RB Update

Posted: July 27th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 149 Comments »

With Chris Polk out of the picture, this was supposed to be the year that Matthew Tucker made a roster push. If Chip Kelly really wants this team to focus on the run game, he just might be willing to keep a 4th RB. Unfortunately Tucker won’t be an Eagle this year.

Tucker won’t be playing for anyone in 2015 with that kind of a timetable.

He wasn’t anything special, but Tucker had a nice combination of size and athletic ability. He was on the practice squad the past 2 years so he knew the offense and the Eagles obviously saw something they liked. Good luck to Tucker as he deals with the injury and tries to continue his pro career.

The Eagles have Kenjon Barner as the #4 RB right now. He played for Kelly at Oregon and has been around the league for a couple of years.

UDFA Raheem Mostert is on the roster, but seems like a longshot.

There is a report that the Eagles will add Villanova RB Kevin Monangai. We’ll find out soon enough if that is the case.

* * * * *

John Lovett was the DBs coach in 2013 and 2014, but things didn’t go well and he was moved to a pro scouting role this offseason. That won’t be the case anymore.

Makes total sense. Lovett is a college guy. He tried the NFL and it just didn’t work. Lovett has had plenty of success in college football so he’s wise to go back there.

_

149 Comments on “RB Update”

  1. 1 wee2424 said at 11:16 PM on July 27th, 2015:

    Kevin Monangai 5 foot 8 215 lbs. Sounds like he might have some pop to him.

  2. 2 Ben said at 12:03 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I hope he can be as good as Tucker was.
    Gotta love Chip churning the bottom of the roster at all times.

  3. 3 Avery Greene said at 4:37 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Makes sense. Maybe you find a gem there, if not, keep bringing in players to try and make special teams better.

  4. 4 wee2424 said at 8:34 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I hope he is better then Tucker because Tucker wasn’t that good if he was with the PS the whole time.

  5. 5 Ben said at 11:16 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    In his limited exposure, coupled with the fact that we had even more talented RB’s at the position, I thought he was pretty good when he was given a chance.
    In fact, I would go as far to say he was better than dallas’s current stable of RB’s. TUCKER>Mcfadden, Randle and Dunbar IMO.

  6. 6 wee2424 said at 12:02 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Are you confusing him with Polk? He was never given a chance in a regular season game. He was on the PS the whole time he was here.

  7. 7 Ben said at 12:16 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    Not at all,
    I loved Polk as he was a much more talented player than Tucker.
    I am talking about the preseason games where we actually got to see Tucker and he played pretty well actually.
    In last years preseason he had 24 carries in three games and averaged 5.2 yards per carry and scored 4 TD’s.
    I thought that was pretty good production for a 4th string RB.

  8. 8 wee2424 said at 8:58 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    Gotcha…. I thought you meant regular season. You are right that he did look good in pre season. I guess like you said he has been a victim of very talented backfield. Furthermore it didn’t help that Polk was generally the same style runner as him. I’m not sure if he would have made the team this year if he didn’t get injured because Murray and Mathews are physical backs that can be used at the goal line, especially Murray.

  9. 9 Jernst said at 2:45 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    While I love Chips bottom of the roster turnover too, it sounds like Tucker tore his quad or something and will miss the season with an 8-9month recovery. So it wasn’t really by choice.

  10. 10 Joe Minx said at 11:28 PM on July 27th, 2015:

    Will be watching the Golden Bears’ DBs this year to see if they ever turn around to look for the ball.

  11. 11 Ben said at 12:04 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    LOL…thanks that made me chuckle.

  12. 12 Ben said at 11:57 PM on July 27th, 2015:

    Thanks Tommy, good read.

    How bout dem cowbums? They are kicking the tires of CJ-.10.
    Talk about a desperate signing, if it happens.
    I still get giddy thinking about the Murray signing as we killed two birds with one stone.
    Clearly we weakened the cowbums running game and bolstered ours in ones savvy business move.
    I mean, how dumb can one GM possibly be.
    He knew the Eagles lost out on the Frank Gore debacle and that we just traded away our best RB in McCoy.
    They had the Eagles in a really bad spot IMO, and then they let us off the hook and practically gift-wrapped Murray and let him go to the Eagles without even thinking about it.
    He was an integral piece of the puzzle that helped them get to a 12-4 record, win the Division and it just so happened that he led the league in rushing, and it wasn’t even close.
    Instead of rewarding Murray for a job well done, they spit in his face and allowed him to walk, as if he was no better than average.
    We should all say a prayer for the great Jerry “Glory Hole” Jones for good health and honor him as the best GM this game has ever had.

    As far as Tucker is concerned, he was a solid RB that I wanted to see more of, but he was never given the opportunity save for a handful of insignificant snaps. I wish him well and hope he returns to good health and get resigned by the Eagles next season.

  13. 13 Bert's Bells said at 12:41 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Maybe I’m in the minority but not signing Frank Gore is the opposite of a debacle to me.

  14. 14 xmbk said at 8:08 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    You aren’t in the minority.

  15. 15 Ben said at 11:19 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    While I do agree with your statement, I was talking about at that moment it was considered by many a debacle.
    If Murray left Dallas for Oakland and we only signed Mathews, I would not have felt nearly as confident about our RB’s.

  16. 16 Jernst said at 2:49 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Me neither! I was not excited about having a 33yo RB at the end of his career as our top back. That’s why I think they have bigger plans for Ryan Matthews than many assume. I tend to think he was going to be a big part of the rushing attack with Gore and only ever so slightly less now that we got a much better and younger back in Murray.

  17. 17 Ben said at 12:07 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I like this kid already.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie1Fml-md3M

  18. 18 Insomniac said at 12:13 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I don’t know why but I just hate Barner for some reason. I just can’t put my finger on why though..

  19. 19 iceberg584 said at 2:28 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Completely agree. I believe, for me, it was the fact that I was fairly high on the “bottom of the roster” running backs last August…then all of a sudden, we are trading a draft pick (ok…a “conditional 7th”) for a failed running back, simply because Chip liked him in Oregon. And once he was here, he performed terribly in the preseason, but still appeared to be slotted above guys like Josey and Tucker on the pecking order.

  20. 20 Joe Minx said at 12:39 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    So Bruce Arians seems pretty pleased with himself for hiring the first woman coach ever in the NFL.

  21. 21 Insomniac said at 12:52 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Is she a babysitter too? I don’t know if any grown women can handle his whining.

  22. 22 SteveH said at 10:38 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Brilliant subversion of expectations.

  23. 23 Dominik said at 7:30 AM on July 30th, 2015:

    I don’t like him, but give the man credit where credit is due.

  24. 24 Flyin said at 2:25 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    This is a must watch for any Flyers fan. And for any competitive sports fan as well.

    Chip Kelly is a former hockey player, he digests and utilizes all that he sees as beneficial regardless of discipline.

    Fred Shero… the rubber band technique for rb’s…. 40 years earlier.

    The 23rd minute of video. Watch the full video and see other similarities.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJgMQDkyJH0

  25. 25 Flyin said at 2:28 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Chip is not inventing the wheel, he is honing it!

  26. 26 Flyin said at 3:24 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I will post again if needed…. Many don’t get the power of the roots of Philly sports. This is the heart of my toughness growing up.

  27. 27 Weapon Y said at 8:00 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    “Makes total sense. Lovett is a college guy. He tried the NFL and it just didn’t work. Lovett has had plenty of success in college football so he’s wise to go back there.”
    Token/Philly.com Commenter: “That’s what we’re all going to be saying about Chip next year.”

  28. 28 xmbk said at 8:06 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Does anyone take Token seriously?

  29. 29 GEAGLE said at 8:50 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I’m amazed people would even read what that Baboon writes… I avoid reading his crap like the plague

  30. 30 botto said at 11:59 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I like responding to him that he’s a giants fan. its the worst thing I can think of…

  31. 31 wee2424 said at 8:52 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I stopped paying him attention a long time ago. His constant pessimism is truly unrivaled. With the way he talks you would think we were the 0-16 Miami Dolphins.

  32. 32 Ben said at 11:24 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Yeah, I had the unfortunate moment,where I wasted my time replying to his trollish comments.
    I have since ignored anything he writes from there on as well.

  33. 33 A_T_G said at 9:20 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I don’t get over there much, but I have wondered if Token is the same person who used to be Morton around here.

  34. 34 GEAGLE said at 8:48 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    A Big concern of mine is that I don’t want Murray, Sproles and Ryan Mathews risking their bodies in preseason.. Sproles isnt your typical #3 RB That should be getting a heavy preseason Load… Hoping we have enough runningbacks to keep our pricey Vets off the preseason field,,
    …
    Don’t want Bradford or sanchez playing much in PS either,,, Bradford should spend the preseason running a bunch of Run plays to get accustomed to our zone rushiñg Attack out of shotgun… Our run game is foreign to him, so use the preseason to get him comfortable with our run game, which also keeps from defenders getting to hit him in preseason…. I don’t need to see him throw much in the preseason.. Not willing to risk SAM in August
    ..
    Someone post Shadys comments on our new Runningback situatuon,, im too lazy to do it, roto has it up…

  35. 35 wee2424 said at 8:59 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    You are right about the RBs, however I understand but disagree regarding Bradford. The guy hasn’t taken a meaningful snap since 2013 and once again he is in a different O but with different players and young WRs. He needs to get adjusted to live action and build chemistry with his teamates, especially his receivers.

    While I am nervous about injury I think the pre season is something that he needs. If he is fully healthy then don’t hold him back all that much. Maybe do more quick drops and quick throws to minimize the D hitting him, but he needs to throw the rock.

  36. 36 GEAGLE said at 9:06 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    What’s Bradford going to play? 1 Drive? 2 Drives? He won’t play enough for it to matter…
    ..
    I guess for me it would come down to how much work he gets in Camp… Will he ease his way and sit out of sessions in Camp? Or when Camp starts is he full steam ahead, taking all the reps, getting valuable practice time against the Ravens defense and take advantage of every opportunity in camp to get ready?… Obviously he will throw some passes in preseason, but not enough to where it will make much of a difference…. im hoping they are striving to get that timing down before the start of preseason, I would hate to see us have to risk him more then we need to, trying to make up for missed training camp reps in a preseason game….preseason scares me… Nothing worse then preseason injuries…. Only thing worse is losing Stewart Bradley during a team “flight night scrimmage”

  37. 37 Avery Greene said at 9:11 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    1st quarter in the 1st two games, and probably 2 quarters in the 3rd one.

  38. 38 GEAGLE said at 9:28 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Maybe, but chip could also respect Mark Sanchez and have them alternate series and split #1 QB duty the way he did with VICK and FOles..
    ..
    I know we all want Bradford to play 16 games, but it’s prudent to make sure we are preparing Sanchez and keep him sharp and ready to go

  39. 39 Avery Greene said at 9:34 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I could see this too. CK seems to be a man of his word and he told Sanchez he would have a shot.

  40. 40 eagleyankfan said at 9:38 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I don’t see him playing the 1st quarter of the first preseason game. Not many coaches in the nfl do that. Doubt CK will.

  41. 41 wee2424 said at 9:21 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    More then 1 or 2 drives. First game yeah 1 or so drives. 2nd game around 1st quarter. 3rd game closer to 2 quarters. If he looks like he is a bit rusty then Chip may keep him out a little more. There is going to be rust and adjustment. It’s been around a year and a half since he played. Besides Tebow he is the only other QB playing catchup in learning the ins and outs of this O. These young receivers need to get on the same page as their QB.

  42. 42 Avery Greene said at 9:03 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Yeah he’s still salty.

    “Chip (Kelly) doesn’t value the running backs in a certain way,” McCoy said back in April. “DeMarco’s going to do all the running. Sproles is going to do all the routes. Mathews is just in case of emergency because Murray gets hurt a lot. That’s how it’s going to go.”

  43. 43 GEAGLE said at 9:31 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Sounds like someone who can’t stop talking about their ex…. I don’t know how you can have the audacity to say chip doesn’t value RBs, when he invested more into that position then any team in the league… But I’m getting used to shady not making sense

  44. 44 Joe Minx said at 11:10 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    “Doesn’t value the running backs in a certain way”

    What the F does that even mean?

  45. 45 GEAGLE said at 12:21 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    “I dunno… But it’s provocative”-Will Ferrell

  46. 46 Ben said at 11:29 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Sometimes it’s better to be thought of as a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.
    Mark Twain

  47. 47 GEAGLE said at 8:58 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    NFL network aired the half hour recap to the Eagles 2014 season last night.. Got to hear some chip commentary during games that I didn’t hear before, for example it was nice to see chip Mic’ed up during the Giants game, he was awefully vocal about having to make sure we end that game in a shut out… Awesome to see our coach so jacked up and into our defense,, coaches typically don’t care about style points and running up the score but it was cool to see he was into our shutout just like we were during the game..
    ..
    Also reminded me of how beneficial our tempo Attack can be… One of the games where we most saw the benefits of our Tempo was against JJ Watt and the Texans.. They started the game on fire, getting after FOles, putting a beating on him,,, we lost Nick, but turned the tempo up and their pass rush went from Ferocious, to non existent in the second half. Great to see how valuable it can be even against the best defender in the game…
    ..
    Also got a reminder of the historic special teams we saw last year which I don’t at all belíeve to be a fluke.. We have really good ST coach, and no one prioritized ST on their roster as much as we have, it SHOULD perform at an elite level again this year, which would be a HUGE boost…. If we can combine the good health of the 2013 season, with the special teams of the 2014 season, WATCH OUT!!!

  48. 48 RobNE said at 10:54 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    that Texans game is where J. Matthews kept asking 99 why he’s on a knee (resting).

  49. 49 EaglesFan1 said at 1:44 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I love the fact that a guy like Mathews was asking him that. I never expected it.

  50. 50 Avery Greene said at 9:04 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Some bad news, it looks like Embiid did refracture his bone.

  51. 51 P_P_K said at 9:08 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Hinkie might want to be on the lookout for anyone carrying tar and feathers.

  52. 52 Avery Greene said at 9:10 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Those people are ridiculous. You don’t pass up an opportunity for a franchise-changing center. If Embiid never plays a game in the NBA, I still wouldn’t be mad.

    If Hinkie passed on him and he became the next Olajuwon, people would have ripped him for not taking the chance. Gotta play the odds.

  53. 53 P_P_K said at 9:16 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I think Hinkie and Chip share something in common — a belief that 2nd place isn’t good enough. I’ve had this conversation with several of my friends; If you had your choice, would you rather your team be competitive for many years or win the championship one year? I’m not sure where I come down on this. I loved the Eagles success under Reid, but I also think I’d have sacrificed a couple of those playoff runs for one Lombardi.

  54. 54 Avery Greene said at 9:36 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    This is how I feel. CK and Hinkie both want multiple championships with sustained growth and production.

  55. 55 Flying B-Dawk said at 10:19 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I think both Hinkie and Chip share a belief that you can’t just look at results. You have to look at the odds and whether the risk justifies a potential reward. You can’t be scared that the actual results may turn out to be failure.

  56. 56 SteveH said at 10:38 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Believe in the process. Has anyone trademarked that saying? I’m gonna trademark that shit and charge royalties.

  57. 57 xmbk said at 10:31 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Not sure that’s a real life choice, though. Certainly true that guys like Reid weren’t the best playoff coaches. But you have to make the playoffs in order to win it all. The best teams/coaches get there year after year, and take advantage when things break their way. Seattle has lost two of the last three years, but they keep giving themselves a chance. Same for Pats, Ravens, Steelers, etc. Teams like the Giants are exceptions that prove the rule.

  58. 58 GEAGLE said at 9:25 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    EMBIID is out for the season, no matter what the diagnosis, he isn’t playing this yeàr, and no matter what is really wrong with his foot, the next target return date for him is hoping he can be ready to go for October 2016 preseason… Doubt they let him play summer league even if he is ready next year… So Embiid is getting so much extra time to come back from this next surgery, that no matter what the diagnosis is, as far as we are concerned, nothing to do but hope he can play to start the 2016 season…. no human body is the same, we are all unique.. Nothing to do but wait and see… But I’m no where close to assuming a 20yr old is done..
    ..
    One thing that give me some hope is that while this Freak Phenoms foot was supposed to be healing last year, this Prodigy grew another two inches and is now 7’2..hopefully he stops growing, this foot heals up right, his body will mature and we can put this behind us… Kevin Durrant is 7’0, having missed another season coming off his 3rd foot surgery yet the NBA can’t wait to lineup and have a 30 team bidding war for him when his contract expires at the end of the year, but im supposed to assume our 20yr old freak who’s body hasnt stopped growing yet will never be able to play… No thanks Negadelphia
    ..
    Hopefully our patience is rewarded the way the Spurs was while they waited two years for David Robinson to finish his Navy service..

  59. 59 SteveH said at 10:41 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    offsetting that bad news I think is how much of a dumpster fire Sacramento is. I’ve been reading some stories about their dysfunction and its severe. Either Demarcus Cousins or George Karl is going to be gone by midseason and either scenario is good for the Sixers, on top of all the dysfunction with the ownership.

    I think the Sixers can legit start pushing towards competence the next couple of years and rest easy knowing a top 5 picks is guaranteed courtesy of Sacramento.

  60. 60 Avery Greene said at 10:49 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    This is what gets me excited. How funny would it be if Sac ended up w/the 1st pick and we got it.

  61. 61 SteveH said at 11:13 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    I think it will be a possibility come lottery time. Sac town is setting up to be an absolute dumpster fire, especially if Boogie ends up leaving. Their roster isn’t especially compelling even with him, and George Karl has made an absolute mess of things right off the bat.

    I was reading about their front office organization yesterday and it’s so bad. It’s basically Vlade Divac hiring all his old Kings teammates to front office positions. Just an awful strategy. So the owner, the FO, the coach, and their best player are all either incompetent or unhappy right now and they whiffed on all their main free agency plans, settling for second tier guys and role players.

    I sense a top 3 pick incoming from Sac town and I think this year the Sixers could actually end up being more of a 5-8 type team.

    read more here:

    http://deadspin.com/lets-talk-about-the-sacramento-kings-1720255168

  62. 62 RobNE said at 10:58 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    cite? I can’t find anything. Is this from the article a week or so ago?

  63. 63 Avery Greene said at 11:01 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Bob Cooney is doubling down.

    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Embiid_re-broke_same_bone_in_injured_foot.html

  64. 64 RobNE said at 11:06 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    that’s dated 8 days ago. Were you on vacation?

    I’m just kidding. I thought there was some news from the team or something.

  65. 65 Avery Greene said at 11:07 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    LOL – I just noticed the date. I thought it was interesting that Cooney said he had 2 sources that confirmed.

  66. 66 SteveH said at 11:15 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Honestly I don’t know if it matters if its actually fractured or not, he’s getting surgery either way. Hopefully whatever they do is a more permanent fix and he can get back on track.

  67. 67 RobNE said at 11:58 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    true but I think there are small differences. Like the screws came a little undone, ok. Or his foot just re-fractured anew, that would be worse (for guessing about his long term health). Or 2 doctors say it’s broken and some said it’s not, but we decided to do the surgery – not bad.

    So there will be all kinds of analysis over it, when/if the Sixers actually say anything.

  68. 68 Ben said at 11:37 AM on July 28th, 2015:

    Are any of you guys going to the free practice at the Linc on 8/04/15?
    Maybe we can all meet up and have a beer or three.
    Would like to put faces to these screen names.
    I will definitely be there as I already put in for a personal day.
    There is another on the following Sunday on 8/09/15 as well.
    I’m going to both as I can never get enough Eagles, as many of you already know.
    Also, I am trying to get my hands on two tickets for the week 2 dallas game if anyone is looking to unload them. LOL, who am I kidding, I have a better chance checking stubhub.

  69. 69 Avery Greene said at 5:51 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I’m on the fence about 8/9. I’m out of town this weekend, and the following weekend after 8/9 – so not sure if I want to go. Maybe if I get a group from down here so the ride is worth it, but coming home is crappy on Sundays.

  70. 70 ian_no_2 said at 1:24 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Monangai produced his own highlight film for Youtube. I don’t know how many players do this, but the problem with this trend is that guys who want to play for the Cowboys will upload videos of themselves punching their girlfriends and stealing underwear.

  71. 71 Spaceman Spiff said at 2:38 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I think I remember that’s how Hollis Thomas got noticed and made his way onto the team back in the mid 90’s.

  72. 72 SteveH said at 4:24 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    … making a youtube video or punching his girlfriends and stealing underwear?

  73. 73 Ben said at 12:25 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    That was a jab at the cowboys in case you were wondering.
    One of their RB’s named Randle got caught shop lifting underwear and most of their roster are either women beaters or murder suspects.
    I am pretty sure one of their star receivers named Deez was arrested for slapping around his own Mother.
    They are a classy bunch over there in dalass.

  74. 74 RobNE said at 3:50 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Brady suspension upheld at 4 games. HAHA!!! He destroyed his cell phone. What a coincidence.

  75. 75 botto said at 3:57 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    well that stinks.
    its good for dallas

  76. 76 RobNE said at 4:03 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I’d really rather the NFL stand up to Brady than worry about the Dallas game. If we take care of business we will win the division. Dallas plays GB and Seattle. We can’t whine about the schedule too much.

    I can’t wait for my neighbors to explain the wild coincidence of Brady destroying his cell on the day Wells asked for it.

  77. 77 botto said at 4:14 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I hear ya, we just need every advantage to be maxed out.

  78. 78 SteveH said at 4:14 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Maybe it starts a QB controversy in New England when Garropolo goes 4-0 and the team spirals out of control under the weight of the drama, thus removing New England as a potential super bowl opponent.

    A man can dream right?

  79. 79 botto said at 4:15 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    their cheating always is rewarded with a Lombardi trophy

  80. 80 RobNE said at 4:17 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    that’s right, that is why in this case I cared more about Brady being tarnished, however slightly, then the advantage to the Eagles of Brady being out for the Cowboys game. I mean it’s a tough call.

  81. 81 SteveH said at 4:18 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    It’s got to be eating him up on some subconscious level that his legacy is forever tarnished, his rings viewed with at least some level of suspicion by a wide majority of the football viewing public.

  82. 82 unhinged said at 7:57 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Totally subconscious, I would think. Generations of fans will lose interest and details of the story, but the official history of this era will ever underscore the cloud of suspicion that is associated with this organization. Brady will have the undying support of many fans, but I’m convinced that Robert Kraft will leave this world in a rather miserable state of mind.

  83. 83 Ben said at 12:28 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    Don’t worry, because Cox is going to Ragdoll Brady when we meet them late in the season so we can at least look forward to that.
    The Eagles will deflate any hope of them repeating.

  84. 84 CrackSammich said at 4:04 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    He had no reason to hand over the cell phone to a private investigator. I don’t disagree that it’s shady as can be, but there was no warrant.

  85. 85 Anders said at 4:11 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    It’s not the point, the NFL according to the cba only need to establish that it is likely that Brady knew about it and the 4 games is more about Brady lying than deflated balls

  86. 86 P_P_K said at 9:34 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    That’s my understanding, too. This isn’t a legal proceeding, the CBA states these decisions rest with the Commish.

  87. 87 Bert's Bells said at 4:19 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Sure, but he shouldn’t expect to win his appeal by busting up the evidence.

  88. 88 SteveH said at 4:20 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Makes you wonder what was on the phone. I would LOVE to have known.

  89. 89 Bert's Bells said at 4:25 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    He’d make back those game checks tenfold if it was a sex tape.

  90. 90 SteveH said at 4:28 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I doubt Giselle would be happy about that though. But you never know.

  91. 91 Bert's Bells said at 4:55 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    She’s the breadwinner in the family.

  92. 92 P_P_K said at 5:43 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    That’s an excellent point. There may not have been anything related to Deflategate but there could have been a ton of stuff he doesn’t want his wfe or others to find.

  93. 93 Ben said at 12:29 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    Cant’ we just agree that Tom Brady is just a cheating scumbag that is a great QB?

  94. 94 anon said at 12:32 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    but it’s clearly a destruction of evidence, not a product of an innocent mind

  95. 95 Greg Richards said at 6:38 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    I think the courts need to make a compromise ruling. Goodell is removed as league commissioner, the Pats and Brady have to take a year’s hiatus.

  96. 96 wee2424 said at 8:04 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Or- 2004 Super Bowl winners are switched to us, Goodell is removed, Belicheat and Brady are suspended for a year so we pretty much automatically get the win over them.

  97. 97 GEAGLE said at 4:19 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    i see Brady went the aaron Hernandez route and destroyed his phone. Brilliant lol

  98. 98 SteveH said at 4:21 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Maybe ACViking can weigh in on this, but I think this is a protip for avoiding looking guilty as sin: Don’t destroy your phone if you are not legally compelled to hand it over. That’s like, panic city right there.

  99. 99 ACViking said at 5:30 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Agreed. Don’t destroy your phone.

    For two reasons.

    The obvious one is, the act of destroying the phone itself is admissible in court (and the court of public opinion) to establish the inference of a guilty mind. Of course, a good excuse may exist — like “my great dane ate it.”

    The second reason is, the 5th Amendment provides substantial protections — even in civil litigation.

    Whether in state or federal court, in a criminal or civil case, every individual has a Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself or herself though the act of producing information that conceivably could be used to incriminate that person.

    So not only does the 5th Am’t grant a “testimonial” privilege in response to compelled questioning — at trial, in a grand jury proceeding, or in a civil deposition. (“I decline to answer that question on the grounds that a truthful response may tend to incriminate me.)

    But the 5th Am’t also grants an “Act of Production” privilege. If an individual receives a subpoena — or some other form of legal process — calling for the production of hard-copy documents or electronically stored information, the individual may refuse to comply on the ground that the act itself of producing the materials will (i) prove possession, and (ii) confirm the materials existence.

    Those actions are considered key “testimonial” facts that could be used to connect the individual to the materials in a criminal trial. Consequently, the act of production is considered to have testimonial characteristics . . . and, thus, covered by the 5th Amendment’s Privilege Against Self-Incrimination.
    ________________

    How an individual’s assertion of the 5th A’s act-of-production privilege gets used in a proceeding depends on whether the dispute is civil or criminal.

    In a civil dispute — like the NFL arbitration process — the fact-finder (a jury, judge, or arbitrator) is free to draw a negative inference from the invocation of the 5th Am.

    Not so in a criminal case. In fact, a jury cannot even be told that an individual has invoked the 5th A at any point in the process.
    ________________

    Bottom line . . . talk to a lawyer before letting your dog eat your phone.

  100. 100 SteveH said at 6:33 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    What do you think of this breakdown that basically says Brady fucked himself (in terms of how it will affect his appeal) by destroying the phone?

    http://www.atlredline.com/no-destroying-tom-bradys-cell-phone-was-not-okay-1720689663

    Also I’m totally hiring you if I ever get into any legal trouble. You’ll give me the IgglesBlitz discount right? Right? 😉

  101. 101 P_P_K said at 5:42 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    What kind of trouble are you in? Do we need to destroy our computers?

  102. 102 wee2424 said at 8:00 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Reason 3- I always forget to back everything up and I always lose contacts and pictures.

  103. 103 Kelce's Beard said at 12:20 AM on July 29th, 2015:

    excellent breakdown.
    basic legal rights, intro to logic, and conflict resolution/mediation should be mandatory curriculum components, IMHO

  104. 104 MattE said at 1:15 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    He sought advice from Aaron Hernandez

  105. 105 RobNE said at 8:10 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Pats issue statement they are shocked at the outcome. Sports radio thinks nfl has to settle now. Like what pills are they on? There is no ability to puncture their perception of reality.

  106. 106 ACViking said at 12:32 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I don’t know that the Sports Radio crowd know anything.

    However, speaking as a lawyer whose done some labor arbitration, the NFL’s handling of the Brady case raises a number of issues that primarily involve “Law of the Shop” questions. That is, prior to Brady, how were violations of the rule at issue handled by the NFL and what, if any, punishments were administered.

    I don’t know if that’s why some radio-types are saying a settlement is in order. Or because of other reasons.

    But as a disinterested lawyer, the NFL has some big problems, potentially, with the result.

  107. 107 Nailed it! said at 1:06 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Interesting take on it by an arbitration lawyer on ESPN.

    I am no lawyer but do you agree with what he said?

    Take a look.

    http://es.pn/1LRuNHE

  108. 108 ACViking said at 1:55 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Seems the general premise for ESPN’s Lester Munson is “Federal Judges don’t like to reverse arbitrators.” Period.

    That’s true as far as it goes. (Because it’s the law under the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 USC § 1 et seq., and the Supreme Court’s application of the FAA.)

    But Munson’s ignored, or at least left unmentioned, that Brady’s challenge involves much more than a stand-alone, non-union arbitration ruling under the FAA over an employment dispute between individual parties. (Like an employee arbitrating a claim of age discrimination against the employer.)

    The entire discipline process here — including the arbitration — is governed by a collective bargaining agreement, including “law of the shop.”

    Consequently, the source of controlling federal law is not the FAA. It’s the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.

    For me, the issue before the federal court isn’t primarily one of guilt or innocence per se, although it’s certainly important contextually.

    The issue is how U.S. labor law governing arbitration of union employee grievances under a CBA applies in this case.

    In short, I don’t think Lester Munson addressed the CBA issues that will be tip of the lawyer’s spear for Brady.

  109. 109 P_P_K said at 5:41 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Do I understand correctly, then, the issue before the Court has nothing to do with the psi of footballs? It is a matter of the NFL having the authority to punish an employee as it deems appropriate. If this is the case (get it?), the equipment guy who took the balls into the bathroom could publically announce, “Brady told me to do it,” and the Court could still order his suspension overturned.

  110. 110 MagSigmaSoundRIP said at 7:01 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Exactly. Nobody is going to tell ME what to do law of the land.

  111. 111 RobNE said at 8:43 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Correct

  112. 112 Nailed it! said at 1:14 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Also, isn’t it interesting how Kraft basically admitted some form of wrong doing when he accepted punishment back in March, but now has turned a 180 and is no saying no wrong doing occurred but made a mistake with accepting his punishment? What am I missing here?

  113. 113 MagSigmaSoundRIP said at 7:00 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    It really all boils down to the belief, held by too many, that i can do anything I please without consequences.

  114. 114 unhinged said at 2:32 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    ACV, I will defer to your lawyerly insights, but is this not simply a question of the NFL’s right to arbitrarily protect its property? It deprives players of income all of the time for reasons that are only peripheral to “the sanctity of the game (NFL property)” This is directly central to the sanctity of the game, or so I would have thought. Not to argue that deflated balls are crucial to any game result, but just the idea that flouting ANY rules is okay with the League is anathema to its credibility.

  115. 115 ACViking said at 2:47 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    “is this not simply a question of the NFL’s right to arbitrarily protect its property?”

    Great question.

    Before the NFL’s players unionized, I think the answer to your question is “yes, the NFL could do this.”

    Once the League and NFLPA executed a collective bargaining agreement, the disciplinary landscape changed dramatically — as it does in all union shops.

    Generally, and this is true with the NFL CBA, one of the key purposes of a collective bargaining agreement is to divest the employer of “arbitrary disciplinary powers.” Hence, the importance of the “law of the shop” — i.e., how have other employees been treated regarding a particular rule violation.

    In a non-union job, an employer can discipline employees for good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all — just so long as the reason is not based on prohibited discrimination (race, sex, age, religion, etc.).

    The value of a union, and CBA, is employees are protected from arbitrary acts of employer discipline — even if the employer’s motivations seem legitimate.

    CBA’s are the “Bill of Rights” for union employees. And the employer — like the federal and statement governments — must comply with that Bill of Rights when disciplining an employee.

    It’s one of many reasons that employers do not like unions (in addition to wanting to keep wages lower by negotiating with individual employees, rather than facing collective negotiations and the threat of a strike).

  116. 116 unhinged said at 3:34 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Thanks for your response. I appreciate your characterization of a cba as an employee’s bill of rights. I am a shop steward, and I have sat in on a number of cba contract negotiations, and I know that you know that there are an infinite amount of scenarios that are not explicitly addressed in such agreements, but could be implicitly taken as “covered”. I am making an assumption here, and I don’t expect anyone to confirm this, but the official complaint that initiated deflategate was a compelling reason for the League to begin an investigation. In this course of events, Brady has been belligerent in his arrogant refusal to contribute as an interested party to the League’s effort. He can claim he has “rights” as a defendant, but I know of no employer who is constrained from firing any employee who is caught lying. The League isn’t going nearly that far, and Brady wants the world to see him as the victim. This makes good theater, but I will be stunned if any court takes his argument as substantive. Employee rights are few and far between the prerogatives of ownership.

  117. 117 bill said at 3:46 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I guess the issue gets narrowed down to “when was the last time a player was found to have intentionally cheated and knowingly covered it up?”

    I would argue that PED suspensions are the most similar infraction, and that the recent domestic abuse scandals are irrelevant. But perhaps that only reflects the fact that I’m not high-powered labor lawyer employed by Tom Brady or the NFLPA.

  118. 118 Joe Minx said at 11:37 PM on July 28th, 2015:

    Great news. Eric Berry is cancer-free & will be in Chiefs camp tomorrow.

  119. 119 A_T_G said at 5:54 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    That is great news. I was hopeful when I read that Berry’s full of cancer-fighting antioxidants, but you are never sure.

  120. 120 Media Mike said at 6:20 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Great to see the best safety in that division back up to playing football again.

  121. 121 Greg Richards said at 12:46 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Everyone on both sides looks incredibly stupid on this whole deflate-gate nonsense. Wish all the media would just shut up about it. Training camp has started for some teams and will start for everyone by Saturday. Focus on real football.

  122. 122 FairOaks said at 2:41 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Sounds like the NFL was willing to compromise (1-2 game suspension) but required some level of admission of guilt. Which I guess Brady is not about to do.

  123. 123 ACViking said at 2:50 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Nothing in the practice of law will leave you sleepless like representing an innocent client accused of and charged with a crime.

    (Not commenting on Brady. Just the pressure one feels as counsel for a client with a legitimate claim of innocence.)

  124. 124 CrackSammich said at 3:37 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I don’t know about that. Watching guilty men go free on technicalities has messed me up pretty solidly.

  125. 125 ACViking said at 3:58 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    “technicalities” . . .

    The cops violating the 4th Amendment.

    Cops failing to comply with the 5th Amendment’s Miranda warnings.

  126. 126 CrackSammich said at 9:43 AM on July 31st, 2015:

    Regardless of the technicality in question, I’ve watched far too many obviously guilty child abusers go free than I care to ever discuss. If you think watching one innocent man go to jail is bad, try talking to children that have been forever fucked up by a parent go right back to living with that parent and not being able to do anything about that.

    I know it’s not a point you were arguing. Just saying. I really need to quit this job.

  127. 127 Greg Richards said at 4:57 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    You may think and feel confident your client is innocent but as a lawyer do you ever really know for sure?

  128. 128 FairOaks said at 9:15 AM on July 30th, 2015:

    Yes, absolutely. If there was no deflating going on at all, it’s a tough situation. The prosecution can bring all sorts of pressure to bear when they think they’re right, and often won’t listen to reason, and can get some false “convictions”.

    I have to admit though, the Patriots/Brady response feels more like Lance Armstrong style aggressive denial. I guess it comes down to if you think the NFL report was reasonably argued or not, and if the deflating actually happened. The report seems pretty persuasive that it did, though the evidence against Brady personally is a lot more flimsy — mainly circumstantial. But I don’t think he has helped himself by providing as little information as possible, and basically destroying some evidence. There is no way he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but preponderance of the evidence… very well could be.

    The NFL process has been hideous up to this point (the recent re-organization is much better though still far from perfect). Goodell seems to have little sense of balance when it comes to his punishments — I think they have been wrong on many of them (either too little or too much, contending that being on the commissioner’s list isn’t actual punishment, etc.). Seems like he’d make a horrible judge, throwing the book at people on technicalities with little sense of fairness, but that is the position he given himself. Tagliabue even had to fix one of his messes in arbitration. The NFL should have lost most of the arbitration cases that have been brought recently, and they should hopefully lose the Adrian Peterson appeal. He was punished enough last year IMO.

    In the Brady case, though, it feels more correct to me — at least if the bulk of the punishment was for impeding the investigation. The deflation “crime” itself was probably a low draft pick and fine for the team, and a fine for Brady (1 game suspension max). Deflation doesn’t matter that much, and certainly didn’t affect the outcome of the Colts game or the Super Bowl. The principle that they’d be willing to cheat after the umpires had signed off and “sealed” the balls is much more troubling. Granted the inaccuracy of the umpire’s gauges sort of meant the league wasn’t all that serious about the pressure, and so maybe Brady didn’t think it was that big a deal (but that would require admitting to the deflation).

    As often happens, the cover-up or follow-on actions are probably worse than the original crime. If he had copped to it after the Super Bowl — maybe saying he wasn’t aware, but it was being done because they thought Brady wanted it done, and so took responsibility — he might have just been slapped on the wrist and the issue would have gone away.

  129. 129 wee2424 said at 2:54 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    You absolutely right, both sides look ridiculous. In short there is going to be a HUGE highly publicized case in federal court over whether air was let out of football’s. How insane does that sound? The NFL should be embarrassed over this.

  130. 130 MattE said at 1:16 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Tom Brady: “Aaron, what do I do?”
    Aaron Hernandez: “I would destroy that shit”
    Tom Brady: “I mean that helped you right?”
    Aaron Hernandez: “……..I got to go Tom, we are playing volleyball against the guards and I am a captain”

  131. 131 RobNE said at 4:10 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    the frustrating thing to me is that Brady’s lawsuit will likely focus all on process and not substance, yet if he gets off then all of NE will see that as vindication that he is innocent.

  132. 132 Greg Richards said at 5:24 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I don’t know about the New York court that the NFL pre-emptively filed suit in, but the judge in the circuit court that the NFLPA typically files in in Minnesota is very liberal and tends to side with the players. However, the appeals court for that circuit is very conservative and tends to side with businesses. In the lockout, that worked in the NFL’s favor. The process dragged on and on and the owners were better positioned to wait things out and the players’ eventually caved. In the case of player punishments though, if we assume that Doty will stay the NFL’s punishment until he hears the case, the time factor works in the player’s favor. I’m not sure what will happen with the New York suit but if things work how they typically do then Doty will stay the NFL’s ruling, eventually rule in the player’s favor, and then the appeals court may or may not overturn his decision(I believe this happened in this matter back with the Maurice Clarett case). So even if the NFL eventually wins the legal matter, it may take 2 years at which point Brady is probably retiring anyway.

  133. 133 P_P_K said at 5:29 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Good stuff, thanks.

  134. 134 Bert's Bells said at 6:21 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Didn’t the presiding judge in MN retire?

    I recall he was holding off on retirement to see through the potential lockout.

  135. 135 Greg Richards said at 6:26 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    No, Doty is still around.

  136. 136 Greg Richards said at 8:00 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Although this time it sounds like the case was assigned to a different judge.

  137. 137 MagSigmaSoundRIP said at 6:53 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    That’s how OJ got off in criminal court. Poor handling of evidence by the cops, not the evidence itself.

  138. 138 Greg Richards said at 5:57 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Anyone ever notice how when you first link to an article it will list a certain number of comments and then almost immediately drop down by 3 or 4 to a slightly fewer number of comments? Why is that?

    Also, I’d have said it was crazy when he was first released, but with Mathis still not signed yet and most teams already having started training camp anyone think there’s a chance he comes back with his tail between his legs and accepts the same money or less he was previously scheduled to make. I know it doesn’t make sense as some of his teammates comments when he was cut weren’t exactly supporting, but I have to think he and his agent have a better strategy than “Wait until someone gets hurt.” Yeah, guys may get hurt but young, unsung players will also emerge and that will cause other veterans to get cut, adding competition to the market.

  139. 139 Bert's Bells said at 6:16 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I think the chances of him re-signing with Eagles are extremely low.

    I’ve also noticed the comment thing. I assumed it’s the older site engine that Tommy uses.

  140. 140 MagSigmaSoundRIP said at 6:52 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I’ve noticed the opposite sometimes. The heading says 2 comments, then when i open the article there are 17.

  141. 141 wee2424 said at 7:21 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I have noticed that about the comment amounts for awhile now but I have no idea why it does it. I just assumed it may be my smart phone somehow.

    He isn’t coming back.

  142. 142 A_T_G said at 9:00 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I noticed too. I think the number at the top might count likes and recommendations, in addition to regular comments.

    I think Mathis’ actions are a textbook example of burning bridges and the danger of doing so.

  143. 143 A_T_G said at 9:28 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    And since we are talking nuts and bolts, the links to Eagles Blog open in the current tab, but the links in Eagles Blog, specifically the one back here, open in a new tab.

    It seems odd. Personally, I prefer the new tab.

  144. 144 Insomniac said at 10:05 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    I don’t know if Disqus has this feature but this is usually known as shadowbans. There will be comments that are only visible to the user who is shadowbanned and not visible to others. My guess is that it’s usually those spambots that tell you that their sister makes $7834 a month posting here.

  145. 145 Joe Minx said at 1:12 AM on July 30th, 2015:

    LOL I was going to ask about this the other day but couldn’t get my thoughts together to word it concisely enough. Well done.

  146. 146 daveH said at 9:11 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    call INdia Tommy ..make sure they don’t let your servers go down again .. don’t you remember how much mark zuckerburg freaked when he thought his servers went down!
    thought something major had happened at the Linc and all 3 Billioin NFL fans crashed your site to find out whut s’up

  147. 147 Avery Greene said at 9:26 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    Tell it to Godaddy, it’s their servers.

  148. 148 A_T_G said at 9:30 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    If all of their employees look like the ones in the commercials, I will volunteer to go in for a meeting on Tommy’s behalf.

  149. 149 Charlie Kelly said at 10:47 PM on July 29th, 2015:

    meh, never liked tucker. wish we still had polk, but we can find another RB.