Trust the Board

Posted: September 29th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 291 Comments »

Back in 2011 Andy Reid wanted to draft Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. Scouts and other members of the Personnel Dept objected. He wasn’t worth a 2nd round pick. Reid overruled them and took Jarrett. It wasn’t a good class for Safeties and the Eagles needed one. Reid ignored the value board and reached for a need. That didn’t go so well.

This spring the Eagles hoped to land an O-lineman early in the draft. They had a number of players targeted. Unfortunately, those players all got taken early. When the 3rd round pick came up, the Eagles stuck with their board and took ILB Jordan Hicks.

There were quite a few fans upset with the pick. It seemed like a waste of resources with Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans and Kiko Alonso already in place. Najee Goode was there to add depth. Brad Jones had been added in free agency. ILB was arguably the deepest position on the team. Hicks was overkill.

But that’s a simplistic way to think.

The Eagles had a very high grade on Hicks. They saw him as a player that could be a strong starter for a long time. And with the Eagles running the 3-4 defense, you can never have enough linebackers.

Many people, myself included, were hoping for a S or OL. Some of the guys on the board were:

OT Chaz Green
OG Daryl Williams
OT T.J. Clemmings
OG Tre Jackson
OG Arie Kouandjo
OG Jamil Douglas

S James Sample
S Clifton Geathers
S Ibraheim Campbell

Would you rather have any of those guys than Hicks? I sure wouldn’t. I wanted Clemmings at the time, but that’s because I didn’t know just how many teams were scared of his foot situation. Foot injuries on big guys are never a good thing. They can plague a player’s career if bad enough.

So far Hicks has looked like a terrific pick. Despite playing less than others, Hicks leads the team in solo tackles. He already has a TFL, a sack, an INT, a FF and a FR. Wow.

I can’t stress to you just how impressive that is.

Kendricks is a terrific athlete and gifted playmaker. In his entire rookie season, he had 1 sack, 9 PDs and 5 TFLs. He did not have an INT, FF or FR. Hicks isn’t likely to keep making plays at this pace, but this isn’t luck. He’s playing very well. He’s been in the right place at the right time to get his hands on the ball. Some guys just have that knack. Let’s hope he proves to be a playmaker over the course of an entire career.

It turns out the Eagles were right to have Hicks graded so high. It also turns out they were smart to take him when he fell to their 3rd round spot.

As for the O-line, the Eagles will make that a focal point in the offseason.

*****

Andrew Gardner is on IR. Ugh.

I really wanted to see what he could do over the course of the season. He wasn’t going to become Shawn Andrews and start dominating, but he had the potential to be a solid RG.

Matt Tobin has the job. For now.

Tobin will only keep it as long as he plays well. If not, Dennis Kelly will get a shot. Josh Andrews could be in the mix as well.

The Eagles brought back Julian Vandervelde to replace Gardner. Jimmy Bama had some fun with the fact that Vandy has been cut and re-signed by the Eagles about 237 times.

I wish he was a slightly better player. Seems like a heckuva guy.

*****

This is encouraging.

I know it seems like Agholor is off to a slow start. Passes need to come his way more often. Good passes, that is. I think he’ll have a breakout game sooner or later. Not having to face Darelle Revis will help a lot. Who knows…maybe it will be this week. Jordan Matthews breakout game came last year vs the Skins, this Sunday’s opponent.

_


291 Comments on “Trust the Board”

  1. 1 TheTazmanianDevil said at 9:35 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    Too many underthrows from Bradford. It’s starting to worries me. I know that has been a long time since he played regularly, but I was expecting some progress since the 2nd half against Atlanta.

  2. 2 EagleNebula said at 11:14 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    Seth Joyner on WIP said he thinks Bradford is still getting comfortable and the mistakes were mental (second guessing the line/favoring his leg etc) which messed with his mechanics but Seth expects it to improve once he watches the tape.

  3. 3 BlindChow said at 11:41 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    We’ll see. I gave up on hoping the Eagles’ QB’s would fix their mistakes after Foles repeatedly said he saw what he did wrong then going out the following week and doing the exact same crap.

  4. 4 Corry said at 6:54 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I just hope the injury history hasn’t permanently damaged Bradford mentally at this point. If it has, he won’t stop being jittery and rushed in the pocket no matter how good the protection is.

  5. 5 Safety1st said at 9:47 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    How are those aforementioned players drafted after Hicks doing for their respective teams?

  6. 6 Mike Cappelli said at 12:29 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I could be mistaken but i though tre jackson was doing pretty well for the patriots; he’s a starter anyway on a good running team

  7. 7 Insomniac said at 2:17 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Most of those OL don’t have the agility to do well in our blocking scheme.

  8. 8 Media Mike said at 5:24 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Clemmings is starting at RT for the Vikings and playing well.

  9. 9 fran35 said at 9:13 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yep, we can all say how the Hicks pick was great. But the bottom line is that is that most of us, me included, were scratching their heads with this pick. Many “analysts” thought it was a bit of a reach, even some that I respect (Mayock). I think that I will refrain from drinking the Jordan Hicks is the next Urlacher kool aid just yet. I still maintain that the Eagles should have somehow used that pick or earlier (trade or otherwise) to acquire an O line prospect.

    I think that to this point, Jordan Hicks has shown that he could either be a Jamar Chaney (queue the Baldinger swoon) or Jeremiah Trotter. The simple fact that he has played two games and shown promise does not negate the fact that we could drafted an O Lineman. Actually, Clemmings would like kind of nice in midnight green right about now as well…….

  10. 10 Mitchell said at 10:35 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    Tommy,
    It was Clayton Geathers, the safety from UCF not Clifton. Still think he will be a good player. He was my man crush of the draft.

  11. 11 LeatherWallet said at 10:49 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    I don’t mean to be negative, just thought of two things: 1. I hope Hicks doesn’t end up being like Jamar Chaney, where he puts up monster stats for a little bit then sucks.

    2. Revis’ comments could just be one of those coach-speak things. I do think Agholor will be good but I’m not going to put much weight on what Revis said. Then again I haven’t heard him saying something like that to another young WR so maybe it is genuine.

  12. 12 GEAGLE said at 11:15 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    I don’t think we need Revis to tell us that Agholar is going to be a really good player in the league for a long time, even tho he hasn’t gotten off the a hot start like we would have hoped..
    ..
    I was never as high on Chaney as I am hicks… Very smart, poised young Linebacker, Pnysical can run sideline to sideline and be a 3 down LB able to cover down field, solid size, Character, playmaker, future QBs of the defense.. At no point would I ever have described Jamar Chaney like that..
    ..
    He has the brain, size, physicality and athleticism….he needs to improve on taking on block re although behind our stout dl he should he well protected until he can grow that block shedding aspect of his game..
    ..
    Hindsight, we could have spent a late 1st round pick on Hicks and I would still be thrilled to have him right now…
    ..
    Hopefully his seriously bad injury luck is behind him..

    Meco looks like he is getting a little better each game coming back from the Injury, but I’m really friggin excited to see what Hicks and Kendricks look like flying around together.. Of course Meco will still rotate in on first and 2nd down… Meco physicality will come in handy this week against a skins team who will live and die by their ability to run the ball

  13. 13 Joe Minx said at 11:22 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    Does anyone know if Baldy’s put him in Canton yet like he did with Chaney? Cause that’s basically the kiss of death.

  14. 14 Insomniac said at 1:14 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hicks has a good head on his shoulders unlike Chaney.

  15. 15 Media Mike said at 5:27 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    No chance. Jamar was a 5’11 micro-mini LB who lacked the size to play every down MLB in a 4-3 and specialized in Trottering (running full speed to the wrong hole and leaving a cutback lane for a big RB gain).

    Hicks is 6’2 and playing in a 3-4 system that doesn’t require as much intellectually of the MLB.

  16. 16 A_T_G said at 6:34 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    That last part seems unfairly dismissive for a guy wearing the wired helmet in his third game as a pro.

  17. 17 Buge Halls said at 11:13 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Most of what MM says is easily dismissed!

  18. 18 Nelson ALGore said at 7:43 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I was most impressed by this when added to his production!

  19. 19 mksp said at 11:40 PM on September 29th, 2015:

    Nelson worked Revis a couple times off the line, was impressive.

    If only he was 3 feet or 9 feet tall he may have actually caught a pass from Bradford.

  20. 20 fran35 said at 9:18 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I really want to see the all 22 and see if he was open. We desperately need a WR on the outside. I think Jordan M. lacks the hands and quick twitch to be a true number 1 or 2. In fact, he has problems beating single CB at times, even with the opposing team’s number 2 CB on him. He is definitely best suited for the slot, where the DBs are generally smaller or slower.

  21. 21 jaws80 said at 2:53 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Backups played big this week. Bair, Hicks, Rowe – some of the biggest plays from all three levels of the defense were made by backups that are here because of Chip the GM. After two weeks of Chip blows as coach and GM, it is interesting to see his players doing something within his preferred defensive scheme.

    Tall defensive ends – Bair gets three tips.
    Smart, culture fit, QB of defense inside linebacker a la Ryans – Hicks goes all MVP last Sunday cus of intelligence mixed with skills.
    Tall defensive backs – Rowe’s size and long arms helped to deflect pass and make interception.

    (aaaannnnndddd Maxwell can and should be used as a rebuttal to this. I would feel so much better if he just was never signed. Hopefully, Davis can scheme things so the talent he must have somewhere leftover from Seattle can at least be an average contributor, and not the liability he is now)

  22. 22 anon said at 3:00 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    nah b/c then we would have done nothing to address cb. we went and got the only guy who fits measurables and scheme, just had to pay for him.

  23. 23 Avery Greene said at 8:38 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    No person is 100% correct on personnel decisions, but if you hit more than you miss you should put yourself in a pretty good position.

  24. 24 fran35 said at 9:24 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Correct. It just hurts a whole hell of a lot when you pay lockdown CB money to a guy who previously was a nickel back. When the guy comes in and plays like……a nickel Back, is it his fault for underachieving, or the personnel guy who backed up the money truck to get him?

  25. 25 D3FB said at 12:27 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Maxwell was the starting outside CB in Seattle last year he played some inside in nickel sets.

    But he was not a nickelback.

  26. 26 fran35 said at 9:20 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I will say this, despite my head hurting…….Maxwell does not seem like much of an upgrade over Cary Williams thus far. Despite his mouth and attitude, Cary was not terrible while here (unlike Fletcher).

  27. 27 Avery Greene said at 9:57 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I disagree. Maxwell has improved over the last couple of weeks. Marshall had 75 receiving yards against Maxwell. Cary Williams missed tackles, got beat, dogged plays, and had way more penalties.

  28. 28 fran35 said at 10:24 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I will not disagree that Maxwell has improved in the last week. However, where has the improvement him to? Because he was the worst defender on the field against ATL. Dallas had Romo out and Dez out, yet he still managed to get roasted by Terrence Williams. Against the Jets, he was hot horrible, but definitely was picked on repeatedly. If Marshall “only” got 75 yards receiving while Maxwell was covering him, that was because Maxwell was busy getting beaten by more heralded players, such as that stud Quincy Enunwa.

    I maintain that Maxwell has played like a nickel back filling in as a CB1, which is what he was in Seattle.

  29. 29 Avery Greene said at 10:26 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Not disputing that, just disputing the Cary Williams reference. Just because it was easier to pick on Fletcher doesn’t mean he wasn’t just as bad.

  30. 30 fran35 said at 10:59 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I am not saying that Cary Williams was good, but he was no where near as bad as Fletcher, by any metric or eyeball test.

    I am just asking if Maxwell is a significant upgrade on Williams?

    I personally hated Williams. His attitude, his mouth, and theatrics. But he was at times in the last few years, dare I say–decent to very good. At many other times he was terrible. If you will recall, he was not as much of a deep ball liability as Fletcher.

    IMO, Maxwell has yet to hit the “Good Cary Williams” category for me, but has certainly bottomed out at the “Bad Cary Williams” category.

  31. 31 Avery Greene said at 11:04 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think he’s closer to the DirectTV Cary. Unlike Maxwell, he routinely got beat on 3rd down. Also, I’ve never seen Maxwell shy away from tackling because the guy was a bruiser. I forget if it was AZ or SF, but he stayed back out of a running play that got a first down. Saw the guy coming towards him and got out of the way for someone else to tackle the RB. The last straw for me was when the RB from the Skins ran over him enroute to a long gain (forget if it was a TD).

  32. 32 fran35 said at 11:17 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree. However, there were times when Cary played extremely well in some big games. I would have to go back in the archives to pull those games out if you need me to qualify that. As good as he played at times his first year, he played worse and quit at times last year. And that piss and fire we lauded in year 1 turned quickly into “piss poor attitude” when we started losing.

    After the Saints playoff game and his infamous horsecollar penalty that gave Saints a field goal at the end of the game, it was all downhill for CW

  33. 33 Nelson ALGore said at 7:45 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Seems typical of our D. The physical guys that don’t have deep speed don’t kill us.

    Grant is the deep threat in Washington I think with DJax out

  34. 34 Media Mike said at 5:24 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    They would have been better off with Clemmings in the 3rd and then trading back into the 4th or 5th for Hicks.

    Don’t forget that Mayock had Hicks as a 5th.

    And I still call BS on the Bengals taking Hicks with the very next pick. Dawson fell to them with their compensatory pick in the 3rd and that would have been their guy the whole time anyway.

    Hicks being drafted too early at the expense of a really good play and Hicks being a really good player who could have been drafted later are not mutually exclusive concepts.

  35. 35 Anders said at 5:30 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    So because Mayock had Hicks in the 5th, the Eagles couldt possible have him higher rated? I mean why even have the draft if we could just take BPA using Mayocks list?

  36. 36 Media Mike said at 5:33 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I don’t care how high they had him rated. He’s an asset they overpaid for. I love my house, but I wasn’t going to bid for it at a rate higher than the value for which that house would appraise.

    Taking a 4th or 5th round player in the 3rd, no matter how much you like him, is paying over-market for him and taking away your resources from other areas in which they can be applied.

    Nowhere am I saying I don’t want Hicks on this team, I just think they could have obtained him for a lower value.

  37. 37 Anders said at 5:52 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    But your way of valuing is using Mayock, when there are 32 teams each with a different value board, so you have zero clue if he would even last to the 5th outside of holding steady on “BUT MAYOCK SAID SO!!!”

  38. 38 fran35 said at 9:38 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Nope. He could have marched out the quotes from a dozen or so other analysts (pretty much everyone) that said the Hicks pick was premature and headscratching, but he used Mayock, because he has credibility.

    The bottom line is that we reached for a prospect early at a position of extreme strength when we should have taken an O lineman, a position of critical weakness.

    The fact that we took an ILB when we had two Pro Bowlers at the position and another ascending player (some would say Star) is established.

    The fact that we were very weak at O Line at that time, yet did not use that third round pick for the position is a fact.

    Will Jordan Hicks turn out to be a stud? That is not established. I am cautiously optimistic, but I will not be surprised when he returns to Earth and his pre draft blemishes return.

    I also will not be surprised when all the folks that previously questioned Chip for reaching for Hicks, that are not screaming URLAKKERZZZ!!!, revert to their previous self and bash Chip.

    The bottom line is that O Line was a position of critical need going into the draft and we did not take 1 OL. And this was before Chip even cut Evan Mathis……..

  39. 39 Avery Greene said at 9:58 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    The title of the article is so aptly named: “Trust the Board.” Just because so many analysts on tv had him ranked lower, doesn’t mean he’s dropping that far.

  40. 40 fran35 said at 10:15 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    No, but some of the analysts have an idea of some teams boards. They know generally where a guy is rated.

    To piggyback off of the “Trust your Board” mantra, that assumes that your personnel guy has built a proper board. To believe that team need does not affect the board ranking is just delusional. Marcus Smith was sure a need pick, and we were also told that he was the highest pick on the board at that time. Chip DID have final say on the picks.

    I just remain incredulous that there were no O lineman remotely close to the Hicks pick that we could have drafted or traded back for.

    The guy has played 2 good games and folks are already calling for him to remain a starter when the Pro Bowlers in front of him are healthy. He could be the next great ILB, or he could end up being Artis Hicks, but lets not forget that he was picked in the 3rd when there remained some decent O Line prospects available.

  41. 41 Avery Greene said at 10:21 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    But they are paid to get the board right, so if they didn’t have OL rated higher than Hicks, why would they still go for OL?

    You can’t worry about other teams boards, especially if they aren’t running the same system as you. Just because a DE is rated higher, is he a 2-gapping DE for a 3-4?

    If you are really high on a player, taking him a little early (if they did) to not lose out would be smart. Imagine how much different our draft would have been last year if we picked Matthews in the 1st round like CK wanted, and we didn’t have to move up in the 2nd to get him. We’d have an extra pick on the team.

  42. 42 RobNE said at 10:24 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    but who would have replaced Smith’s tackles from last Sunday? Oh wait, I see what you did there.

  43. 43 bill said at 10:44 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    “he was picked in the 3rd when there remained some decent O Line prospects available” … who would have also been third round picks.

    The problem with trying to guess other teams boards is that all it takes is to be wrong about one team (out of 31) and suddenly, you’ve missed out on a player you had very highly rated. I seriously doubt any of these media talking heads have truly inside sources on more than 10 teams (and even then, those sources are also known for spreading disinformation during the draft process), so I’m not going to take their word for it any more than you are willing accept the rumors that other teams would have jumped on him if the Eagles had passed on him.
    Can’t control what other teams do. Can only control what you do. If you have a guy rated as significantly better than anyone else on the board for your needs, you take him. Decrease the variables as much as you can. If you don’t trust your scouts, then your problem is not your draft-day decision-making, it’s your information gathering process.

    Doesn’t mean I’m happy about the failure to do anything with the OL this offseason (except subtract one RG who was clearly done and one LG who still had some gas in the tank). But I have no problem with their draft strategy. You can only fill so many holes each draft, and I’d rather they get difference makers than band-aids, because that’s how you build a really good team.

  44. 44 fran35 said at 11:11 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree with everything you are saying.

    I am just simply attempting to remain level headed about the whole situation. I, like the majority of other folks, seriously questioned the decision/board ranking/rationale of taking Jordan Hicks in the 3rd round when we desperately needed O line help. The fact that he has had two good games does not absolve Chip, just as two horrendous games would indict him.

    If Hicks plays terribly for the rest of his tenure with the team, most of the folks heralding Chip for his selection of Hicks in the face of O Line weakness will be burning him at the stake. Just as many of the fickle sheeples were bemoaning Eric Rowe before the last game.

    But time will tell us if the Eagles board was good. I hope so.

  45. 45 Bert's Bells said at 6:50 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    This also comes back to “The Tom Brady” argument.

    According to your logic he wouldn’t be worth dropping a 3rd round pick on because you “could have had him in the 6th”, even though he’s a first ballot hall of famer.

  46. 46 holeplug said at 10:07 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    GM Chip doesnt seem all that great a reading der markt or even care about it at all. prob my biggest worry about him. hopefully he gets better over time. he just sees someone he likes and drafts/signs him. pretty much why he and howie couldn’t co exist anymore.

  47. 47 D3FB said at 12:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Who. Name me the FA guards. They called Franklin and he said he was gone. Iupati was a questionable fit, cost $8 mil a year and has been hurt. Boling was happy to stay in Cinci. The rest of the FA was trash.

  48. 48 Media Mike said at 5:30 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    http://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/WAS

    Trust me, Agholor is open. That back 4, outside of Culliver, stinks.

  49. 49 D3FB said at 12:19 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    And Keenan Robinson is the only decent coverage play of the 4 LBs.

  50. 50 Corry said at 6:56 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Agholor has gone up against some pretty good corners and gotten open. At some point Bradford should be able to get the ball to him.

  51. 51 GermanEagle said at 7:37 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    My boss just told me that I was going to be good when I was denied a bonus at the same time.

  52. 52 fran35 said at 9:43 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Exactly. I’m pretty sure that on the few occasions that I force myself to watch Hard Knocks, I have never heard a coach or personnel guy tell a guy “you are going to be terrible, stop now” as they take his playbook.

    As a side note, Bill O’Brien is a douchebag.

  53. 53 RobNE said at 9:59 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I found Hard Knocks great TV, hadn’t watched prior years. All of BOB’s talks were basically “you need to F’ing play harder”.

  54. 54 CrackSammich said at 9:59 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    BOB totally did. He was pretty brutal in those cut meetings.

    It’s also entirely possible the coaches being filmed toned it down, knowing their dirty laundry would be aired out for all to see.

  55. 55 Avery Greene said at 9:06 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Billy D might make me eat crow this year. Good writeup from Duffy and he talks about a cover-3 scheme they ran a couple times against the Jets.

    http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagle-Eye-The-Rookies-Came-To-Play/f14dc43e-2a23-4b1a-9360-952641ee8834

  56. 56 GEAGLE said at 9:08 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    No worries brother, you will have plenty of company at the “Billy made me eat crow table” by the end of this season 😉

  57. 57 BlindChow said at 9:31 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Seriously, though, it was Ryan Fitzpatrick.

    You don’t win trophies for shutting down Ryan Fitzpatrick.

  58. 58 fran35 said at 9:49 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I will sing it to the heavens…..

    He got a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic, the third highest all time. He has to be good.

    Coincidentally, the second highest was Mike Mamula at 49. That guy had ##measurables out the ass.

  59. 59 Avery Greene said at 9:59 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    That pick has to be top 3 most infuriating picks all-time by this franchise.

  60. 60 RobNE said at 10:00 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    are you going to tell us who is number 1?

  61. 61 Michael Winter Cho said at 11:16 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Google says: Patrick McInally. It doesn’t specifically say he has the highest Wonderlic score, only that he scored it perfect. Therefore, I think that means he has the highest Wonderlic score. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_McInally

  62. 62 fran35 said at 1:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Apologies on the delay. It was a weak attempt to build the suspense. As Cho said, it was McInally. However, important item to note: of the top 5 Wonderlic scores in the history of the combine, 2 of the 5 were Eagles, the other being Kevin Curtis(scored a 48).

    No Super Bowls. But we do have that going for us, which is nice.

  63. 63 BlindChow said at 10:18 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    He’s no Austin Davis or Matt Cassel, two other QB’s that Billy Davis made look like Pro Bowlers.

  64. 64 RobNE said at 10:00 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    can’t we just enjoy a little happiness. The SB wasn’t last Sunday so we couldn’t have won it anyway.

  65. 65 MattE said at 10:03 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    no, but our 2 biggest acquisitions of the offseason were both Inactive, we lost our RG after 2.5 weeks, Thornton is hurt which might be the most under the radar injury.

  66. 66 MattE said at 10:12 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    plenty of time to be happy when you are dead and don’t have to deal with the Birds anymore lol….until then I am going to bitch and moan until we actually have a viable franchise QB.

  67. 67 BlindChow said at 10:17 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Why on earth would you let me control how happy you are?

    When someone suggests shutting down Ryan Fitzpatrick makes Billy Davis a great defensive coordinator, I won’t hesitate to point out that we’re talking about Ryan freakin’ Fitzpatrick.

  68. 68 RobNE said at 10:23 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    you don’t it’s just so negative in here. Who says “great defensive coordinator”? cite please?

    [this is more about IB recently and not aimed at you] someone says Jets were playing well and have a great D and we won and did some nice things, then others have to say hell no Bradford sux 35 times, then each side (on lots of various issues) makes statements refuting comments that were not really said. Who has said the D is fully formed and Super Bowl ready? I don’t think anyone has. You win trophies piling up regular season wins so you can make the playoffs.

  69. 69 BlindChow said at 10:29 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    “Great defensive coordinator” was implied in Avery Greene’s “eat crow” comment.

    (I’m assuming he wasn’t suggesting we’d have to eat crow if Davis proves to be a merely competent defensive coordinator…)

  70. 70 Avery Greene said at 12:46 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yes. This was the intended implication. Lots of talent IMO on that side of the ball.

  71. 71 Michael Winter Cho said at 11:13 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    RobNE, this blog tilts extremely Posidelphian, I would say even homer. Check out Eagles24/7 or FootballOutsiders or GCobb. A lot of smart people think the Birds are cooked. If this place seems negative, maybe that’s because things aren’t looking very good.

  72. 72 D3FB said at 12:18 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Did you just cite GCobb as a smart football person?

  73. 73 Michael Winter Cho said at 12:19 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    No!!!

  74. 74 D3FB said at 12:29 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Ok good, I was gonna have to take extreme prejudice against that claim.

  75. 75 eaglefansocal said at 1:41 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Saying the Eagles are cooked this early is ridiculous and incredibly pessimistic. This defense looks very good right now and might be able to hold down even good offenses. The offense looks bad right now, but certainly we should have expected some time to get the offense in synch with all the new players. The only thing an optimist would agree with is that they certainly could have used at least one really good OL through trade, draft, or free agency

  76. 76 MattE said at 10:11 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    especially from James Harrison

  77. 77 P_P_K said at 10:41 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’m with you. Sure would be nice to have Billy D be a successful Coordinator.

  78. 78 SteveH said at 9:42 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I mean, I like Hicks and I’m glad he seems like a good player, but the only reason it seems like a “smart pick” right now is because Kiko blew out his knee again and Kendricks is on the sideline for a bit. Meanwhile, guard play continues to be an adventure for us, and probably isn’t going to get any less adventurous with Gardener gone.

    ultimately you take your best guy on the board sure, but it’s not like Chip knew ahead of time he’d be down 3 ILB’s by week 4 of the season. Or if he did then I question who he’s bringing in to play ILB for us O.o

  79. 79 BlindChow said at 9:53 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Still, even if you take an OG in the third round, there’s no guarantee he’s starting for you that year, or even if he’s any good. You’re basically making the “reach for need” argument here.

    I mean, the Rams drafted something like 7 OL this year (plus wasted next year’s 5th on a guy they already cut), and their offense looks like crap. I don’t like the look of the Eagles’ OL right now either, but a 3rd round rookie isn’t the panacea that the naysayers are making it out to be…

  80. 80 SteveH said at 11:16 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    which is why I said ultimately you take the best guy on your board, sure. But it really is a stroke of luck (or unluck?) that Hicks is getting on the field at all right now.

    Meanwhile, at some point, somehow some way, you have to address OL. Maybe 3rd round where we took Hicks wasn’t the spot, but something’s gotta give sooner or later.

  81. 81 Corry said at 11:58 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    My guess is that we’ll address in the next off season in the same way we addressed ILB and the secondary this offseason. We’ll use the same shot gun approach and sign a bunch of guys, draft some more, and hope at least one of them hits the mark. It may be too late by then, but it’s really the only option at this point.

  82. 82 BlindChow said at 3:18 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Perhaps it was luck that we ended up needing him, but even before the draft there were murmurings of both Ryans and Kiko being injury risks, plus Kendricks with his perpetual hamstring problems…

  83. 83 Gary Barnes said at 9:54 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree that drafts are a tough process to evaluate and have so many variables involved that impact what players a team selects and how those picks develop.

    However, despite Hicks looking good so far, Chip was wrong to not value the OL more and invest in more talent there since he arrived. We are suffering the consequences of that decision so far this season and did last season too.

    The OL is the foundation of an offense. To spend mega $$ on Murray, Matthews and Bradford and play them behind a faulty OL with almost zero depth is asking for trouble. It concerns me that Chip somehow thought this would work or that he could scheme his way out.

    Maybe against mediocre to poor defenses, but as we know Chip’s offense has struggled against good defenses that know how to utilize their talent to disrupt his scheme and the player’s execution prior to this season and has looked even worse so far this season.

    I was glad to see Chip adjust the scheme vs the Jets in order to give the OL a better chance to execute and Matthews a better chance to produce on the ground. It is too bad it took until Game 3 to do it, but at least we know it can work and that Chip is open to adjustments.

    Will Washington, New Orleans, the Giants etc. pose a major challenge? Who knows now, but one would hope not since their defenses stink. We should crush these teams, we’ll see what happens.

  84. 84 Avery Greene said at 10:12 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    This I think is a short-sighted way to look at the draft. You want to come away with the best players. Early returns on this rookie class looks good. Rowe might turn into that lockdown CB we need. We needed to get younger at that position. We did.

    Hicks will be the Ryans replacement, but CK talked about depth at that position and it seems he knew what he was talking about. If he didn’t get Hicks, people would be mad that Casey Matthews was still on the team and he didn’t get an ILB.

    Agholor has been having a rough go, but the kid is getting clear. His moments will come.

    The last rookie (Shepherd) was killing it in preseason and looks to have the skills to be a solid starter/nickel.

    Basically they hit on the top 3, and the 4th at least looks like he’ll be a solid player. If you are pulling 3 starters and 1 role player every year, you should be competing for a Superbowl. Basically they went BPA, not need. If they do BPA every year, it’ll pay dividends long-term. That’s what the whole process is about, long-term.

    Herremanns is benched. Mathis hasn’t looked Pro-Bowl in Denver. Gardner improved and wasn’t a liability. Barbre is fine. Tobin will be fine. The issue right now with the line is Kelce getting blown off the line too much, and Peters starting to show his age. Peters is still solid, and Kelce has to be better off the ball. But I don’t know that you’re picking a C up in the 1st two or three rounds. They probably didn’t like the Ts that were available.

    Lets see how the next few weeks play out before saying the line depth isn’t any good (or the line). By Week 6 or 7, teams really start to separate as the better teams start to hit a groove. The execution issues aren’t so much the defense as we are killing ourselves. We have some new faces and we have to be patient that it will work out. If it doesn’t, then they fix it. But from what I’ve seen it looks like they are starting to pull out of their funk. They should improve each week and have a much easier defense to go up against Sunday.

  85. 85 Gary Barnes said at 11:03 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    There were other sources to get OL than the draft for Chip….the point is he chose not to address it fully (he removed talent off it in Mathis as well) and we’ve paid the price so far. Its like buying a new car and then putting an old engine in it….the OL is the engine for an offense, it needs to be among the highest priorities and get allocated more resources. There is no excuse to ignore the OL or to allocate massive resources in RB and QB without making sure your OL is very good.

  86. 86 laeagle said at 11:58 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    There were some other sources, but when Orlando Franklin signed elsewhere, there weren’t necessarily GOOD other sources. Same with the draft. I don’t think anyone would say that if the guy before you drafted Earl Thomas, and the next guy was Macho Harris, that you’d HAVE to pick Macho Harris. That’s the whole point. If there are guys there at a position of need, but you’re not super excited about them, then take guys at other positions of need that you are excited about. There’s no doubt they COULD have taken an OL man with the first pick, but they loved Agholor, and WR was also a high need pick.

    Frankly, this whole thing reminds me of the constant criticism Andy got for not getting a quality WR. There were years there where there just weren’t good guys to get on the market. I can still hear people screaming and crying for such quality talent as Peerless Price and Antwan Randle-El. When there finally was a good receiver available, Andy did whatever he could to get him.

    You can’t address every position of need equally every year, mainly because the markets for each position are different. If we’d been able to sign Franklin, this is a different discussion. If other guys where available in the draft at our picks, this is a different discussion. But it’s a dumb discussion if we’re bitching about Chip not picking just any offensive lineman that he didn’t like just because it was a position of need. All 3 of the first picks were also positions of need (desperately so with the first 2). Frankly, the process was correctly handled and it’s the result that we can argue about, not the reverse as so many try to claim with the benefit of hindsight.

  87. 87 Gary Barnes said at 12:15 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Since drafting Lane Johnson in 2013, Chip has not addressd the OL really at all except for letting Herremans go as a FA and cutting Mathis for no return. Peters, Kelce, Vandevelde and DKelly were already here when Chip arrived.

    Barbre, Tobin, Gardner and all the rest are scrap heap players. Chip did not draft an OL two years straight nor did he sign a legit OL FA or trade for a legit OL in three years.

    He has not given the OL enough resources and invested enough in talent there. I think this is blindingly obvious – again the OL is the foundation and engine of an offense. It does not matter how good your QB or RB or WR or TE are if the OL cannot perform well enough to let them execute the plays.

    We’ve all seen the results of that decision last season and this season as well. Hopefully, Chip will fix it this off-season.

  88. 88 laeagle said at 12:22 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think if you were to look at the past 3 years of FA and drafts, I would agree. The OL has been underserved. And I agree with the idea that the OL is a fundamental building block of a team.

    But I still think that the Hicks pick was a good pick at that position, and that the process was correct. Now, that would be different if there were a game-changing lineman available at that position. But looking at who was there, and given the fact that there were question marks at ILB, and that we wanted more than 2 good ones, AND that they loved the player, I still say it was a good pick. Not a well-loved pick, but a good pick. I don’t think it supports BPA so much as just make sure you pick good players.

    My guess would be that Chip carpet bombs the OL next year, the same way he hit the secondary hard this year in the draft and FA. If you compare the situations, at least on the OL we have 3 Pro Bowlers. The same couldn’t be said about the secondary going into this year, which was why it got such a heavy focus.

    As for Herremanns, I think it’s obvious now why he was let go. Mathis isn’t doing much better in Denver. And again, we had good players on the OL that we didn’t have at other positions, which is why those other positions have been targeted so much. Add in the fact that we missed on some FAs (Franklin) and the fact that there simply weren’t a whole lot of quality guards on the market in general, and you end up with unfortunate circumstances that don’t necessarily reflect as poorly on Chip as people are pretending.

  89. 89 Gary Barnes said at 12:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I never had nor have currently any problem with the Hicks pick.

    I disagree we have 3 PB OL….Peters struggled last season late and looks poor so far this season. Kelce was injured last year and has struggled big time this year so far. Johnson I’m fine with and like a lot.

  90. 90 Avery Greene said at 12:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Initially I thought it could have waited (like most). But when he explained that he wanted depth, I wanted to wait and see. Most thought he was going to trade Kendricks because we just resigned Meco and brought in Kiko.

    I’ll admit I was scared of losing Kendricks. I have plenty of unhealthy fears too, clowns, Jay Cutler, a Trump presidency. But I also thought the way they talked about him that he was Meco’s future replacement.

    I think the draft is an interesting process that you want to both get better in the short-term, but also make sure you’re good long-term. I think CK is thinking more long-term with his picks, or in retrospect I think there’s some reasoning behind each pick.

  91. 91 Sean Stott said at 2:50 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hard to grade Mathis. They brought him in for his outstanding run blocking, since Kubiak is the new HC and obviously runs the zone blocking scheme, however they seem to switch schemes 5 minutes into each game and that can’t be easy for OL

  92. 92 Avery Greene said at 12:40 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Mathis was also a scrap heap player. The point is to try and find those players that can blossom into something else. Barbre’s story is similar to Mathis’s.

  93. 93 peteike said at 11:18 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    fans would be whining about not getting a WR had they gone OL early also. I cant disagree though that it was ignored to a fault at OL.

  94. 94 Gary Barnes said at 12:03 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    OL is far more important than WR for an offense, that is the point. OL should never be ignored or under allocated resource-wise if one wants to have an effective offense.

  95. 95 Michael Winter Cho said at 10:08 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    BPA vs reaching for need. This is something that can be debated, but it’s very anecdotal. If you get an extra linebacker and it works out, you can say it proves BPA. If you miss on a safety and happen to need one, you can say it proves BPA. But do people really remember when someone drafts for need and it works out? I think they just say “yeah, that’s a good player” and forget about the circumstances of the roster at that time.

  96. 96 Avery Greene said at 10:25 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    The length of careers of NFL players is short as it is. Getting the BPA covers for injuries and turnover at each position. Unless you are in the 1st round (and even then it’s dicey) going for need ignores the rest of the team.

  97. 97 Michael Winter Cho said at 11:07 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hmm, good hypothesis, but incomplete. Any given team will have depth at some positions, no depth at others. Getting BPA that supplements existing depth would have a different effect than BPA that adds depth where needed.

  98. 98 Avery Greene said at 11:11 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yes, but BPA is BPA right? Or are we talking different thoughts about how that works? That could be. Sometimes I misread things.

  99. 99 Michael Winter Cho said at 11:19 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    What I mean is, if the best available player happens to fill a need, then that would have a different effect on the team’s success than if it happened to add to a position where the team is already strong. BPA is a no-brainer if it also fits into the team’s situation. If it does not, it may end up being a waste of resources.

  100. 100 Avery Greene said at 12:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Okay we agree.

  101. 101 Avery Greene said at 10:58 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    https://twitter.com/Jeff_McLane/status/649230709215899648

  102. 102 GEAGLE said at 3:26 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    No ACL surgery.. Just a knee scope, he is tentatively scheduled to return during the bye week to get ready for Dallas game

  103. 103 Kelce's Beard said at 11:22 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    the hicks pick was great result, but crappy process

    I’d still rather have a better OL

  104. 104 anon said at 11:42 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Is this team better w/ Djaz maclin Jones (cb) no demarco no Maxwell? Could also say TT no Bradford

  105. 105 bsuperfi said at 11:53 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think part of the problem with deciding whether Kelly reached is how confident GMs are about their knowledge of the market. Any GM will have incomplete knowledge, but some may be better about gauging when a player will be available then others. Of course, if a player is going to be available in a later round, you should select another player you want first that won’t be available. I think we could all agree on this. But no one has perfect knowledge.

    So, this comes down to (1) how well someone actually knows the market, (2) how well they think they know the market, and (3) how much risk they’re willing to tolerate by waiting to pull the trigger on a wanted player. It looks like Kelly’s pretty risk-adverse in the draft so far, at least in this regard. And so far, it seems to have served him decently well. On the other hand, it’s not like trading for Bradford wasn’t a big personnel risk (or that trading for Mariota wouldn’t have been). But in this case, the potential reward was worth it for him. Maybe the potential for reward just isn’t there in the draft once you get out of the very top picks, so you assume you don’t have great knowledge and go with the guy you want?

  106. 106 Michael Winter Cho said at 12:18 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Kelly drafted Marcus Smith in the first round. He probably would have taken Dion Jordan at pick #4 if the Dolphins hadn’t c—blocked him. Both are/would have been risky reaches in the area of greatest risk, the 1st round.

  107. 107 laeagle said at 12:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    While Jordan did not work out as well as expected, he was by no means a reach in that draft. He was pretty much the consensus top defensive pick by all accounts. No one expected he’d go so PED crazy. But let’s be careful about how we rewrite history when we call people “reaches”.

    And while I’m a bit disappointed in Smith’s development, he was NOT making it to the second round.

  108. 108 Avery Greene said at 12:37 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Not to mention the stories surfaced that Kelly really wanted Matthews in Rd 1 and Hart in the 4th. It seems if Kelly and his guys are high on a player, they don’t want to risk losing them.

    I’m really wondering that if they picked Matthews in Rd 1, how much different our draft would have looked without having to trade a 3rd to move up in the 2nd.

  109. 109 mksp said at 11:55 AM on September 30th, 2015:

    Cannot believe some of you guys are still whining about taking Jordan Hicks in the 3rd.

    Chip’s Board > Mayock’s Board > Your Board

    The idea that Hicks would have been available in the 4th or 5th is complete and utter conjecture.

  110. 110 TypicalDouche said at 12:56 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I couldnt agree more MK. The fans complain if the Eagles go BPA and they complain if they reach for a position of need. Some folks are just never happy. Nobody knows what Chip’s board looked like and nobody here should think they no more then professional coaches and people that get paid to evaluate talent.

  111. 111 Nailed it! said at 12:52 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Source: Following a 2nd opinion, #Eagles LB Kiko Alonso's ACL was deemed intact. He'll play again this season, likely after a month of rehab— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2015

    Oh Boy Oh Boy!

  112. 112 TypicalDouche said at 12:57 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Thanks for that post Nailed, that brightened my day up.

  113. 113 Avery Greene said at 12:57 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Well at least we have that going for us…

    https://twitter.com/JeffSkversky/status/649205277405876225

  114. 114 botto said at 12:59 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    classic, unfortunately for the rams it aint going to end this way

  115. 115 Avery Greene said at 1:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yeah, I have to think we have a better shot of coming out on top. Though, I’m interested to see how Gurley is doing in a couple weeks.

  116. 116 JoeBlow said at 2:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I watched the Skins vs. Rams week 2 game last night because i have no life and wanted to see how well the Skins played to get a win since they didn’t impress me against the Giants. The biggest thing i came away with in that game was how bad St. Louis o-line is, Foles is always retreating like last year but with good reason. Ryan Kerrigan , i believe is their best defensive player and Knighton does a great job clogging up the middle, how Kelce handles him will be interesting, he’s going to need help. Washington broke off a couple big runs and that was pretty much the game…Kirk Cousins is still a below average qb who has to rely on play action a lot

  117. 117 anon said at 2:13 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    we need like 5-6 picks this week. If djax doesn’t play i think we’ll be good. We’re good at making game managers have to pass the ball.

  118. 118 JoeBlow said at 2:26 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    if you stop their run game, then it should shut down their offense especially without jackson. The weather might play a factor in the game as well

  119. 119 EaglesFANqq said at 2:21 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    What the difference in salaries? What about the second rounder we gave up to get bum bradford. We could have drafted an Offensive Lineman with that 2nd rounder.

  120. 120 Avery Greene said at 2:25 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    When they win this week, can we agree that you never come back?

  121. 121 EaglesFANqq said at 3:42 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Ill be here regardless reminding you how much of a chump Chip Kelly is.

  122. 122 Avery Greene said at 3:52 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    So when we win this week, you’ll be the one looking like a chump. When they still win 10+ games this year, you’ll still be beating the same drum not looking so good.

  123. 123 EaglesFANqq said at 3:54 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    HEHEHEH I am replying to this just so I can bust the fukc out of your nuts at the end of the season. Your nuts gonne be bloodied and blistered!!!

  124. 124 Avery Greene said at 3:54 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I doubt it. But I’m glad you’re worried about my scrotal health.

  125. 125 TypicalDouche said at 2:46 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Could of? We drafted Eric Rowe with the 2nd round pick from this past year. That 2nd rounder is for next year smart guy so the correct thing to have said would be “we could have used it next year”. Time and time again you show how much of a moron you really are.

  126. 126 EaglesFANqq said at 3:41 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    “We could have drafted an Offensive Lineman with that 2nd rounder.”

    That is a factual sentence whether the draft pick was last year or this year. We don’t have it anymore. Thats a fact. We could have drafted an offensive lineman with that 2nd rounder instead we have Bradford.

    Does that clear it up for your gnat brain, genius?

  127. 127 TypicalDouche said at 3:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Rowe was a good pick. Also if you want to talk hypotheticals the Eagles could of taken an olineman with any pick in any draft. Knowing how much of an idiot you are you probably don’t know what “hypotheticals” mean.

  128. 128 EaglesFANqq said at 3:54 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Here’s a non-hypothetical, this team sucks because of Chip Kelly.

  129. 129 TypicalDouche said at 3:56 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Here’s another hypothetical, you know nothing of football and player evaluation.

  130. 130 EaglesFANqq said at 3:59 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Of course I do. I am the one from day 1 who called Chip Kelly a farce. As soon as Chip Kelly cut Desean Jackson, I knew he was a total fraud. AND I WAS RIGHT. I DO KNOW SOMETHING. YOU KNOW NOTHING!!! YOU LOSE. I WIN. GOOD DAY SIR

  131. 131 TypicalDouche said at 4:00 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yea cause like I said before you’re one of those types that gargles Jackson and Mccoys genitalia in your mouth. Stop riding them and move on idiot.

  132. 132 Avery Greene said at 4:02 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    The only thing you’re winning is a Darwin award.

  133. 133 Avery Greene said at 3:51 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Well now you’re talking about a future pick that wouldn’t help us this year when the pick isn’t until next year.

    I wouldn’t call someone a gnat brain if you can’t understand a draft pick next year isn’t helping us this year.

  134. 134 EaglesFANqq said at 3:53 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Theyn why did they trade Boykin YOU DUMB BAST3RD

  135. 135 Avery Greene said at 3:53 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Considering the defense is playing fine, it doesn’t matter.

  136. 136 D3FB said at 12:59 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Lets look at that group of OL on the board:

    OT Chaz Green- Wasn’t fulltime starter at UF. Had ability to play G/T. Good athlete. Bad run blocker. Wasn’t going to be ready to play year 1. I had him projected as a swing tackle. Liked him but as a late day 3 pick, he went top 100. Since everyone wants to freak the hell out about public domain grades: nfl dot com: 5th or 6th round CBS 5th or 6th

    OG Daryl Williams- 6’6 330lbs. Only watched one tape of him. Didn’t need to see any more than that. Bad athlete. Not scheme fit. Comped to Phil Loadholt.
    nfl dot com 5th

    OT T.J. Clemmings- Loved him. I wanted him at pick 20. Raved in my writeup http://scoutsnotebook.com/2015/02/03/scouting-report-t-j-clemmings/.
    But lets all not act like the foot problem isn’t a huge huge huge red flag. People who were lower on him still had him as a top 40 guy. He fell to the fourth for a reason.

    OG Tre Jackson 6’4 330. Overweight phone booth bully blocker. Not scheme fit.

    OG Arie Kouandjo- Personally one of the most overrated OL in the last draft. Had 2 knee surgeries. Was a bad athlete and was far too stiff to play in our scheme.

    OG Jamil Douglas: Had burglary incident in 2010. Short arms and underpowered. Played too high in run game. I wouldn’t have minded him but sure as hell not in the third, gone before our 4th round pick

    CBS 5th or 6th Nfl dot com 5th or 6th

    It wasn’t a great draft for OL. Certainly not for our scheme. They were also largely drafted above projected slot. Good news is 2016 looks to be much deeper and with more guys who fit our style.

    But yea by all means continue to cite the fact that we didn’t take a OL. If you want to name names and talk about it in that manner, ok I’ll play ball, but this ANY OL IN 3 OR 4 WOULD HAVE BEEN AWESOMEEEEE is dumb.

  137. 137 TypicalDouche said at 1:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Preach on brother. Hopefully everyone still bashing the Hicks pick takes this post in serious consideration.

  138. 138 Avery Greene said at 1:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I couldn’t hear because it doesn’t fit my narrative… 🙂

    https://www.tes.com/sites/default/files/tumblr_nk7d8kPCOe1stxegwo1_500.gif

  139. 139 JoeBlow said at 1:55 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    agreed with all of this, very well done! Arie Kouandjo may get the start at guard for Washington this Sunday

  140. 140 anon said at 1:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Bears drop Brok Vereen 5’11, 202 -anyone remember anything about him in 2014? Had 40 tackles and a pick last year.

  141. 141 D3FB said at 1:04 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    CB/S type. He was believed to be a target for us in the draft. Frankly I’m surprised they didn’t offer a 7 for him. He would solidify our S position and we wouldn’t need to draft one next year.

    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/brock-vereen?id=2543820

  142. 142 jpate said at 3:13 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Lets get him, bye bye biggers.

  143. 143 GEAGLE said at 3:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    He sucks

  144. 144 AsianEagle said at 1:14 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    and the Bears signed Chris Prosinski…

  145. 145 D3FB said at 1:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hicks has looked good so far. He’s still got a lot of growing yet to do. He’s great in space, because frankly you don’t start in the big 12 if you can’t play in space. The one area he needs to continue to improve is in the box. He’s taking false steps and I worry about his angles at times.

    Positive returns thus far. Certainly a more than capable nickel backer and even if he regresses some a platoon of him and Demeco would be more than capable.

  146. 146 wee2424 said at 4:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    True, but that is something with his work ethic and experience he can correct. I wasn’t upset when we drafted him, but after learning more about him I realized that would be one of his initial weaknesses. That being said, he is better in the box then I thought he would be.

  147. 147 D3FB said at 5:44 AM on October 1st, 2015:

    He’s made big steps even from preseason. I’m just saying that when the rookie wall inevitably comes, it’s going to come from struggles in the box, and people are going to lose their collective shit because that’s what Eagles fans do.

  148. 148 wee2424 said at 1:11 PM on October 1st, 2015:

    Agree.

  149. 149 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:35 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    For all of his youth and mistakes, he had the green dot in his 3rd professional game, though.

  150. 150 Iskar36 said at 1:24 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’ve loved what I’ve seen so far out of Hicks, but using him as an example to prove a point is a clear example of cherry picking an anecdote. On top of that, it isn’t even a clear example of a successful strategy. First off, let me be clear in saying I’m not taking anything away from Hicks. He has played very well so far and has given us reasons to be excited. With that said, we are talking about a very small sample size. We have seen numerous examples of players, including LBers, who have a fast start to their career and then fall off
    quickly. Just like people insist on waiting three years to call a player a bust, you can’t call a player a hit only three games into his career. Time will tell if taking Hicks despite the depth we have was worth it.

    Second, again, we have no idea if Hicks was in fact a value pick. In the draft, there are two variables that are NOT necessarily linked. The first is quality of the player. This is easy to determine down the line when you can look back and determine how successful a career they had. The second is where you drafted the player relative to where the other 31 teams would have drafted him. This part is in fact an important factor in a draft, but it is also impossible to determine beyond rumors and guesses. We only know that the Eagles valued Hicks that high. It COULD be the case that other teams did as well, but it also could be the case that we overvalued him. To be clear, in this context, overvaluing has nothing to do with how successful he ends up being. It just refers to the possibility that we could have waited to draft him later. If other teams didn’t value him that high, the possibility remains as others have pointed out that we could have still got him later while also drafting an olineman.

    Third, even if other teams valued him at the same level as we did and Hicks
    proves to be a quality player, the issue still remains that we still have Kendricks signed to an extension and we gave up a very valuable player to go
    after Kiko and clearly the hope is that those two players will be starters here for the foreseeable future. Not to mention we also had the other backup players, who may never end up being as good as Hicks, but did provide depth. Notice I am not even including DeMeco here because the goal is long term in the draft and clearly DeMeco is not the long term answer. With that in mind, Hicks under the most logical scenario, is here to be a quality, (and hopefully, regularly) used rotational player. But in terms of what is best scenario for the team, he is NOT here to be a starter in the foreseeable future. So the question still remains, had we gone after one of those other players you had listed, would the team as a whole be better? I have not paid a ton of attention to how those others have played elsewhere, but it has been pointed out that some of the olineman are starting for their respective teams right now. So hypothetically, had we gone after one of the olineman and he ended up being a starter here, would we have faired any better on offense in the last three games? Would our oline be improved? Could we have won either of the games we lost? At an even simpler level, is a starting olineman more valuable than a rotational LBer? Obviously those players would have needed to be hits as an Eagle and we don’t know whether or not that would have been the case, so it is unfair to make the assumption that they would. But I don’t think it is as simple as saying, “Look, Hicks has played well in three games, therefore the decision is justified.”

  151. 151 Avery Greene said at 1:51 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Maybe not a starter his first year, but they got him to log some minutes on this defense. Plenty of comments about his intelligence after the draft and many comparisons to Meco. Knowing how much CK hearts Meco, it would stand to reason they would look at Hicks the same way.
    You don’t pick guys in the 1st three rounds to be just rotational players. You pick guys that you think will have an impact on your team.

    I doubt one OL was going to make our offense better considering the whole team played poorly. The OL can’t make receivers catch/drop balls and they aren’t responsible for the other missed blocks on the line.

    Edit: before/after

  152. 152 Ark87 said at 2:13 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree, it makes no sense to call one way of thinking simplistic, both sides are. Spurred by cherry-picked anecdotes. Oh look Joe schmoe was available and he ain’t crap. Good thing we didn’t get him because we needed him. Yeah, that’s probably a pretty air-tight idea full of nuance, not a simplistic absolutist way of thinking.

    Listen, there’s no real science to it. You pick a guy and he works out or he doesn’t. It’s not a whole lot more accurate than watching a team line up and guessing if it’s going to be a run or a pass, guessing right and calling it predictive prowess. Science says just stockpile picks, more picks= more chances to pick up a solid player out of the draft. Do your homework to improve your odds, but just pick guys who’s skills fit what you’re doing. Too many people get caught up on who will or won’t shine the NFL, and what philosophy will get you more hits in the draft. There isn’t one, sorry.

    I will say in my experience (anecdotal), never avoid a player you like even if you’re loaded somewhere. Way too often, some way some how a good player will find a way to the field. Whether that’s by way of the football gods decimating you loaded position like with us, or you have a solid prospect surrounded and insulated by greatness around them. I find that environment grooms a lot of quality players.

  153. 153 anon said at 2:15 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    new chipwagon up, JP’s face is on the front so i’m assuming it’s going to say positive things

  154. 154 jpate said at 2:48 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    The performance is better but it feels like someone (Chip) fell a sleep at the wheel and are now making adjustments that could have been made in the offseason. Execution wise it seems like things they should of addressed in TC. Not sure what Stouland has been doing all TC or maybe it’s just personnel.

  155. 155 anon said at 3:12 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    think it’s personnel b/c it sure looked good in pre-season. People just missing assignments. Maybe this is the real reason why we focused on getting backs that could run through arm-tackles.

    Chip’s offense is reverting to the mean i think b/c if poor execution. He’s doing what he’s gotta do to win games, ball control, no turnovers, let the defense ball vs what we’ve seen in past years (offense putting up huge yards, w/ lots of TOs). It’s a long season, hopefully offense will be purring down the road.

  156. 156 GEAGLE said at 3:22 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    September is always all about adjustments

  157. 157 EaglesFANqq said at 2:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Tommy, stop making excuses for Chip. You can’t tell me there isn’t one OL since Lane Johnson that was available that you could mold into a decent backup at least?

    I heard Ike Reese discussing Chip Kelly moving on today. I would have never thought that after 3 weeks people would want to get rid of Chip – especially after we won the Preseason Super Bowl. Those were the days.

  158. 158 Ark87 said at 3:05 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think one of our WR’s are bound to take the next step this week against the skins. Matthews could be the star I think he is. Huff or Ags can establish themselves.

    Honestly I just want to see this offense have a nice day. I really don’t care who it’s against. I just want to see the offense execute. I want to see the vision come together. At the end of the day, I just want to have fun watching this offense again. Don’t care what it all adds up to, how it stacks up, any of it.

  159. 159 JoeBlow said at 3:14 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think it is going to be Agholor, although it may be tough because the weather is supposed to be pretty bad

  160. 160 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:34 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hurricane weather coming?

    Should the passing game work SB might need a new nickname. Stormy Weather? Or even better. Windy and the Wonders. (O Line)

    Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
    and everything I would like to be?
    I can fly higher as an Eagle,
    ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

    Ah. Sappy mood today.

  161. 161 botto said at 3:19 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree this offense ahs been hard to watch… no fun at all

  162. 162 GEAGLE said at 3:38 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Lucky for me, give me a fun defense to watch and I don’t care if the offense scored 20pts per game.. Rather watch a stout defense any day

  163. 163 botto said at 3:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    watching the D is stressful when the offense doesn’t’ score though.

  164. 164 Ark87 said at 3:46 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    we’re scoring 20 or more points every week and it only added up to 1 win. So you can’t be having THAT much fun watching the defense.

  165. 165 GEAGLE said at 5:26 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    , im watching a defense grow every week that I believe will be a top 10 unit by November… this Defense, makes me more excited about this season then anytning we experienced the past two years… I’m fine with 21 points a game out of offense, because as this defense gels these new faces, we will be holding most teams under 21 with the exception of the Patriots, maybe Cowboys.. If some of the other teams score 30 points on our defense, I assume it’s because we had a monster lead and opponent got meaningless points against us going into Prevent
    ..
    I like this years defense more then Any chip Kelly offense of these past 3 seasons, and I DONT feel like the sky is falling when we stumble in September, so Yes, Im having a Ball right now. Especially since Hicks softens the blow from not getting to see KIKO right now..,
    ..
    Very much excited about this season…..we could have gone 1-3 in September Only beating the skins and I would still be excited about this team, because an inferior eagke roster went 1-3 only beating the skins in September of 2013 and went on to make the playoffs, and this defense is much stronger then 2013 defense, and for me defense is more important to success then Offense, not to mention our division is even weaker then it was in 2013..
    ..
    if we won games 9-3, Id be in Heaven… Scoring 30 DOESNT excite me like kicking ass on defense does, and this defense will get there in a few weeks

  166. 166 EaglesFANqq said at 3:43 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    How can they execute with a severely old and depleted offensive line.

  167. 167 TypicalDouche said at 3:48 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Another stupid statement lol keep them coming shit for brains. The oldest player on the oline is Peters. The rest are young.

  168. 168 Ark87 said at 4:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    He’s a troll, he’s not trying to win any debates. His goal isn’t to change your mind. His goal is to provoke you to respond to him. The more emotion and vitriol the better. He doesn’t feel bad when you bash the persona he invented for the internet. That’s the whole point.

    Just don’t talk to him. Don’t talk about him. Even me telling you this and sending out a big PSA about not responding to him gives him a big hard-on.

  169. 169 TypicalDouche said at 4:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I know Ark I was just really bored today at my desk and wanted to have some fun. I usually don’t feed this troll but my boredom took over. I am done with him though.

  170. 170 Ark87 said at 4:15 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I hear you. It’s so weird to have a troll on igglesblitz. There’s, what, maybe 20 of us that post here more than once a week? Just seems like there’s better places to troll.

  171. 171 TypicalDouche said at 4:17 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I agree. I remember when he first started trolling he came from none other then philly.com and I wish he/she went back there. Also takes a “special” kind of person to make 4 different accounts to troll the same board.

  172. 172 Ark87 said at 4:19 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Must have a passion for it. I have a sick, near debilitating passion for the Eagles and I’m not sure I spend as much time posting about the Eagles as he/she does.

  173. 173 TypicalDouche said at 4:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Same here friend. I sit at a desk all day and I don’t even get the urge to post as much as he trolls. I guess when you’re missing a couple of chromosomes you have no problem dedicating a better portion of your life to troll.

  174. 174 EaglesFANqq said at 4:26 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Friend. Man if you need to make friends on the Iggles Blitz message board, you got major problems bro. Go to a bar and have a beer!

  175. 175 TypicalDouche said at 4:28 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Little boy you clearly are the one with no friends and need to get a hobby instead of trolling a board under many different names. That’s just a damn shame. I would think when you take the short bus to school you have “special” hobbies and friends that would take up some of your time but clearly not with you.

  176. 176 EaglesFANqq said at 4:32 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Im not a little boy bro. 220 6’3 and I do olympic lifts. Ill drop you on your face.

  177. 177 TypicalDouche said at 4:38 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    haha yes I am sure you are 6’3 220 lbs and do Olympic lifts. What a joke you are little boy like I said. You are not tough so stop acting like it. My son is 13 and is already 6’0 and would literally drop you with one hit and me ha don’t even get me started I use little bitches like you to spar with at the gym. If you’re such a real man and a tough guy send me your email address and lets meet up simple as that. lol You are such a joke its crazy.

  178. 178 EaglesFANqq said at 11:31 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Well if your son is 13 I’m wait younger than you and will drop you in your face

  179. 179 A_T_G said at 4:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Flag and move on.

  180. 180 MattE said at 4:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    …do it.

  181. 181 GEAGLE said at 3:28 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Really pointless to be talking about the draft after week 3…
    ..
    Chip again today said that we didn’t have 3rd
    Round grades on the OLineman that were available in round 3, if that’s true, can’t blame them for not forcing the pick…

  182. 182 EaglesFANqq said at 3:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Chip didnt have 3rd round grades on DJax nor Maclin either. He don’t know what the fukc end of his a$$head is up.

  183. 183 TypicalDouche said at 3:46 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Considering Andy Reid drafted both of those players what does that post have to do with Chip? Another wasted post by the moron.

  184. 184 EaglesFANqq said at 3:52 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    THe point is he doesn’t know how to grade players you dumb a$$fukc

  185. 185 TypicalDouche said at 3:55 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yea the point is you’re the stupidest person to ever grace this blog because there is no point in comparing players drafted before Chip and say he would of graded them a certain way. Got anything else you want to get schooled on moron?

  186. 186 EaglesFANqq said at 4:02 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    You have the sense of humor of a fukcing gnat.

  187. 187 Avery Greene said at 4:05 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    How do you know gnats aren’t funny? I’d like to see the research on that.

  188. 188 Avery Greene said at 3:59 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yes, calling someone names is the final indicator that you have no argument – so instead of formulating a decent argument you turn to name calling.

  189. 189 TypicalDouche said at 4:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Are you surprised AG? lol stupid is a stupid does.

  190. 190 MattE said at 4:05 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    yeah but he continues to live which is the real travesty.

  191. 191 TypicalDouche said at 4:05 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Agreed Matt.

  192. 192 MattE said at 4:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    …..ever see the Southpark with the home shopping network? Eventually that guy killed himself, so maybe if we give just enough of a nudge…..

  193. 193 TypicalDouche said at 4:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Of course I did. So yes lets all do like they did and just respond to everyone of his post with “Just kill youself, just do it already” lol. Great idea.

  194. 194 MattE said at 4:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    helping humanity one life at a time.

  195. 195 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:13 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Won’t work. As long as we are talking to a person or about a person, he won’t leave. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, remember.

  196. 196 TypicalDouche said at 5:16 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Oh we know it wont work, it was more of just good timing to use a great southpark reference.

  197. 197 A_T_G said at 4:43 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Just flag and move on, flag and move on.

  198. 198 BlindChow said at 9:55 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’m starting to find people responding to the troll way more annoying than the actual troll…

  199. 199 MattE said at 4:09 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    who is DJax? does an ass really have an end? It is circular (i took geometry unlike some people i know).

  200. 200 EaglesFANqq said at 4:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I dont know if an a$$head is a figure of speech or a real thing? Do it.

  201. 201 MattE said at 4:12 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    ….do it.

  202. 202 GEAGLE said at 3:31 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Culliver is dealing with a knee, not certain if he will play Sunday..
    ..
    vIctor Cruz returned to practice but had another setback, so much for his week 4 return..
    ..
    Jay gruden made it seem like desean probably won’t play, but I don’t believe him… Crackpot won’t miss an Eagles game..
    ..
    Kiko tentatively scheduled to return during the bye week when we will be getting ready for Dallas
    ..
    Hopefully Drew Bree’s plays against dallas

  203. 203 eagleyankfan said at 4:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Not sure if it matters. Tough times ahead for that Saints team.

  204. 204 GEAGLE said at 5:18 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Cowboys can lose to anyone with a half decent QB IMO…. People over reacting to Weedens check down stats against Atlantascheme that welcomes the Checkdown (see Bradford yourching atlanta with 10 yard passes in the second half)…. Saint are really bad, but Cowboys aren’t a lock to beat anyone right now.

  205. 205 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:29 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Yes. Payton and Brees seem to have a symbiotic relationship and now that Brees is past his first youth, and many players from 6-8 years ago are gone, it’s probably serious rebuilding time.

    PS. I wonder how long Belicheat will last once Mr. Ever-So-Handsome-Liar Brady is gone?

  206. 206 GEAGLE said at 3:37 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Anyone hear anything about Ced thorntons return? If a broken hand forced him out last week, I doubt the hand would be good to go a week later… Haven’t even heard his name mentioned when chip talked about the injuries.. Haven’t heard anyhing about Hart either, but Kurt Cousins isn’t very tall, wouldn’t mind Papa Bair getting those hands up and screwing with cousins passing lanes the way he terrorized fitzy

  207. 207 TypicalDouche said at 3:39 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I read somewhere that Ced and Hart are both long shots to play as of now with Ced almost certainly being out. I agree with you on the Bair situation, he had a good game last week and with him being able to tip passes the way he does that would be added firepower going up against Cousins who already has a career average of throwing 2 picks a game.

  208. 208 Sean Stott said at 4:42 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Ced was limited participant in practice today. My best guess is he plays next week with some kind of glove to protect himself.

  209. 209 Iskar36 said at 3:56 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    So far, Agholor’s slow start doesn’t worry me, and mostly because I’m not sure he is the reason for his slow start. This offense has started slow, period. Bradford isn’t exactly hitting anyone with any level of consistency beyond Matthews. Huff is the second leading WR with 39 yards after three games, and it isn’t as if our TES and RBs are loading up on yards; Sproles is the only other receiver with over 100 yards. To me that just indicates our passing offense is struggling, not Agholor. If our offense starts playing with some consistency and Agholor is STILL not getting the ball, then I’ll worry. Right now the concern is still focued at QB thougj.

  210. 210 EaglesFANqq said at 4:00 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    remember Algoholar’s awesome catch in the preseason?

  211. 211 Nailed it! said at 4:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    That was a beaut!

  212. 212 EaglesFANqq said at 4:02 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Can you imagine being the rams head coach and looking over Sam Bradford and being like, we gotta cut this guy. THen the phone rings and its Chip Kelly trying to get Sam Bradford – so you totally fleece him because you know alls Kelly wants to do is move up to get his Oregon cokc dream.

    http://singlemomsforhillary.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AATTP-Laughing-Republicans.jpg

  213. 213 MattE said at 4:03 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    which one is Fischer i am confused? Is Chip in this picture? Who are these guys?

  214. 214 EaglesFANqq said at 4:16 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Warrent Buffet, President Reagan, Vice President Bush, Secretary of Staff James Baker,

  215. 215 botto said at 4:23 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I have a feeling you wish you were the secretary of staff.

  216. 216 Ryan Rambo said at 5:17 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Lol….Warrent Buffet!

  217. 217 Avery Greene said at 4:04 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    But this fraud of a coach took a 4-12 team and went 10-6 two seasons in a row. It’s okay to pile on now, but as the offense gels and executes better, you won’t have much of an argument there.

    Over a 16 game season (this season) you’ll be right at most 6 games where they lose. We’ll have at least 10. I like our odds better.

  218. 218 anon said at 4:04 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    don’t let this troll take over the board by responding to him.

  219. 219 Avery Greene said at 4:05 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’m sorry. I’m bored. But, I will.

  220. 220 MattE said at 4:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    …just do it.

  221. 221 MattE said at 4:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    you won’t do it

  222. 222 botto said at 4:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I thought this picture was from the reaction after someone said Eaglefanqq had a brain….

  223. 223 MattE said at 4:14 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    qq = Quack Quack…. this guy is a closet Ducks fan who is butt hurt that Chip left.

  224. 224 eagleyankfan said at 4:09 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    “I know it seems like Agholor is off to a slow start.” Seems? Let me check his stats. It’s officially. It’s a slow start.

  225. 225 MattE said at 4:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    more yards than DeMarco…

  226. 226 eagleyankfan said at 4:12 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    let me check his stats. It’s official.

  227. 227 EaglesFANqq said at 4:24 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    http://sportinlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Freddie-Mitchell.jpg

  228. 228 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:09 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Ouch.

  229. 229 botto said at 4:14 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    the whole offense is off to a no-start, false start

  230. 230 EaglesFANqq said at 4:19 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    4 catches for 36 yards in three games. Kinda slow. Freddie Mitchell had only 3 less catches in his first 3 games.

  231. 231 jpate said at 4:15 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Side note..wth is going on with JPP and Giants? He avoids the team doctors and HE is choosing to not sign the tender after a mistake he made! Are the Giants really that desperate for him they haven’t pulled that deal yet after all this? Don’t understand that all, he wasn’t dominate last few season and he’s most likely going to be worse now. And if I’m JPP I’m jumping on that contract at this point. Neither side making much sense IMO, unless I’m missing something.

  232. 232 A_T_G said at 4:33 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Don’t they want to put him on the non-football injury list after he signs the tender, and then not actually pay him? I thought that was the issue.

  233. 233 jpate said at 4:39 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Is that case? I wasn’t aware he doesn’t get paid if that happens.

  234. 234 A_T_G said at 4:56 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’m not 100%, but I think that is the cause of JPP’s concern.

  235. 235 jpate said at 5:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    oh ok, that’s understandable.

  236. 236 anon said at 5:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    yup, that’s why he stayed away from team doctors – was hoping his hand would be good enough to play, not likely.

    But as i understand it he’s not getting paid anyway.

  237. 237 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:25 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Not getting paid for not doing anything is often the way of the world.

    “That’s the way of the world
    ……………
    A child is born with a heart of gold
    The way of the world makes his heart grow cold”

    I’m definitely in a sappy mood today.

  238. 238 ChoTime said at 11:33 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    “Work for no pay is much worse than no work for no pay” is actually an axiom of business that I’ve lived by. Non-paying jobs usually lead to more non-paying jobs, while paying jobs usually lead to more paying jobs.

  239. 239 wee2424 said at 5:55 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I think he just clearly believes that he is better then what the Giants are offering to pay him. Not saying he is right, but that’s clearly the case.

  240. 240 ChoTime said at 11:31 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Nothing’s clear about it.

  241. 241 EaglesFANqq said at 4:28 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    http://bloggingthebeast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Matthews-6.gif

  242. 242 EaglesFANqq said at 4:29 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I bet all you koolaid drinkers are going to say something like “Look how high he jumped!”

  243. 243 the DONALD said at 4:33 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    You must be related to Tommy or something… hes giving you a bad name TL..

  244. 244 A_T_G said at 5:08 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Just flag and move on, flag and move.

  245. 245 Ryan Rambo said at 5:11 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I been flagging since he got here. When is enough, enough?

  246. 246 holeplug said at 5:14 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    that would require Tommy to actually mod this which he refuses to do for some strange reason

  247. 247 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:16 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Perhaps TL is still concerned about his mother’s health? Also, as he has more than one gig, maybe he should find some part-time assistant to take care of the details?

  248. 248 holeplug said at 5:17 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I meant in general not like today. and ya asking a couple of respected posters to be mods would go a long way imo

  249. 249 MagRememberSeptember said at 5:21 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    A couple of years ago, when Sheil and Tim were first looking or an intern, I thought I would have been nearly perfect. I can clean and gap spark plugs, change oil, make cinnamon rolls and coffee. Used to work at a newspaper too!. Unfortunately I don’t live in Philly and apparently don’t have the right combination of X/Y chromosomes. ;~D. ;~D

  250. 250 A_T_G said at 5:36 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    A y-chromosome shortage is nothing that can’t be overcome by the adoption on a v-neck.

  251. 251 MagRememberSeptember said at 12:33 AM on October 1st, 2015:

    I don’t actually have any great desire to be any more or less than I am. Sanctimoniously typed.

  252. 252 A_T_G said at 1:37 PM on October 1st, 2015:

    A great way to live. I was just having a little fun with alphabet-related humor.

  253. 253 GEAGLE said at 5:15 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Tom DOESNT ban people, so you might not want to bother him with a thousand flagged posts a day… Is it that hard to ignore someone without acting like a bitch bout it?

  254. 254 mksp said at 5:21 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    GEAGLE speaks from experience here. On this one fact, I think we can all agree that it is appropriate to trust his judgment.

    With that said bro, you yourself have *not* shown the ability to ignore someone without “acting like a bitch bout it”, as you so eloquently put it. I, personally, can vouch for this fact from my own experience. So not sure why you’re judging others.

  255. 255 ChoTime said at 11:30 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    EF, though a troll, is sometimes amusing unlike Mr. Pottymouth. The world would be a better place if Disqus had an ignore function.

  256. 256 A_T_G said at 5:38 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Is that directed at me?

  257. 257 EaglesFANqq said at 4:30 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    http://bloggingthebeast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Ertz-1.gif

  258. 258 EaglesFANqq said at 4:31 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Eagles.gif

  259. 259 A_T_G said at 5:01 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    The Texans just cut Randy Bullock after he missed an XP and a 43-yarder. I wonder if he would be a better option.

  260. 260 botto said at 5:02 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    you think he sucks less?

  261. 261 A_T_G said at 5:07 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I don’t claim to be an expert on kicker suckiness, but he was employed a week ago.

  262. 262 peteike said at 5:10 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    no thanks, dont want his bad mojo coming with him

  263. 263 GEAGLE said at 5:13 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Wasnt he just replaced by Novak, a guy who tried out fof or us two days ago who we passed on?

  264. 264 A_T_G said at 5:32 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Good point. The transitive property doesn’t alway hold true in football, but it is worth considering. I was hoping he was fired in a rash fit of rage, undeserving.

  265. 265 Nailed it! said at 5:51 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    So the NFL, Philly and Washington are already in talks about what to do if the hurricane stays on the predicted path. Let us play some would you rather shall we? Ok, Saturday afternoon game or Monday night game, potentially Tuesday?
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2015/09/30/hurricane-joaquin-is-causing-nfl-to-make-a-contingency-plan-for-eagles-at-redskins/

  266. 266 JoeBlow said at 5:54 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    is the NFL technically allowed to play on Saturday? i thought it was forbidden because it would take away viewership of college football

  267. 267 Nailed it! said at 5:58 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    It is not forbidden I think it is just mutually beneficial for the two leagues to play the bulk of their schedules on separate days. Whoever is broadcasting (fox) the game would probably throw a fit if they played on Saturday but who knows. I still bet they play on Sunday but it is interesting they are discussing plan b, c and d already.

  268. 268 FairOaks said at 8:45 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Actually it is written into the law which provides the NFL’s antitrust exemption I think… granted, there may be a hurricane one-time exception. But you can bet Fox has a big say in it too, so it’d probably move to Monday or Tuesday.

  269. 269 Avery Greene said at 6:02 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I hope not Tuesday, because I have class that night and might miss some of the game.

  270. 270 botto said at 6:20 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    sunday should work.
    I don’t think the heavy stuff’s gonna come down for while…

  271. 271 RobNE said at 8:31 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    things did not go well last time we played on a Tuesday.

  272. 272 JoeBlow said at 8:39 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    or a saturday in washington

  273. 273 FairOaks said at 8:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Not sure Saturday is an option… that would conflict with college games. Part of the NFL’s antitrust exemption is based on them not competing with college (and I think high schools on Friday). Granted, this is a one-time issue so I can’t imagine people would complain too much.

  274. 274 Insomniac said at 9:28 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    This may or may not be a bad thing for everyone that has night classes on Monday.

  275. 275 MagRememberSeptember said at 12:30 AM on October 1st, 2015:

    Monday better than moving Bye Week.

  276. 276 Nailed it! said at 6:24 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Per @LesBowen stem cells used for #Kiko. Indicates damage to ACL. Hope it's minor. Stem cells have promise but no proof it helps heal tear.— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) September 30, 2015

    #sportssciencestemcells

  277. 277 Avery Greene said at 10:49 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I missed this earlier.

  278. 278 xmbk said at 6:24 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Just for the record, there are no Flash Gordon fans, old man. 😉

  279. 279 botto said at 7:18 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    you think this is getting flexed to Monday?
    that would suck!

  280. 280 HawaiianEagle said at 7:26 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Some sort of crap about moving Iggles and skins bye to this week and plsying week 8? Bad idea…

  281. 281 TypicalDouche said at 7:47 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    That would be terrible and really unfair, can they do that?..The Eagles played the Vikings on a Tuesday 2010 and I’d think they’d much rather do that and play a short week then see there bye get tossed in there face.

  282. 282 Corry said at 8:41 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    they can do it and there’s actually historical precedence to it as well. In 2008 the Baltimore@Houston game was postponed due to Hurricane Ike giving both teams a bye week during week 2.

  283. 283 TypicalDouche said at 8:45 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Thanks man. Damn in my opinion that would suck.

  284. 284 ICDogg said at 10:51 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Mine too

  285. 285 BobSmith77 said at 9:36 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Nah. Safety first especially given the projected course of the hurricane right now.

  286. 286 SteveH said at 9:46 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I’m having nightmares about the Tuesday night game against Minnesota… Just don’t let it be a Tuesday night game…

  287. 287 Avery Greene said at 7:54 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Sports Science? Forget that, we got Science Science…

    https://twitter.com/PHLEaglesNation/status/649350580591202306

  288. 288 A_T_G said at 8:17 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    I wonder if we could inject Ryan Mathews hands…

  289. 289 Corry said at 8:44 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Stem cells don’t fix concrete hands.

  290. 290 A_T_G said at 9:12 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Hmm, maybe a retrofit is in order?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/robotic-arm-darpa-revolutionizing-prosthetics_55f740f8e4b09ecde1d971d9

  291. 291 ChoTime said at 11:24 PM on September 30th, 2015:

    Uh-oh, are Republicans okay with that?