Jernst said at 8:22 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I’ve talked to some defense attorneys about this moral dilemma. The answer I get most often is that they believe strongly in the process of our legal system and for that process to work the way it’s intended attorneys need to be completely impartial advocates for their clients. Essentially, everyone charged with any crime has a right to present the best possible defense for themselves within the framework of our constitution and laws. Since our legal system requires years of study to understand, something that most average citizens do not possess, it is attorneys that are charged with being every citizen’s legal voice and advocate when they are forced to defend themselves against any accusation. It is not their job to judge or make any implication about the guilt or innocence of the accused. The job is to function as any citizens legal voice, while the burden of proof of guilt rest with the prosecution and the determination of guilt is made by the judges and juries tasked with hearing each sides best case and making a reasonable determination at that time. So, essentially, they use a philosophical argument about the nature of our legal system that forbids them from even considering such a moral dilemma, otherwise the system itself would not function properly. In most cases, high priced defense attorneys know full well that their clients are guilty, they purposely lie and fabricate versions of the truth that they know are not reality because they make a financial killing doing so.

  136. 136 bill said at 8:41 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    My (most likely far more limited than yours) experience is that it really tends to come down to the individuals in the jury. I’ve seen guys get sentenced to death on less evidence of motive than exists for GWB’s administration’s involvement with 9/11; I’ve also seen defendants escape conviction where I was convinced, after hearing all the evidence, that there was no doubt they were guilty. I’ve seen brilliant cross-examination expose police sloppiness/corruption, end up in a conviction none the less.

    My general feeling at this point: individuals in jury>facts(this is what separates attorneys – the knowledge and ability to get the facts you need and get them on the record)>>>law.

  137. 137 Jernst said at 8:11 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    In Massechusetts, the state does not have to prove though whether or not he pulled the trigger, just that he knowingly participated in the crime with criminal intent. That’s huge, because with other people in the car, none of whom are talking, and no murder weapon or witnesses it’s almost impossible to prove that Hernandez pulled the trigger. But, when you drive someone to a secluded industrial park at 3am, there’s video footage of you driving your car with the victim in the back seat to the very spot he was executed and ten minutes later theres video footage of you leaving the scene without the victim, photos of you returning home and getting out of your car holding the same caliber weapon that shot and killed the victim, shell casings that match those at the scene with your DNA on them found in your car and your DNA is all over the crime scene, it’s pretty hard to say that there’s any reasonable doubt that you knowingly participated in the murder. When you promptly ditch the gun, hide the car and burn all your home’s security footage, I think it’s pretty clear that you were in on it.

  138. 138 Jernst said at 8:05 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    All true. But, sometimes I think people confuse, “beyond a REASONABLE doubt” and “Absolutely no possibility of doubt at all.” Far too often I see people get off on stuff like this and when the jurors are interviewed they express their understanding of their duty as that to convict only if the state proves its case beyond any doubt. The word reasonable is often missing.

    Is there any REASONABLE doubt that Hernandez was involved in Lloyd’s execution? The man was in Hernandez’s car on video heading to the scene of his death and the same surveillance footage shows the car leaving, shortly after shots being fired are heard, without Llyod in the car. There’s footage of Hernandez getting home that same night and jumping out of the car with a pistol, that is the same caliber as the one used to kill the victim, in his hand. He then proceeds to get rid of the pistol (pistols aren’t usually something you lose by accident especially when your friend was just murdered while you were with him) and delete all the footage from inside his house on his security system. His DNA is on a blunt and a piece of gum at the crime scene laying next to the body as well as on a shell casing that was found in his vehicle from the night of the shooting. That casing matched the other casings found at the scene of the crime. The shoe prints around the body matched the same Air Jordans that Hernandez was known to be wearing that night and are the same shoe size. The tire tracks that peel away from the victims body match Hernandez’s car exactly. In the state he’s being tried in and for the crimes he’s charged with, the state does not need to prove that he pulled the trigger, just that he knowingly participated in the murder.

    Without video evidence of him actually pulling the trigger, of course there will be some modicum of doubt that can be raised that he perhaps he wasn’t a participant in this murder. It’s possible, that in the ten minutes between when security cameras at the industrial park caught Hernandez driving his car with Lloyd in it to the site of his execution and when they caught Hernandez fleeing the scene in the same car without Lloyd in it, that Hernandez was abducted by aliens and spent years traversing the solar system while Lloyd used Hernandez’s gun to shoot himself in the back of his own head, place gum and blunts with Aaron’s DNA on them around his body and that when the aliens dropped Hernandez back off he walked over to the body, freaked out, fled and got rid of all of his clothes and his gun and deleted his home security footage and told no one of his ordeal. But, is it REASONABLE to allow that small bit of doubt to keep you from convicting someone of participating in a murder that we know for fact he was present for, that we know for a fact that he drove the victim to the secluded area that he was eventually murdered at and that we know for fact he then later tried to cover up by getting rid of his gun and his home security footage?

  139. 139 GEAGLE said at 8:20 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Good stuff Jernst

  140. 140 Mac said at 12:01 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    What do we burn apart from witches?

  141. 141 Tdoteaglefan said at 3:57 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Did you hear that one of the reasons raised for Hernandez not intentionally killing the victim was because they both shared an “intense passion” for marijuana, and the victim was an expert at “rolling” said marijuana? smh jesus

  142. 142 GEAGLE said at 4:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    no! WTF? hahahahahahahaha WTF are you talking about?. please tell me that didnt really happen? LOL

  143. 143 Tdoteaglefan said at 4:07 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    it was in the defenses closing arguments..just heard it in my car while i was driving back to the office…Michele Steele

    ✔ @ESPNMicheleFollow

    Hernandez lawyer: “Aaron and Odin shared a passion – a passion for marijuana – Odin was very skilled at rolling blunts.”

    9:28 AM – 7 Apr 2015

  144. 144 GEAGLE said at 4:10 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    LOL WOW!!!! just WOW!!!….
    ..
    thank you, I needed to laugh hysterically today!

  145. 145 RobNE said at 4:47 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    yes I heard on NE radio that the defense was basically he wouldn’t kill that guy b/c that guy rolled his blunts.

  146. 146 unhinged said at 5:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    That is humorous, but it sounds like the logic of a psycho killer. “You make me laugh, so I won’t kill ya,”

  147. 147 Jernst said at 7:37 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    haha…yea. Forget, “I wouldn’t kill or hurt anyone ever! Something like that is not a part of my character at all.” No…instead, “I wouldn’t intentionally kill the one guy I know who can roll the sickest phillie blunts. That would just be stupid. Ya know…considering my unabiding passion for smoking weed.” The defense rests, your honor. Nailed it! Plus weed chills me out, how could anyone who smokes weed ever kill someone when all they’re thinking about is cheetos and eating cookie dough out of the jar. Please ignore the video of me driving the victim to his place of death and 10 min later my car leaving the scene of the crime, which is complete with my shoe prints, bubblegum with my DNA on it and the man’s executed body, without him in the car. Also, disregard the surveillance footage of my car returning home and me jumping out holding the same caliber gun that the victim was executed with as well as the mysterious disappearance of said gun, my shoes and the vast majority of my homes surveillance footage from that night.

    If Hernandez gets off, it’s official. If you can afford any lawyer worth his weight, you can get off from any murder charge so long as there isn’t indisputable video evidence of you actually in the act of committing the crime in question.

  148. 148 GEAGLE said at 7:48 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    lol!!!!

  149. 149 RobNE said at 8:37 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I read that hearing the lawyer caveman’s voice.

  150. 150 unhinged said at 8:58 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Awesome prosecutorial sarcasm. To your point, re: the shooting in South Carolina, the lawyer on ABC said the video was NOT that important, because forensic evidence shows the unarmed, fleeing alimony evader was shot in the back and that, alone, would do the cop in. I don’t know…he could’ve been threatening the officer, speaking Japanese and executing a flying kick maneuver.

  151. 151 CrackSammich said at 4:22 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    He might get away with one, but he’s being charged with a few more.

  152. 152 76mustang said at 2:52 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Mike Mayock now ranking MM ahead of JW according to Rotoworld…reason to be “announced” later…

  153. 153 Alistair Middlemiss said at 3:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000484234/article/mike-mayocks-2015-nfl-draft-position-rankings-30

    Yep he has moved Mariota to be his no.1 QB.

    Let the drama commence.

  154. 154 GEAGLE said at 3:22 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    guys like Bucky Brooks and that moron Baldiner are starting to say that MM will fall into the 15-20 range,.
    ..
    Baldi is the ONLY jackass, who is a former player, is so close to the Eagles, gets to do film work with chip, gets to see our schemes up close in depth, yet this IDIOT thinks we would Love Landon Collins.. Its the stupidest thing I have ever seen… I rip a lot of Media for saying Landon Collins would be a major target of the Eagles, but It has to be the MOST PATHETIC when that nonsense comes from Baldi, who not only gets an upclose insider look during the year of the eagles, and Now for months leading up to the draft he works the entire draft process, living the draft every day for months… so For Baldi to say that we want Landon Collins, is sooooo soooo much more pathetic then when an idiot like Gonzo or Elliot Shor Parker says it…

  155. 155 Alistair Middlemiss said at 3:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I love Baldy’s energy, but he sucks as a real analyst, see’s only what is on the field and cannot project what it will become. Play 2-3 great games and you are destined for the HOF, play 2-3 bad games and you are out of the league.

  156. 156 GEAGLE said at 3:28 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    basically! the best was his flip flop on Foles. Literally, one week foles sucked and wasnt an NFL QB, and two weeks later he was AWESOME!

  157. 157 Joe Minx said at 6:40 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    He single-handedly put Dimitri Patterson & Jamar Cheney in the HOF.

  158. 158 76mustang said at 3:29 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Almost feel like Baldi is being coached down this path by the producers, unless he’s playing the ultimate team Eagle and refusing to offer any intelligent Eagles insights. I loved when Baldi and Chip used to break down film, and feel like Baldi was the one media figure Chip was most himself with…seems weird that Baldi has strayed so far…

  159. 159 GEAGLE said at 3:36 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    he is so bad now, that its actually a plausible theory…
    ..
    its so crazy to me that a former player, so close to the situation can be so wrong about something so obvious.
    ..
    I would LOVE to see the Eagles add a 220 monster safety who cant cover, but Knocks dudes heads off like Bernard Pollard. I would absolutely Love it…but by this point I feel like I can confidently say that there is no chance I will ever get THAT player on a defense of this current regime…
    ..
    its no secret to Baldi that we care about our safeties being able to cover and play man to man defense at times on Slot WR and TE’s.. yet this dude keeps mocking a safety to us in round 1 who’s weakness is being able to cover? its so crazy it drives me nuts to be a fan and care so much about the draft, yet thats the type of coverage we get? ray didnger, one of the most respected local media members we have, even he says this simple landon Collins nonsense… how dont eagle fans deserve better then this level of stupid coverage? its unbelievable to me…

  160. 160 ICDogg said at 11:46 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    The only way to get that safety you dream of is to find and develop a player with the requisite abilities. No player is going to come out of college with that complete package.

  161. 161 ACViking said at 3:45 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Why not consider it false intel?

    Routinely — here and elsewhere — nearly everything said or printed by media folks and former players (of which Baldinger is both) is characterized as the “time of the season for misinformation” or simply “uninformed opinions.”

    Let’s call it false intel — ’cause he hangs around Kelly.

  162. 162 GEAGLE said at 4:01 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    it is false info.. what else can you call it?.
    ..
    I feel bad for all the fans who LIVE AND DIE for the Eagles that dont have a Tom Lawlor blog to get a little higher accurate level of Eagle info… Fans who love this team, and follow it every day, craving to find out as much as they can, yet half of them are left walking around expecting nonsense like:
    ..
    2013: about 1/3 of the fanbase was convinced we would love Dee Milner at #4
    ..
    2014: Big portion of fans thought Manziel was Chips wet dream
    ..
    2015: Landon Collins, Mariota dominate a lot of the eagles draft talk.
    ..
    i think such a passionate fanbase deserves better then to spend months trying to follow the predraft process and they get some horrible coverage, which leads to flawed and completely unrealistic expectations,.. When the Media pumps guys like Landon Collins in the fans head, they go into a draft hoping and praying that Landon Collins falls to them, then Landon Collins is available at #20, and the fans hear the name “Safety Eric Rowe”, and because they had this false expectation of Landon Collins being the best possible safety option for a safety starved team like us, when they hear another name called that they dont expect, they immediately start ripping the draft picks, and the eagles front office..
    ..
    whoever the Eagles draft in round 1 deserves better then to have an entire fanbase against him from the moment he gets drafted, and when that happens, its a direct result of media doing such a poor job of providing accurate draft coverage,,
    ,,
    and I highly doubt NFL front offices look to Baldi opinion for what the eagles will do, so I doubt it can be considered misinformation that will aid us in the draft because Baldi helped trick another team into loving a player we have no interest in..

  163. 163 ACViking said at 4:51 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    G . . .

    Total tongue in cheek on Baldy.

    Not disagreeing with your bottom line.

    Pre-draft info is generally useless.

    T-law’s an exception.

    Belichick’s an exception.

    And that guy who called FISHER TO THE EAGLES IN SEPTEMBER . . .

  164. 164 ICDogg said at 12:08 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Baldinger actually is among the many who believe that the Eagles will find a way to trade for Mariota. But when you’re in the media, I guess you can’t just say the same thing every day.

  165. 165 unhinged said at 5:14 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    That is exactly what I posed to Kempski in a comment for his article doubling down on Eagles paying big to get Marriota. He’s not a chump, so I’m thinking he’s at least questioning the “source” for that serious wager.

  166. 166 ICDogg said at 3:15 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I’m listening to Donovan McNabb’s radio show… he was carrying on for 10 minutes about women’s basketball, knows all the players’ names.

  167. 167 ICDogg said at 3:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    His niece, Kia Nurse, is on the UConn team, so that’s probably the reason

  168. 168 Avery Greene said at 3:44 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Is that the sister of Darnell Nurse?

  169. 169 ICDogg said at 3:49 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    yes

  170. 170 Avery Greene said at 4:42 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Lots of athletes in that family.

  171. 171 BlindChow said at 9:31 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    My sister drives a Kia Nurse.

  172. 172 GEAGLE said at 3:26 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “Im Listening to the Donovan McNabb radio show” said NO ONE EVER before ICDOGG threw him a “mercy listen”.. JK..
    ..
    I admire you, Its at a point where I cant even tolerate his voice. all I think of is screaming “Five will always Love youuuuuuuuu!!!!” and “See Those DIVISION banners hanging from the rafters? I want you to know that WE DID THAAAAAAAAAT!!!!” lol…. I cant take him. It makes it worse that he works in the media. I was hoping when he retired that he would just go away and maybe a decade from now I can start to like him, but he drives me bonkers. it makes my skin crawl. His voice to me is like Nails on a chalkboard…

    we all make fun of him, but he has been doing media for a while now. as someone who has listened, is he starting to get good at it? do you consistently listen to him?

  173. 173 ICDogg said at 3:33 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    First time. He came on after Florio, and I tuned that in because Shady was on and I was wondering if he would continue talking about Eagles related stuff, but he’s ducking those questions now.

    5’s not too bad but they have not spoken about anything but NCAA basketball so far (it’s still on), both mens and women. Not sure when if they’re going to get to anything else. I am leaving it on for a while just out of curiosity to hear what McNabb is up to these days.

  174. 174 ICDogg said at 3:38 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    And now they’re talking baseball. McNabb is interviewing Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins.

  175. 175 eagleyankfan said at 4:07 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I think you’ve set a record for replying to your own posts in a single thread…

  176. 176 ICDogg said at 4:09 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I would just edit the existing posts except they don’t auto refresh that way.

  177. 177 ICDogg said at 3:40 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    McNabb’s co-host is Mark Malone, who used to play QB for the Steelers, so you’d figure they’d bring up NFL football at some point, but so far, no

  178. 178 GEAGLE said at 3:41 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    he may be better if he sticks to non football related topics..

  179. 179 ICDogg said at 3:42 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I’m surprised how much he knows about non-football stuff.

  180. 180 Mac said at 11:57 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I assumed he had lots of room in his brain for non-football stuff, since he didn’t know games could end in a tie. (rimshot)

  181. 181 ICDogg said at 3:41 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Now they’re talking golf! Jack Nicklaus just got an ace?

  182. 182 ICDogg said at 3:48 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    https://twitter.com/SBNationGIF/status/585890980550742016

  183. 183 RobNE said at 4:19 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    in poker?

  184. 184 ACViking said at 5:03 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    GEAGLE (if you’re there) . . .

    You know, I hate to say, I reached the point too where D-Mac’s voice — regardless of what he’s saying — has come to sound like fingernails on a chalk board.

    It’s as though he feels uncomfortable with himself sometimes.

    Anyway . . . never the same after ’05.

  185. 185 ICDogg said at 5:52 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I guess what surprised me the most is he didn’t sound that way at all. Of course, he wasn’t talking about anything to do with NFL football or his own career. He sounded like a fan of many different sports, was talking about the Twins and the Tigers and the Cubs, about the NCAA missed call, about the women’s basketball which he attended, and a little about golf. Seemed relaxed, at his best.

  186. 186 Jernst said at 7:23 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “if you’re there.” — bhahahah, I literally spit out my drink a little bit when I read that. haha

  187. 187 P_P_K said at 4:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I went ahead and watched “The Outsiders” trailer. Got me thinking, what would an Iggles Blitz trailer be like?

    My son offers this Intro: “In a land where the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl, there’s a group of fans dedicated to one thing… Iggles Blitz. Rated PG-13, except during Dallas week.”

  188. 188 GEAGLE said at 4:06 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    F*ck! C*nt! Sh*t!… “The Rated R superstar” has spoken… 🙂
    ..
    “there’s a group of fans dedicated to … football, pudding, whats her name?, funyans and Trash cans”….

  189. 189 A_T_G said at 8:23 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    This isn’t the first thing you shared. Your son has a great feel for comedy. How old is he?

  190. 190 P_P_K said at 12:34 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    He’s 12. We live in Vermont, and he’s a dedicated Eagles fan surrounded by all the Patriots success.
    It means the world to him when Dad’s “cool friends” from Iggle Blitz read his comments and make mention of him.

  191. 191 76mustang said at 4:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    A simple musing for your pondering ponderance:

    The 2010 QB draft class’ first five selections with number taken:
    1. (1) Sam Bradford
    2. (25) Tim Tebow
    3. (48) Jimmy Clausen
    4. (85) Colt McCoy
    5. (122) Mike Kafka

    Hindsight will influence, but if these players were in this year’s crop, how would the top 5 rank, and do you take Mariota or Bradford or Winston?

  192. 192 Nailed it! said at 4:21 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Bradford, Mariota, Winston, Tebow, Clausen.

  193. 193 GEAGLE said at 4:24 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Bradford is the best QB prospect to come out recently besides Andrew Luck is the consensus, at least from everything I hear
    ..
    Bradford, Winston, Mariota, Clausen, and I would NEVER pay Tebow a penny without him agreeing to play TE and be committed to being my Gronk!

  194. 194 BreakinAnklez said at 4:44 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Based on QB abilities…

    Winston, Bradford, Mariota, Clausen

  195. 195 RobNE said at 4:53 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Chip takes MM every time.

  196. 196 A_T_G said at 8:18 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Including this time?

  197. 197 RobNE said at 8:36 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Definitely this time.

  198. 198 Mac said at 11:54 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Are we talking circular or linear time?

  199. 199 A_T_G said at 6:05 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Either, as long as we aren’t about Hammer Time.

  200. 200 ICDogg said at 4:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Josh Huff weighs in on the “Is a hot dog a sandwich” debate

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCGIfp1UkAAw1hU.png

  201. 201 anon said at 4:31 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    could it be an open-face sandwich. huff’s explanation is a little weak, veggie sandwiches not sandwiches? are subs not sandwhiches? that’s one piece of bread.

  202. 202 ICDogg said at 4:46 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    If you are thinking at this moment “I want a sandwich”, are you thinking of a hot dog? As a question it’s sort of like “Is ballroom dancing a sport?”

    Open face sandwiches, by the way, aren’t sandwiches, any more than a plate of meat would be a breadless sandwich.

  203. 203 Avery Greene said at 4:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    LOL This is all too technical. Does it have bread? Does it have something wrapped/in between/surrounded by bread?

    It’s a sandwich.

    http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-its-not-a-c4-its-a-sandwich-1.png

  204. 204 ICDogg said at 4:52 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    That is the pedantic response, but it’s like denying that “ain’t” is a word. There are dictionaries, and there’s reality.

  205. 205 Mac said at 11:52 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    If you have to clarify as to whether a thing is a sandwich or not… it’s not a friggin sandwich.

  206. 206 A_T_G said at 8:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Like a corndog?

  207. 207 ACViking said at 5:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Ballroom dancing is a contact sport.

    Football is a collision sport.

    So said former MSU college HOF coach Duffy Daugherty.

  208. 208 Greg Richards said at 5:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    A sandwich isn’t a sandwich? Is there some official worldwide culinary board somewhere that gets to make these determinations?

  209. 209 A_T_G said at 8:14 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Like a Sandwich Board?

  210. 210 Greg Richards said at 9:17 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Open-face is the adjective describing the noun sandwich. In your case “sandwich” is an adjective describing a board that opens like a traditional sandwich.

    Regardless, it’s a sandwich if the vast majority agrees it’s a sandwich. Should we take a poll?

  211. 211 A_T_G said at 10:20 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    No, in my case Sandwich is an adjective describing the focus of the collection of individuals tasked with making culinary judgements.

  212. 212 Greg Richards said at 11:04 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I bow to your witty wordplay and concede defeat on this epically important topic.

  213. 213 sonofdman said at 9:29 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    lol

  214. 214 RobNE said at 6:16 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    No I am thinking pulled pork sandwich. Naturally.

  215. 215 Formidable said at 5:38 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “Ummmm, open face club sand wedge!” – Homer Simpson

  216. 216 ACViking said at 4:58 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    ICD:

    This is the ultimate exercise for 1st-year law students.

    It’s all about what the words mean — or can be made to mean.

  217. 217 ICDogg said at 4:59 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Yep. I don’t really have an opinion on it, but I figured I’d argue with the first one I heard

  218. 218 ACViking said at 5:00 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Great exercise.

    Gets down to owning facts versus owning interpretations of those facts.

  219. 219 76mustang said at 5:33 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Facts to own:

    Chip Kelly has won 20 games in his first 2 seasons as a head coach in the NFL.

    Sam Bradford’s jersey is available for order online at store.philadelphiaeagles.com

    Chip Kelly traded Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy, and released DeSean Jackson.

    A December 2014 Gallup poll revealed 21% of the respondents gave Lawyers a Very High/High rating in honesty and ethical standards – above business executives (17%), advertising practitioners (10%), car salespeople (8%), and members of Congress (7%).

    Does a roll become bread if you slice it, and must you slice it all the way through? 🙂

  220. 220 NinjaP said at 11:33 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    A roll is always bread independent of cuts in it.

  221. 221 RobNE said at 5:06 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    were the clock and goat there when you were there?

  222. 222 GEAGLE said at 4:30 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    “Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports the Eagles are not interested in trading for Johnny Manziel.
    A rumor hit the internets earlier this week that had the Eagles and Browns talking about a deal that would send Manziel plus draft picks to Philadelphia for Sam Bradford. Cole doesn’t deny that the two teams have been talking, but says the discussions have centered around the Eagles wanting to acquire the Browns’ first-round picks in an effort to move up in the draft for Marcus Mariota.”-roto

    Bleacher report thinking a rumor is bogus, is like rock bottom of rumors…. not a very clever troll job, if even bleacher report calls BS

  223. 223 ICDogg said at 4:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Some rumors make no sense, all you have to do is consider the cap implications.

  224. 224 anon said at 4:53 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    like the bradford deal?

  225. 225 ICDogg said at 4:56 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    TBH that deal didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

    But in the case of Manziel, we’re talking about Cleveland taking a big salary hit on both sides of the deal, both Manziel’s bonus coming forward as well as Bradford’s salary.

  226. 226 Media Mike said at 5:04 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Dion Jordan?

  227. 227 ICDogg said at 2:49 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    After June 1, that actually would make a lot of sense; assuming the Eagles still want him and Miami wants to move on from him.

  228. 228 botto said at 6:24 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    ugh I wanted manziel so bad, I was hoping we would only have to give up kendricks, Bradford, boykin, the pope, huffster, and a few picks.
    we need that running short maniac at qb.

  229. 229 GEAGLE said at 7:45 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    I know right! I would have been willing to just do Bradford and our 1st round pick straight up for manziel.

  230. 230 eagleyankfan said at 7:50 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    I think Jason Cole’s next report will be that the Eagles are not interested in signing UFA EagleYankFan. To be followed up with — today’s weather may include some sun, maybe clouds and if too many clouds rain is possible. Terrible.

  231. 231 GermanEagle said at 7:34 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Ridley to the jets. I really like their signings so far. With a good draft [QB?!] they will be my dark horse for this season with Bowles an early favourite to become coach of the year.

  232. 232 anon said at 9:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Bowls and Rex are going to fight for it, but will be massively improved teams, especially with a QB.

  233. 233 NinjaP said at 11:11 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    They won’t have a shot at any QB that could perform next year.

  234. 234 eagleyankfan said at 7:53 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    With Rex gone, I may actually cheer for the Jets this year. I like the moves they’ve made.

  235. 235 GermanEagle said at 8:08 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Since I’ve been living in NY I don’t actually mind the Jets at all. The Giants on the other hand….

  236. 236 Ernie McCracken said at 7:50 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    Stay golden Pony Boy

  237. 237 daveH said at 8:27 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    comment 200

  238. 238 GermanEagle said at 8:31 PM on April 8th, 2015:

    That’s 200% higher than Utley’s batting avg.

  239. 239 daveH said at 8:08 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    are you G Eagle ? Geagle ?? im a fan of both you dudes

  240. 240 GermanEagle said at 8:15 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    Huh?

  241. 241 daveH said at 9:31 PM on April 9th, 2015:

    oh I was going csi on yoo .. theres the commenter Geagle .. very active and some real good indepth commentaries .. ive always wondered what a “geagle” is .. a “G Eagle” I thought mayb g-eagle was german.

  242. 242 GermanEagle said at 5:26 AM on April 10th, 2015:

    Never heard of that guy.

  243. 243 daveH said at 8:16 AM on April 10th, 2015:

    respect. twice actually.

  244. 244 76mustang said at 1:07 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    This wouldn’t suck:

    Round 1 Pick 31 (N.O.): Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest (B)
    Round 2 Pick 12 (N.O.): T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh (A-)
    Round 2 Pick 20: Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California (A-)
    Round 3 Pick 22 (ARI): Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon (A+)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon (A-)
    Round 4 Pick 24 (ARI): Chris Conley, WR, Georgia (A-)
    Round 5 Pick 9: Adrian Amos, FS, Penn State (B-)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Tyler Kroft, TE, Rutgers (A+)
    Round 6 Pick 22 (ARI): Andrew Donnal, OT, Iowa (B+)
    Round 7 Pick 3 (JAX): Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland (A+)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Junior Sylvestre, OLB/ILB, Toledo (C-)

  245. 245 Media Mike said at 5:18 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    How about this

    Round 2 Pick 1 (TENN): Jake Fisher, OT/OG, Oregon (B+)
    Round 2 Pick 20: Damarious Randall, FS, Arizona State (B+)
    Round 2 Pick 24 (PITT): Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California (A-)
    Round 2 Pick 26 (BALT): T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh (A+)
    Round 3 Pick 2 (TENN): Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State (A)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Davis Tull, OLB, Chattanooga (B)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor (A-)
    Round 5 Pick 9: Clayton Geathers, SS, UCF (A)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Vince Mayle, WR, Washington State (B-)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Zach Wagenmann, DE/OLB, Montana (B-)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Deon Simon, DT, Northwestern St. (B-)

  246. 246 D3FB said at 5:45 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Tull’s my least favorite of the FCS guys. I don’t see his skillset transitioning, certainly not to a standup role.

  247. 247 BreakinAnklez said at 8:49 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Round 1 Pick 20: Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky (A)
    Round 2 Pick 20: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh (A)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Damarious Randall, FS, Arizona State (A)
    Round 4 Pick 14: T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama (A)
    Round 5 Pick 9: Jesse James, TE, Penn State (A)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Chris Conley, WR, Georgia (A)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford (A)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Miles Dieffenbach, OG, Penn State (B-)

  248. 248 GEAGLE said at 7:56 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Round 2 Pick 9 (STL): Jake Fisher, OT/OG, Oregon (A)
    Round 2 Pick 20: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh (A)
    Round 3 Pick 8 (STL): Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California (A+)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Eric Rowe, CB/FS, Utah (C+)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Jesse James, TE, Penn State (A)
    Round 5 Pick 9: Chris Conley, WR, Georgia (A+)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Adrian Amos, FS, Penn State (B+)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Zach Wagenmann, DE/OLB, Montana (B-)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Derrick Malone Jr., OLB, Oregon (B-)

  249. 249 eagleyankfan said at 8:04 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    I don’t read mock drafts, if I do, it’s never passed the 1st pick. Seems there’s some saying the Eagles drop back. My money is on that they move up, not back. Just a guess, purely based on that it’s CK’s first draft. I think he has an attack mentality, not drop back and punt. Anxious to see what he really does…

  250. 250 eagleyankfan said at 7:57 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    It’s going to be a weird season. For so long I loathed Mathews and Allen. It was fun watching boys play a mens game. Then there was the love/hate fan relationships with Foles. Who is the Eagle 3/4 of the fans will hate and 1/4 will love? It’s that feeling — we’re in love with you, but not in that way kind of off season….

  251. 251 GermanEagle said at 8:07 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    3 more weeks, bitches.

  252. 252 GEAGLE said at 9:39 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    Dont worry Folks, Mykal Kendricks is SAFE…. The “GREAT” NJ.com and Elliot Shorr Park got THE REAL “scoop” for us… you know Mr. Parker, BEST reporter out there, Broke the Desean GANGBANGER story… Mykal Kendricks is SAFE!!! lol:

    ..
    “NJ.com suggests the Eagles could use DE Fletcher Cox as trade bait in a Marcus Mariota deal.
    If the Eagles are going to move up from No. 20 to the top-five, they’ll likely have to surrender both picks and talented players. Cox, establishing himself as one of the game’s best interior linemen, certainly fits the bill. He’s also entering the final year of his contract and is playing the 3-4 end spot when his natural position is a 4-3 tackle.”-roto

    LOL!!!!!!!

  253. 253 Alistair Middlemiss said at 10:45 AM on April 9th, 2015:

    CB/S E.J. Biggers signed a 1-year, $745 K deal with the #Eagles.— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) April 9, 2015

    At least the biggers contract is a vet minimum – let him come in and compete in camp – see if he can play safety and if not cut him. don’t mind that at all.

  254. 254 Blue Coaster33 said at 4:45 PM on April 19th, 2015:

    Whispering Misty

    So sorry you can expect to skip the workshop!