Evaluating Kiko

Posted: December 22nd, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 273 Comments »

There was a mixture of anger and excitement when the Eagles traded LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso. Shady was a great RB for the Eagles, but you can find good RBs all over. The defense needed help and Alonso was the kind of playmaking LB the Eagles could use.

Alonso was recovering from a torn ACL so that affected his ability to practice in the offseason. Like Sam Bradford, he was focused more on rehab than football. Alonso played in a 3-4 defense for Chip Kelly at Oregon so the hope was that he would adjust to the Eagles scheme quickly. He would just need to shake the rust off.

In the season opener, Alonso had one of the best INTs of the year. He made a spectacular play, picking Matt Ryan off in the end zone. That got everyone excited for what he might do. Unfortunately, Alonso hurt his knee in Week 2 and then missed quite a bit of action. He’s been working his way back into the lineup since early November. Things have not gone according to plan.

Alonso played pretty well in the Buffalo game. Beyond that, he’s been highly erratic. Sometimes he’s just been flat out bad. What happened to the guy who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013?

I think there are a combination of factors at work. First, injuries. A torn ACL can ruin a career. Even if it heals right, the player has to get over the mental hurdle. Stewart Bradley tore his ACL in college and then in the NFL. He recovered from the college injury, but was never the same after the NFL injury. As much as anything, he just never looked as confident and comfortable on the field as he had been in the past.

Alonso isn’t playing scared. He does look comfortable from a physical standpoint. His timing is off and he does seem to wear down. Those are the kind of issues that can go away with a time. He could be a completely different player in 2016.

I think Alonso is desperate to make big plays. I think he feels the pressure of the trade and wants to do well. LBs can’t force things. When that happens, you overrun plays, miss tackles and struggle with basics. Alonso has been overrunning plays this year. He goes so hard in pursuit that he leaves big cutback lanes. The one really bad play in the Buffalo game is when he overran a run play and Mike Gillislee cut back up the middle for a TD.

The final issue for Alonso is fitting in. He is in a new scheme and he’s part of a rotation. Alonso is learning the Eagles defense and trying to figure out his role. That’s tough. The coaches have to rotate him. He’s not meant to be on the field for 70 snaps right now. Even when the plan makes sense and everyone is on board with it, being part of a rotation can be tough on guys. They just aren’t used to it. I think coming in and out of the game also feeds into Alonso wanting to make things happen when he is on the field.

If you re-watch the 1st half of the Cardinals game, Alonso actually looked solid up until the 5 minute mark. That’s when David Johnson had his long run. The defense seemed to fall apart after that. Prior to the run, Alonso did some good things. There was a run play where he went after an OL and held his ground. The ball came that way and Alonso helped stuff the run. There was a play where he blanketed a TE out in coverage. There was a run play away from him. Alonso hit the RB as he came through the trash.

Kiko Alonso is a very talented LB. He runs very well and has great range. He can be very good in coverage. He is willing to take on blockers on inside runs. He is physical. His talent and athleticism are still there. Right now he’s not playing well with any consistency. I think he can get back to form next year. A full offseason should do him wonders.

That said, there are no guarantees. Some players never come all the way back from injuries. I think Alonso was hurt by the combination of having to rehab and learn a new scheme and new role. That’s a tough combination for a young player. He has been a huge disappointment this year, but I think his future remains bright.

*****

Someone asked me the other day about the Eagles WRs as route runners. Tough subject. First, Chip Kelly’s offense doesn’t seem as much of a route-running scheme as others where timing is critical. There are so many play-action passes and crossing routes in this scheme that you are running more in an area than an exact spot.

Josh Huff ran a great route on 3rd/long on Sunday night to get open and move the chains. Nelson Agholor was a terrific route runner at USC. Jordan Matthews is solid. I have never thought of Riley Cooper as someone who runs crisp routes. I haven’t seen enough of Seyi Ajirotutu or Jonathan Krasue to have an informed opinion.

I’ll write up a post on the WR position in the offseason, but one key point for me is trying to figure out if the Eagles WRs aren’t that good or if Sam Bradford’s slow start and the OL issues made the WRs look worse than they are. And nagging injuries have hurt Huff and Agholor. The Eagles need help at WR, but I do think Huff and Agholor are better than what we saw for most of the year.

_


273 Comments on “Evaluating Kiko”

  1. 1 Novembrine said at 12:19 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I’m really concerned with the lack of production from Agholor. I wasn’t a big fan of the pick in the first place given how many great-looking USC receivers have sputtered in the NFL (Dwayne Jarrett, Marquise Lee… it seems there’s a first rounder every few years!) but was won over by his attitude and flashes in camp. He’s been all but invisible since September despite playing a vast number of snaps. I don’t watch All-22s, so is he getting open at all? I know receiver can be a tough adjustment from college to the NFL, but given how many snaps he’s getting, the production this year has been exceedingly disappointing. What can we realistically hope for moving forward?

  2. 2 b3nz0z said at 1:12 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    well next year he won’t be a rookie, so that should help

  3. 3 JoeBlow said at 3:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    at the time when the birds were on the clock i wanted Byron Jones, but was ok when the name Nelson Agholor was announced. Yea, alot of WR’s from USC have turned out to be busts, but to me that is a silly reason to not take a guy. A lot of the Wideouts from USC have seemed to have work ethic/ attitude problems but Agholor is pretty much a saint in regards to working hard. A lot of draft experts and talking heads thought it was a solid pick.

    To me it just seems like he has just tried way too hard all year, and gets ahead of himself ‘moves without catching the ball first’ type of stuff. He probably doesn’t get targeted enough and usually has the other teams best corner playing him. He is probaly our most talented outside receiver, which is a scary thought as it stands now. I’m not even close to writing him off as a bust or anything. Been a frustrating season for a lot of players on this team

  4. 4 the guy said at 12:20 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Shady was a great RB for the Eagles, but you can find good RBs all over.

    Just wish the Eagles had done so.

  5. 5 bdbd20 said at 12:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I really wonder how the offense would have looked had we not signed Murray. Matthews, Polk, and Sproles would have been a nice backfield.

    The Murray money could have been used on an OL, or perhaps a better veteran WR than Austin.

  6. 6 the guy said at 12:26 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Darren McFadden and DeAngelo Williams would have worked too, especially financially. They wound up signing easily escapable 2 year deals for $3/4mil total.

  7. 7 Novembrine said at 12:27 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Man, that Austin signing is still a head-scratcher. Would’ve been better off signing Austin Howard again!

  8. 8 bdbd20 said at 12:32 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    There were some better options. Stevie Johnson, Eddie Royal, Michael Crabtree to name a few.

  9. 9 Novembrine said at 12:33 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Hindsight being 20/20, I say we just keep Maclin and skip Murray. I’ve watched several Chiefs games and he’s really more of a complete receiver than I thought.

  10. 10 bdbd20 said at 12:35 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    True. I do respect Chip for having a ceiling on the contract. There have been so many bad contracts that ruin caps. Certainly can’t fault JM for taking the cash.

  11. 11 CryEaglesCry said at 12:54 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Reid knew and appreciated all of the intangibles that Jeremy Maclin brought to the table. If you can get me a WR who puts out 100% on every play and doesn’t drink and do drugs and doesn’t acts like a complete assholes – he is worth paying. Reid wouldn’t have gotten outbid by Chip for any price.

  12. 12 bdbd20 said at 12:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yeah. I got that feeling too. I envision AR saying to Maclin’s agent “Take whatever they offer and add $1M”

  13. 13 JoeBlow said at 2:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Maclin is another guy with two acl tears, no question he is a good receiver but it is just another guy who is an injury risk

  14. 14 botto said at 1:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    too bad he didn’t ceiling murray’s

  15. 15 bdbd20 said at 1:45 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    5 years, $40M. $18M guaranteed isn’t that great of a commitment.

    The issue is obviously that he sucks. But that contract was very manageable assuming he was with the team for 3 years.

  16. 16 Mark F said at 7:01 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Uh, what?

  17. 17 A_T_G said at 12:51 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Austin Powers would have made more sense to me.

  18. 18 unhinged said at 12:23 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I appreciate your perspective on Alonso, Tommy. Clearly he isn’t 100% mentally or physically, and even more clearly he is never going to be the fix for the sub-par play around him.

  19. 19 bdbd20 said at 12:23 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I still have high hopes for Kiko. I really wasn’t expecting that much from him this year. I though the would be pretty mediocre this year and then blossom next season. Time will tell.

    I did agree with the trade. ILB’s who can cover and play the run are so hard to find.

  20. 20 sprawl said at 2:09 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Tommy mentioned the rotation being a new thing for Kiko and that could be a part of it. When he was with the Bills he played EVERY single defensive snap. During that time he either had a TACKLE (87) or Assist (72) on 1/5th of ALL team tackles (794) which is a far far cry from what we’ve seen out of him so far this year when he’s been in the game.

    I think he had 1 tackle Sunday night?

    It’s not just something we need to get used to (decreased output) but the coaches need to get him to understand he’s not going to have the same numbers or be in on the same number of plays as he was in Buffalo until he gets a better handle on what’s going on. He plays with speed/instinct and because he’s missed so much football a lot of that instinct has dulled a bit plus the injuries have slowed him down. It’s not permanent but it’s going to require some adjustment in the meantime

  21. 21 bdbd20 said at 2:20 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    This may be his biggest test. He’ll see a lot of Jordan Reed. If he can do well and we stay on top of DeSean, the defense might look pretty good.

  22. 22 Dave said at 12:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I find this website chart fascinating

    Here is the website,…http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/teams/354/philadelphia-eagles/#Points%20per%20Game

    Say what you want about Chip’s offense, but the defense has been getting progressively worse. Looking at this chart and the data, I’m pretty sure Andy would not have lasted as long without JJ running the defense.

  23. 23 FSP! said at 12:54 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The graph looks cool but I’d rather see it for points per drive considering the tempo we use now. And throw in a line for what the nfl average is.

  24. 24 Dave said at 2:56 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    They don’t have points per drive, but do have yards per play. Birds are ranked 28th

  25. 25 Gary Barnes said at 1:38 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Which is why Andy did his homework, kept track of JJ and hired him to be his DC here as soon as he became HC.

  26. 26 CryEaglesCry said at 12:50 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Lesean Mccoy the leadfing rusher in Eagles history was traded for kiko alonso who cant get off a block. I just cant get over that.

  27. 27 CryEaglesCry said at 12:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    What evidence is there that : “That’s a tough combination for a young player. He has been a huge disappointment this year, but I think his future remains bright.”

    This sounds like State controlled media.

  28. 28 CryEaglesCry said at 1:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I think Chip Kelly’s wild card was bring Demarco Murray in and taking him away from the Cowboys. But what really happened was the Cowboys told Demarco, we won’t sign you – go to the Eagles and torpedo their season…Do whatever you can to mess them up. Get big money and get cut after one year so you destory their salary cap next year. Then we will resign you. That is exactly what is happening. Chip Kelly is so out of his league. THe Demarco signing, the Foles trade and the Kiko trade. Three glaring examples of how Chip Kelly shouldn’t and can’t swim with the big fishes.

  29. 29 Nelson ALGore said at 3:29 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Sproles returning kicks (remember Greg Lewis and Reno Mahe?)

    Thrumond (Remember Jaiqwan Jarret, Kurt Coleman and all other safety trash)

    U fucking ppl act like ANY great franchise winning team was built in a year. Give him time. as a GM and as a coach.

    Also Nick Foles??? Are u serious? Im sure trading him doesnt keep CK up at night and I like Foles.

    In conclusion Chip the GM so far: Some hits and some misses.

  30. 30 CryEaglesCry said at 11:22 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    THey gave up a second round pick for the worst rated QB in the league. Yeah that’s a fukc up.

  31. 31 Nelson ALGore said at 2:20 PM on December 23rd, 2015:

    So your telling me a player with 2 years of ACL tears is supposed to come into a new team with 4 other new starters on offense and just play at a high level?

    They gave up the second rounder true but so far the results are inconclusive

  32. 32 CryEaglesCry said at 2:48 PM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Josh McCown did the same thing and he is better rated than Sam Bradford. He didn’t cost a starting QB with a 1 Million dollar salary nor a second round pick. You are making excuses. He sucks and it was a mistake.

    http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

  33. 33 Gary Barnes said at 1:19 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Again, I’ll quote Chip Kelly: “The best ability is durability”.

    Alonso has already had numerous major injuries including an Achillies and ACL in a very short NFL career. This season, he has had numerous smaller injuries that have also kept him off the field.

    Health is a vital part of evaluating a player. Injuries are not an excuse. If a player cannot stay healthy and perform on the field, their value is very low.

    Obviously, we are going to keep Alonso in hopes he can finally stay healthy and perform as he showed he can his rookie year, but as of right now the trade of McCoy for Alonso has not worked out in the Eagles favor.

  34. 34 CryEaglesCry said at 1:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    So we are going to keep Alonso, Demarco and Marcus Smith – three roster spots just so we don’t have to admit mistake. This is bad. bad bad bad.

  35. 35 Mitchell said at 2:27 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I know of 2 ACLs when did he tear the achilles?

  36. 36 botto said at 2:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    the only question that remains is can the Eagles beat the Skins?
    Washington looks good. the eagles look bad.
    we have injuries at key spots, CB, that aren’t great to begin with, and the skins have some WR threats. Garcon is tough. I forget who else they have.
    is it even possible for the defense to stop Captain Kirk, and the run game?
    nothing we’ve seen makes me think it is right now.
    I’m pissed that Saturday night could suck. but as an eagles fan there is one phrase I know pretty well.
    “NEXT YEAR”

  37. 37 Julescat said at 2:32 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Garcon has been pretty quiet through most of this year.

  38. 38 botto said at 2:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    you’ll see him Saturday night, don’t worry

  39. 39 b3nz0z said at 3:06 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    i can handle the eagles sucking. that i’m used to. but WAS being good? that would hurt.

  40. 40 Nelson ALGore said at 3:33 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Have they beaten ANYBODY good?

    As much as everyone here is bitching lately

    1. Eagles still have a great shot at playoffs
    2. Eagles have proven that when they put it together they can beat anybody so f/u to those who say why bother winning

    please try to remember this when saying how much we suck and talking about the draft position in December

  41. 41 Aaron said at 3:09 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    If they dont get a little pressure on cousins, he is gonna feast on our secondary, suckondary, secondiarhea

  42. 42 Tumtum said at 4:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    If Rowe and Maxwell play the whole game I think we win.

  43. 43 botto said at 5:14 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I think max will be out. rowe is good though.

  44. 44 b3nz0z said at 2:08 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    “Evaluating Kiko” is the worst name for a Harrison Ford movie

  45. 45 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:17 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I prefer “How Kiko got his groove back”..

  46. 46 SteveH said at 2:19 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    “50 Shades of Kiko” starring Harrison Ford as an aging former football player and S&M enthusiast.

  47. 47 Gian GEAGLE said at 8:26 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Lol…. That sounds better….. Mine required Kiko going to Jamaica for some hot sex with a cabana Boy

  48. 48 b3nz0z said at 2:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    yeah but that doesn’t come out till next summer

  49. 49 SteveH said at 2:12 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Theirs an odd triangle of Shady, the star we traded, Kiko, the compensation we got, and Murray, the guy who was supposed to replace him.

    No telling what Buffalo thinks of their end of the bargain, but I’d say our two corners of the triangle of Kiko and Murray have been dismal failures thus far.

    I have high hopes for Kiko moving forward though. Give him an offseason of health and getting back to top form and I think he’ll be the stud we wanted.

    Evaluating why Chip made the move, I’m sure there’s a bit of the quack quack bias going on there.

    I have to wonder how things would have been different if we had gotten Frank Gore instead of Murray like we were supposed to. That’s the funniest thing about the whole situation that no one brings up anymore. Murray was never thought to be available at all, it’s only in the 11th hour when we missed out on Gore and found out that Murray’s price was lower than expected that we got him.

    I’m beginning to wonder if his price was lower than expected for a reason, eh guys? Go go GM Chip.

  50. 50 RobNE said at 2:14 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Chip really went out of character when Gore changed his mind and Murray became available. Seems like a panic move. Maybe Chip thought oh no I don’t want to give up on 2015 I need a good RB.

  51. 51 SteveH said at 2:18 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yeah any talk about Murray and why he was brought here really needs to remember the context in which it happened. It looked like a panic consolation prize kind of move then, and it looks like a panic consolation prize kind of move now.

    and what about Chip’s high emphasis on character players? Murray was evidently known to be a bit of an ass, did we decide to suddenly look the other way because we were suddenly desperate for a stud RB? You can’t be hypocritical Chip, it makes people lose faith in you.

    Unless Murray’s legs start looking a lot fresher and he stops bitching to the owner, he’s looking like one of a couple very high priced mistakes Chip the GM made this past offseason.

  52. 52 b3nz0z said at 2:32 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    i mean he’s spoiled and whiny, but never been in any trouble. “character” is a funny thing

  53. 53 SteveH said at 2:53 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Being spoiled and whiny is disruptive to any group, that’s the point of character. Not that they’re choir boys, but that they work well in a group, that they’re good soldiers, that they don’t put themselves before the team, etc.

  54. 54 b3nz0z said at 3:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    i’m just saying that while it’s easy for Kelly to find out that someone headbutted a nun or shoplifted from orphans, it’s not as easy to find out that someone pouts like a child – and i wouldn’t expect the cowboys to be like “whoah chip we can’t let you get this guy because he’ll be a pain in your butt”

  55. 55 SteveH said at 3:30 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I actually think that people in the NFL know a lot more about each other than the public realizes. Just my impression I could be wrong, but based on a few books I’ve read it seems like players/coaches/front office people talk to each other more than is generally understood, it’s the wall of silence and PR that a team puts up between them and the public I guess that kind of leads us to believe that it must be like that between players/coaches/etc.

    Could be wrong, just the impression I get. This is my long way of saying that I imagine that if Demarco was a pain in the butt before, odds are there were at least whispers of it reaching Eagles people.

  56. 56 b3nz0z said at 3:41 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    you might be right. i do feel like there’s more secrecy between division rivals than between, say, us and the dolphins.

  57. 57 anon said at 3:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    everyone complains when they don’t get the ball. I think too much is being made of the murray controversy. I don’t think everything that has happened is Murray’s fault, he’s just gotta sit and work and see what happens next year. The season is over basically. The run game was generally terrible. Mathews had one big run but it’s not like he or sproles was banging out 5yds a clip. You saw what happened when we tried a power run our OL got whooped, i think we lost yardage.

    The real question is why does Nelson Ags continue to play. I’d try another WR. Or just play 2TEs w/ Ertz split out wide b/c right now Ags is just running wind sprints.

  58. 58 JoeBlow said at 2:53 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    when was murray known as an ass prior to coming here? I’ve always heard good things about him, only knock was he had a knack for getting nicked up and missing games

  59. 59 SteveH said at 2:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I’m mostly basing this off of the reports coming out of Dallas… I always assume that the league knows these things before we the fans do. Because of course they do.

  60. 60 JoeBlow said at 2:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    the ones that have just recently come out?

  61. 61 Nelson ALGore said at 3:39 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Ugh GM Chip….

    Thurmond
    Sproles
    Mathews
    Matthews
    Rowe
    Hicks

    Yea what a shitty GM. None of those guys can play. He should be fired this second.

    O yea he also

    Fired Sconces and Fletcher

    I think everything will be just fine if CK fires Billy Avis and Drafts some OL or F/A. I wanted us to get iupati. Am i the only one who laughed at Iuapati vs Cox lol

  62. 62 RobNE said at 2:13 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    but one key point for me is trying to figure out if the Eagles WRs aren’t that good or if Sam Bradford’s slow start and the OL issues made the WRs look worse than they are.

    Both. Hopefully replacing Cooper and another year for the other guys should help, but c’mon the WR’s are just not good enough this year.

  63. 63 anon said at 3:13 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    both. I think the offense will be a lot better with 2 more lineman and a big tub of stickum

  64. 64 Tumtum said at 4:46 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Why is Riley Cooper in the NFL?

  65. 65 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:15 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Like I said, I expect Kiko’s problems to be solved just by being two years removed from the Injury… And Bills game isn’t the only game he made some plays. He was solid for the first half of patriots game, and his second half atruggles is what led the coaches to admit he can’t play 70 snaps per game right now

  66. 66 ACViking said at 3:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Actually . . . that’s not what you said last March after the trade:

    “Be fine. ACL injuries are a dime a dozen: Kiko had about as much time as the prudent time we gave Nerlens noel to heal. I’d be worried about victor Cruz injury or micro fracture but Kiko already proved to over an ACL.. We bet on Maclin because he had already recovered from one ACL and he killed it his first year back. IMO worrying about ACL is kind of outdated.”

    http://igglesblitz.com/2015/03/shady-trade/

  67. 67 P_P_K said at 4:15 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    You got him.
    That’s why I try and delete my archived posts when I’m later proved wrong. Kidding…

  68. 68 Tumtum said at 4:46 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    In his defense it isn’t that big of a move off of his original take. He is just stretching it out a bit further. Much better than doing a complete 180!

  69. 69 Gian GEAGLE said at 8:14 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Talkimg about what I said yesterday, why does what was Said last year mean anything when provided with new intell? A real BLOWHARD sticks to his guns even refusing to take into account new Intel that says otherwis because he is afraid to be wrong, what do I care if some cyber groupie might dig up my post from a year ago like a give the slightest fuck? Lol how pathetic, but flattering none the less… Enjoy
    ..
    Been wrong plenty, and I’ll be wrong again in the future.. Not that interestingk

  70. 70 Tumtum said at 10:16 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    You guys are both pretty good posters here, no need for iggle on iggle crime!

  71. 71 P_P_K said at 2:16 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    What concerns me about Kiko is that he seems out of position a lot, he’s over committing. Maybe that’s just an impression from watching the games live. I wonder how he looks on film.

  72. 72 Mitchell said at 2:29 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I must have missed it but I though Alonso had a partially torn MCL or ACL when he injured it in week 2. Come to find out it was a grade 2 sprain. I was assuming he had a more serious injury this whole time which makes his performance even more baffling.

  73. 73 b3nz0z said at 2:30 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    a sprain is pretty disruptive

  74. 74 TypicalDouche said at 2:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Agreed, especially when coming off a tear.

  75. 75 Flying B-Dawk said at 3:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    A grade 2 sprain is a partial tear. A grade 3 sprain is a complete tear

  76. 76 Mitchell said at 3:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I would have liked to see the scope report to understand the extent of the injury. A grade 2 is a “loosened/pulled” ligament which is referred to as a partial. It seems the 2nd degree is the most variable of all the grades. However, surgery is indicated when the knee becomes unstable and obviously its not or he would be playing.

  77. 77 Tumtum said at 4:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I had a Grade 2 sprain in my knee from my flag football league last year. It took at least 6 months to feel close to normal again.

  78. 78 Mitchell said at 4:54 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Good info. Did you have physical therapy? If not, do you feel it would have sped up the process? Did you do exercises at home? How bad was the sprain? Did you see the images?

  79. 79 Tumtum said at 10:18 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I didn’t do therapy. Hard to say if it would of sped up the healing process. It didn’t really feel like it would of done much. It probably would of though. Honestly though thinking about it, it was really closer to a year before it stopped hurting daily.

  80. 80 JoeBlow said at 3:38 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Any Temple/Eagles fans here who will be watching their bowl game tonight may want to pay attention to WR Alonzo Russell #9 (6’4″ 205) Obviously big body, but a wiry frame similar to Martavis Bryant. He has actually drawn comparisons to Martavis Bryant due to the obvious physical traits but also raises the same questions Bryant did when it comes to things like route running but also just like Bryant has the athleticism to adjust and make great catches. He doesn’t possess the speed Bryant had but is still able to get behind defenses, he will probably run in the low 4.5 range, has long strides. He has caught the ball better than Bryant did in college. Other question marks will be his competition (maybe see another Nfl talent lined up across from him in Tavon Young tonight) and his mediocre production, although the talent at QB is not ideal. He is considered a day 3 pick with a lot of upside

  81. 81 BobSmith77 said at 3:55 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I would put Huff into the ‘lose cause’ at this point at WR. Just is a RB who game and ability doesn’t translate into a starting-caliber WR.

    Agholor gets an ‘incomplete’ but given how badly he has struggled at times with press coverage (including on Sunday vs Peterson) he needs to get stronger this offseason.

  82. 82 anon said at 3:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    def needs to hit that weight room hard. Huff is good, needs to be more a possession receiver. All of these guys need to go work w/ randy moss or TO or something learn how to run routes.

  83. 83 BobSmith77 said at 4:17 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Saying that about Huff since he has been drafted. He has been healthy this year for the most with ample opportunity. Maybe the light goes on but I tend to doubt it. Tend to think Huff is going to go down as a terrible draft pick.

    Hard to take away much about Agholor one way or another because of the injury and historically what WRs do in their 1st year in the NFL.

  84. 84 Tumtum said at 4:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Disagree about Huff. Hopefully they will build off of his success this week for the remainder of the season. If not year 3 will be huge for him. If he repeats this production next season, he is a bust.

  85. 85 BobSmith77 said at 4:45 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I was hoping Huff would have a ‘breakout year’ of sorts but he hasn’t. If he wasn’t going to do it this year against such crappy competition (Cooper/Austin), I don’t ever see him doing it.

    Spoke volumes to me about what the coaching staff thought of Huff when he couldn’t usurp more of Cooper/Austin’s playing time.

  86. 86 Tumtum said at 10:20 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Remember how his season started. Got hurt early, and then missed time due to his best friend dying. Coaches didn’t like that. He also had a problem, like everyone else, dropping passes.

    Last 3 games will be big for him.

  87. 87 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 4:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Is it their route running or is It because they run the same routes over and over each game.

  88. 88 daveH said at 4:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Ibthink Huff is still in play . Can do slot andvwith injuriy reality he can see plenty of playing time. Better than many players we had to endure. .

  89. 89 CryEaglesCry said at 4:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    There is no way they can trust Chip to make another first round selection. There is nobody good he has drafted no matter how many excuses anyone makes.

  90. 90 MattE said at 4:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Lane Johnson you fuckin idiot.

  91. 91 JoeBlow said at 5:27 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    duh that was Howie, but somehow Marcus Smith was Chip’s pick

  92. 92 MattE said at 5:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Howie. Go home.

  93. 93 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 4:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Huff been our most productive WR when given the chance this year. His targets have been ridiculously low. Not sure how you can call him a last cause. Hey may not be as consistent as you want be the guy can play the position.

  94. 94 wee2424 said at 5:09 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I dont by any means think he is a lost cause. I actually think he is better then his numbers dictate. That being said part of the reason his targets are low is because he may have difficulty getting open. He always struck me as a player that you may need to scheme to get open and then let him RAC as opposed to him consistently beating the DB to get open.

  95. 95 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 5:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Guy is hardly ever on the field. Every time he makes a nice play he has been subbed out for Cooper or Austin. I thought he 1 or 2 good grabs in traffic against the Cards. He’s not superstar but the guy can make plays

  96. 96 wee2424 said at 7:58 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    I don’t dispute that claim by any means. He is alot better then many believe. I do think he should have been on the field more over Austin and currently over Cooper. From what I can tell I think he has also improved on his hands.

    With all that said I don’t think coming out of college he was a “natural receiver” by any means. Last year especially he looked more like a RB catching the ball then a WR. Again to his credit he has improved on that. His route running was poor last year, and once again to his credit he has improved on that as well.

    His route running still needs improvement and so does his ability to beat the jam at the line. Both will assist him in getting open. He doesn’t have the God given tools to consistently get open on the NFL level, but it is something he can definitely work on.

    He has had good moments this year, but like everyone on offense he has not been consistent with it. Like you alluded to Chip may have alot to do with that as far as play calling and subs. I do reiterate alot of that also has to do with him still being somewhat raw and having issues getting open. He is not a player you can throw to when they are open but covered at the same time.

    I think he is a player BB would really like as long as his hands improve. I really don’t ever see a 1000 yard season from him, but I can picture a 700-800 yard season at some point as long as his development continues. QB play of course would have alot to do with that as well.

    I personally think his talents are being wasted on the outside. As much as I like Mathews on the inside I think it would be best for the team to have him move outside and place Huff in the slot. His abilities are meant more for the slot then outside, and it covers some of his weaknesses. He wouldn’t be jammed as much, the DBs he would face would generally be less physically imposing, and he wouldn’t be put into 50/50 ball situations in which I don’t think he can win.

  97. 97 daveH said at 3:56 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Tons of injuries. Roster turnover. new scheme and change is nothing for chip .. can you f in imagibe that a pro gm and head coach does not put a max cap on that !!!!
    Well said Tommy you just gave me the quintessential sentance that i feared allvsummer. Like fat andys massive turover just pointless… what a jack sss.. yet he csnvspinbit however to atay emploted and xssh his next fat payceck.
    Msn, being an Eagles fan makes me HATE coaches

  98. 98 BobSmith77 said at 4:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Really liked the McCoy trade at the time because I was highly dubious he would ever repeat what he did in ’13. Also thought they he had 1 or maybe 2 good years (Top 10 RB) left.

    Alonso was slowing coming back than originally though, just started to round into shape, and then suffered another serious knee injury. I’d bet it comes out after the season he was playing hurt this year & has largely lost confidence in himself too because of his physical condition.

    Agree with others on there that the issue was what happened after the McCoy trade with not getting Gore, having money & a need so they signed Murray, and got themselves back to square one by having way too much money tied up at RB. A couple of NFL guys cited GMs in the preseason who kind of laughed/seriously questioned Kelly putting so much money at RB. They turned out to be dead right.

  99. 99 anon said at 5:39 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    McCoy isn’t even the best RB on his team.

  100. 100 Tumtum said at 4:38 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Vote of confidence given there at the end of the post for Huff and Agholor. Matthews got the snub. Intentional?

  101. 101 BobSmith77 said at 4:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Matthews has gone a ton of crap this year especially early on when he had a few huge drops. I don’t think he has really under-performed that badly this year though given what I expected out of him. Just is not a legit No 1 WR or deep threat. Very good slot WR who certainly is a useful NFL WR.

    Problem has been Agholor/Huff didn’t give the Eagles what they hoped this year and Cooper/Austin played like the bums I expected them to be. Austin was even worse than I thought even though I hated that signing because I figured he would get hurt & missed a fair amount of time.

  102. 102 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 4:53 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Huff is barely on the field. Outside of 2 drops he’s been good whenever the ball has been thrown his way. And Agholor is a rookie. I don’t know why people assumed he would come in and be Maclin in year 1. And he doesnt have very many targets either.

    I think Matthews has been the biggest disappointment. He has a ton of drops over the first half of the season and still has occasional drops. It looks like he was pressing and took a step back this year.

    I think the guy against the Cards is closer to the player he can be. I also don’t buy the notion he is just a “slot” guy. I think he would be an outside WR on any other team

  103. 103 anon said at 5:38 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    saw a stat that matthews over 2 years has like most catches ever for a 2nd year player, or something like that.

  104. 104 CryEaglesCry said at 4:48 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    If Chip Kelly is not fired at the end of the season, can someone explain to me how they become good and start winning next year?

    If Chip comes back and they have another season like this one, do you fire him then?

    I don’t see the point in keeping him another year and there is noway in hell I would even let him in the draft room if I was the owner. I think Chip will be fired.

  105. 105 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 4:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Why give Chip all that power and let him get rid of all the guys he got rid of if the owner is just going to cut bait already…

    Do I agree with half the stuff Chip has done? No. But I don’t see the owner firing Chip this year.

  106. 106 CryEaglesCry said at 4:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    How will they be better next year? Overhaul the roster again?

  107. 107 MattE said at 5:01 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yeah dude, duh…. what an idiot!

  108. 108 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 5:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    LOL. Teams do improve…. I’m not saying this team will turn into the Seahawks…. but I see no reason to believe this team is ruined beyond repair.

  109. 109 TypicalDouche said at 5:03 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    ‘Continuity’ may be a word he’s never heard of Will. Also I guess free agency and the draft also don’t exist for a team to get better.

  110. 110 CryEaglesCry said at 5:03 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Dream team!

  111. 111 MattE said at 5:04 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Roseman… dude…. come on dont you have anything better to do?

  112. 112 CryEaglesCry said at 5:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    oh wait these awesome drafts we keep having with Chip Kelly….yeah lots of players there.,..oh wait we dont even have a second round pick!!!!

  113. 113 MattE said at 5:06 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Howie, Please leave Chip alone the whole “ex-gf thats still butthurt” look is not good.

  114. 114 MattE said at 5:06 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    i will concede a bit that we definitely do need to draft some bodies on the OL.

  115. 115 TypicalDouche said at 5:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I absolutely agree buddy and according to IB’s great resident o-line advisor, D3FB, this is a draft that is pretty loaded with talented o-line prospects and many that will be available in the later rounds of the draft.

  116. 116 MattE said at 5:10 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    yeah that guy knows his shit. I think though however we do draft a “different type of OL” however. We are much keener on mobile lineman…. even when Big red was still around his screen game needed that type of OL. Kelce I think will bounce back and I think JP has another 12-14 games in him next year no problem (even if he moves to guard?). Johnson is fine… obviously the Mathis debacle was costly.

  117. 117 CryEaglesCry said at 5:12 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Mistake after mistake after mistake. Boykin Mathis Mccoy Jackson Bradford Maclin. So many mistakes..

  118. 118 MattE said at 5:25 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    at least you spelled everything correctly

  119. 119 MattE said at 9:23 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    you’re a mistake.

  120. 120 TypicalDouche said at 5:14 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Well I am starting to think Chip may invest in a “road-grader” type blocking guard, which I hope he does invest in. Having at least one of those type of mauling guards could help offset Kelce’s smaller stature. JP at guard has to happen or he has to shift to the bench because he no longer has ‘it’ physically to be out on an island by himself. As for the Mathis situation, at first it was a terrible decision but watching his time in Denver and him looking like Matt Tobin then maybe it doesn’t look too bad.

  121. 121 CryEaglesCry said at 5:16 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Who’s going to be their QB? It sure seems Bradford isn’t going to stick around.

  122. 122 CryEaglesCry said at 5:03 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The offensive line is suddenly going to be good? We are going to get Brandon Boykin back? The Brandon Boykin trade was such a disastrous move. Mistake after mistake after mistake. The only stud player we have is Fletcher Cox and unfortunately he is on the field WAY too often.

  123. 123 MattE said at 5:04 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    howie enough already!

  124. 124 MattE said at 5:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    …Howie go get a job already.

  125. 125 MattE said at 4:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Is this Howie Roseman?

  126. 126 TypicalDouche said at 4:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Troll. Don’t waste your time Matt.

  127. 127 MattE said at 5:00 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    inevitable, he comes back over and over… its better to insult his intelligence. I bet that dude reads at a 1st grade level lol.

  128. 128 MattE said at 5:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    …when i get thrown out of bars i immediately attack the bouncers reading skills because it confuses them while making them angry, but not violent lol

  129. 129 TypicalDouche said at 5:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    He only comes during eagles losses, when they win he is nowhere to be found. Not that anybody is really looking for him anyways. 1st grade level? I think you’re giving too much credit there lol.

  130. 130 MattE said at 5:03 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    why is “illiterate” such a big word? Illiterate people are now known as Trolls lol.

  131. 131 Aaron said at 6:00 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    i understand his post though, chip seems lost in the nfl

  132. 132 TypicalDouche said at 6:04 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I wouldn’t translate having his 1st bad season as an NFL coach to him being lost in the NFL. To elaborate maybe he was in over his head with GM duties but a man of such intelligence I am sure he will learn from his mistakes.

  133. 133 anon said at 6:11 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Growing pains. Arians is a grizzled NFL vet that went to a team w/ tons of a talent. He’d proven in Pitt and Indy that he had an offense that would work.

    Chip was a gamble, but we wanted a program builder a guy that would be here for 10+ yrs. You gotta see how he responds to adversity. You can’t fire him after one year.

  134. 134 The original AG said at 10:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I love that he didn’t appear after the two wins against NE and Buffalo. He’s not a very good troll.

  135. 135 CryEaglesCry said at 5:16 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The whole reason Brandon Boykin hasn’t sniffed the field til now is so that the Steelers wouldn’t have to give up a fourth round pick. The Eagles are getting a fifth round pick and need Boykin so bad now. Mistake after mistake after mistake….

  136. 136 MattE said at 5:29 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Howie, Howie, Howie.

  137. 137 b3nz0z said at 5:44 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    some folks just choose to see the world through Roseman colored glasses

  138. 138 CryEaglesCry said at 5:18 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Reply to this post with a mistake Chip Kelly has made. Ill start.

  139. 139 CryEaglesCry said at 5:19 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    1. Not holding training camp at Lehigh

  140. 140 botto said at 5:33 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    brilliant waste of time guy.

  141. 141 since1961 said at 8:27 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    After almost a day of steely discipline, you win the “I love to feed the troll” award.

  142. 142 botto said at 8:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    yeah i’m bored.

  143. 143 MattE said at 5:26 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Howie, we know you hate Chip. Let it go, move on.

  144. 144 botto said at 5:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    1. sorry howie

  145. 145 CryEaglesCry said at 5:39 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    2. Drafting Zach Ertz

  146. 146 MattE said at 5:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Howie. STFU

  147. 147 botto said at 5:28 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    man Wolff is on the Jags now. good luck to him. I hope he doesn’t turn into the next BDAWK over there

  148. 148 anon said at 5:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I’m surprised they didn’t call him back given all the DB injuries.

  149. 149 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 5:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Id take Wolff over Reynolds

  150. 150 TypicalDouche said at 5:39 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Really? I wouldn’t take a guy that cant stay healthy over a guy that has been healthy but just hasn’t seen the field. Reynolds was by far the better collegiate player.

  151. 151 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 5:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Assuming he’s finally healthy of course…

  152. 152 TypicalDouche said at 5:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Must be a depth/future signing because I don’t see Wolff beating out Josh Evans or Johnathen Cyprien next year.

  153. 153 JoeBlow said at 5:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Fantasy question: I am in the championship this week. My two quarterbacks are Big Ben and Blake Bortles……Bortles plays the Saints who give up the most fantasy points to QB’s. Big Ben plays the Ravens who are 7th most ranked, both ideal opponents and the Steelers are in a playoff race. My opponent has Antonio Brown on their team…..should i go with Bortles who has been hot and is playing the worst pass defense in the league or Big Ben who is also going against a weak pass d, just not the worst, and also negates a bit of Browns production?

  154. 154 anon said at 5:44 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    an embarrassment of riches.

  155. 155 JoeBlow said at 5:52 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    ….i didn’t tell you about my RB situation….Ryan Mathews and Denard Robinson are my best options

  156. 156 TypicalDouche said at 6:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I would go Big Ben just based off the your opponent having Brown so it helps offset any TDs he may score on you. Also as good as Bortles has been, you can never go wrong with Ben. Best of luck to you in the finals. I am the ship as well in 2 leagues with one being $5000 to the winner, so as you can imagine I am hoping to win that league.

  157. 157 JoeBlow said at 6:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Thanks, and good luck to you too!

    Our first prize is a fraction of that, so i hope you win, that type of coin comes in handy during this time of year…..hell any time of year

  158. 158 TypicalDouche said at 6:09 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Thank you friend, much appreciated.
    ..
    Oh yea anytime you have a chance at that kind of money you have take advantage of it. Regardless though I would be just as serious if it were for $100, I just love fantasy that much. Here’s to hoping we have a convo next week about how we both came out on top.

  159. 159 Allen3000 said at 6:14 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    This post should have been titled ‘Finding Kiko’

  160. 160 Media Mike said at 6:17 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Kiko’s horrible play is really frustrating. He’d better be back to his top of the league from 2013 play next year or we’ve got a major problem.

  161. 161 TypicalDouche said at 6:30 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    As long as the legend of Jordan Hicks continues next year I wouldn’t be too upset if Kiko really is shot physically and mentally. As bad as Kendricks has been, he’s been an upgrade over Kiko and with the return of Hicks, Kiko might see himself riding that pine pony if he doesn’t return to his 2013 self.

  162. 162 Media Mike said at 6:31 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I don’t have much faith in Hicks playing a full season until I see it. Not that he can’t, but one truly isn’t over being “injury prone” until they start really stringing games together.

  163. 163 TypicalDouche said at 6:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Oh I agree but with the Eagles current ILB situation, every player is injury prone so at this point I try to look passed that and just focus on what they do give the team on the field. If Hicks can give the Eagles 12-14 games a year or at the least next year I would be happy.

  164. 164 Media Mike said at 6:35 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The fact that all of these guys have missed time is really brutal.

  165. 165 TypicalDouche said at 6:38 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Also the refusal to play a healthy Najee Goode is very frustrating. Goode has given the Eagles solid ILB play anytime opportunity has been given to him, yet Kiko keeps getting put out there and just shitting the bed.

  166. 166 Media Mike said at 6:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The general failure to maximize the achievement of the players on D is my number one reason for wanting Billy Davis gone.

  167. 167 TypicalDouche said at 6:45 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I’m up and down in regard to Davis. On one hand I want him gone because of your exact reasoning, then on the other hand I would like to keep him one more year based solely on the fact that he knows the players he has and that might help with continuity. Now if Chip can lure in an established d-coordinator I would be very happy but how often does a good d-coordinator leave that position for the same position on another team and would one even want to come to Philly knowing that his defense will be on the field a majority of the game.

  168. 168 Media Mike said at 6:52 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I just see a DC who cant’ adapt to save his rear end. I’d love to take a chance with a young guy withe some creativity if we can’t get a top notch established DC.

  169. 169 TypicalDouche said at 6:52 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Agree brother.

  170. 170 AsianEagle said at 10:12 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I see Chip leaning towards signing a up upcoming young college coach or an nfl position coach. Will he give his new DC the latitude to build & run his D? Perhaps that’s the plan for season 2.0. I honesty don’t see Jeff Lurie stripping Howie of personnel duties without a 4/5 year plan from Chip. I regard this season as season 1.0 since now he sets the evaluation criteria for the draft & free agency.

  171. 171 anon said at 6:53 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Tough options are (a) promote a guy from college OR nfl position coach, (b) get another davis or (c) get a guy who was fired as head coach.

  172. 172 TypicalDouche said at 6:55 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Honestly out of those options I think a fired head coach would be the best possibility. Anyone remember how good Pagano was as a defensive coach? Off the top of my head I don’t but it landed him a head coaching gig so he must of had some success and he is most likely done after this year. Also seems like the kind of guy Chip would be enamored with based off personality and what he’s been through.

  173. 173 Media Mike said at 6:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Odds are a team in need of a head coach will hire Pagano right away. I think it is really obvious that Indy is struggling because of Grigson’s poor moves.

  174. 174 TypicalDouche said at 6:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I couldn’t agree more that the blame should shift more to Grigson putting together one of the least talented teams in the NFL. As for Pagano it is a definite possibility he gets another job as a head honcho, I was just speaking hypothetically and he was the 1st head coach that may be fired that was a defensive coach to pop into my head.

  175. 175 JoeBlow said at 7:03 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Pagano has a background of a secondary coach once he got into the NFL. John Harbaugh hired him to his staff in 2008 when Baltimore hired him. Pagano improved the Ravens pass defense once Greg Mattison went to Michigan and he took over D-Coordinator duties. I really like the guy and think he got a raw deal in Indy because the GM Ryan Grigson is an asshat who gave his franchise QB no protection up front and chased over the hill skill players. I would welcome Chuck Pagano with open arms. His brother John coaches the D in San Diego and doesn’t have a whole bunch of talent there and the D has suffered, but does play well at times

  176. 176 TypicalDouche said at 7:05 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Thanks for the insight Joe. I do remember more now about him. I would take either him or his brother in a heartbeat.

  177. 177 dandynator said at 8:54 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    I remember back when he was the dc in baltimore the ravens used to be my second favorite team because of reed lewis suggs and the cbs, i use to follow them religiously. For the time he was there(2 years i think) the defense was ballin’ . I remember being sad seing him go to indy because of the way the d played under him compared to some of the underwelming results of the previous greg mattison D with basically the same players.

  178. 178 daveH said at 7:24 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    OR as in oregon ? Nooooooooo

  179. 179 TypicalDouche said at 7:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    lol I am pretty sure he meant either promote a guy from college or promote an nfl assistant coach. No Oregon coaches.

  180. 180 daveH said at 7:22 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Maybe chip can bring in a D coordinator from O and pay him a nice chunk o.money and he can spend the next few years w the eagles figuring it out

  181. 181 Allen3000 said at 6:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    In my opinion he doesn’t need to be at an all-pro level, but I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect him to be playing at an above average to elite level. Did Chip not try to sell us on the idea that he was an elite LB???

    If he doesn’t return remotely close to his previous level due to injuries then Chip really needs to examine his scouting abilities.

  182. 182 anon said at 6:52 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I think he’s elite, i think between the knee, trying to do too much, in a d he hasn’t had time to learn, etc. My real issue is Kendricks. He’s been 3 years in the system and he’s still pretty terrible.

  183. 183 Bob Brewer said at 6:45 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Why would anyone believe in Huff? He’s shown nothing. I can wait on Agholot, but to me he’s another mediocre Eagle supposed “#1 WR.”

  184. 184 Media Mike said at 6:46 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Must resist urge to bury rookie before year 3
    must resist urge to bury rookie before year 3

  185. 185 Bob Brewer said at 6:49 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The way rookie WRs play now, I expect a little more after almost 2 years.

  186. 186 Joe Minx said at 6:50 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Antonio Brown only had 167 yards his rookie year. Cut that bum.

    And no, I am not saying Agholor = Brown

  187. 187 Bob Brewer said at 6:51 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    It’s Huff’s second year.

  188. 188 TypicalDouche said at 6:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    He’s shown nothing because his opportunities have been close to none. I would bet that if he was on the field as much as Agholor against the Cards he would of put up some type of numbers instead of the goose egg Agholor put up.

  189. 189 Mitchell said at 6:52 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Saying Huff has shown nothing is flat out wrong. With his limited touches this year he still has 3 tds and when given the chance is a good return man.

  190. 190 Cafone said at 2:09 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    The Eagles are 27th in average kick return yardage.

  191. 191 Mitchell said at 8:24 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Josh Huff is 14th on the leader board with 18 attempts for 418 yards avering 23.2 yards an attempt. I think part of it is we havent had a return for a td this year like many other teams and it seems like there is a decreased number of chances for his to return the ball due to touchbacks. Im not sure if Im just noticing it since the rule, kickers continue to improve or yhe kickers we play against can kick TB better than others. Decreased chances equals decrease chance for a big run. Im not gonna put a whole units struggle on 1 guy. Weve seen what he can do in the past.

  192. 192 MattE said at 9:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Huff is very physical/angry runner… not sure why he hasn’t gotten more looks. I think ultimately Huff/Ags RAC ability will be greater than J.Matts

  193. 193 MattE said at 9:21 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Matthews/Ertz should be developing more as RZ targets.

  194. 194 Allen3000 said at 6:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Part of me really wants to believe that Ags can develop into a top flight or at least 80catches/1000yd WR. However, the results this year are dreadful. I know WRs often take time to develop, but what exactly will happen between this year and next year to prove he was worthy of a 1st pick? I still have plenty of confidence in Ags though. Just hoping he’s not the next Marquise Lee.

    I’m sorry if I sound like a broken record but it really infuriates me that Chip made this into a position of need due to his own actions. Star WRs don’t grow on trees and he pretty much sent the message to the team that he can just plug anyone into the system and things will run efficiently. WRONG. You need great players to make the system work and great players are hard to find.
    Did he honestly think that he would simply draft a stud WR in the 1st round and that WR would fit right in as our #1 WR? What from 2014 led him to believe that Huff was ready to make a huge leap in the #2 role? And if he did think Huff was ready, why didn’t he play him more? Why oh why is Riley Cooper making millions of dollars? If having a blocking WR is that essential to your offense, then why not put the same emphasis on your OL????? Anyway I digress….

  195. 195 Media Mike said at 6:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I totally hear what you’re saying, but I saw this team win 11 games with Charles Johnson and Torrance Small and 12 games with Stinkson and Trash.

    I think the interior line being a massive bunch of feeble losers is the bigger problem.

  196. 196 Allen3000 said at 7:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I hear you too. I’m trying to give Chip the benefit of the doubt, but I really can’t seem to understand some of his moves. He gets rid of DJax for a host of reasons. Okay. He takes a hard line stance with JMac and refuses to even slightly overpay him. That to me sends the message that WR isn’t THAT important of a position to him. Yet, he’s taken 3 WRs very early in the draft (4 if you count Ertz too). Some may disagree, but I don’t think we are seeing a great return on our investment especially when you take into consideration that we had great talent in place and what we missed in the draft (OL, DBs, LBs, etc.).

  197. 197 Media Mike said at 7:09 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    We’ll know what he really things of those guys when we see what types of 2nd contracts they get (or don’t get) here.

  198. 198 anon said at 7:12 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    He clearly had a lot of WR money tied up that he wanted to allocate to other positions / thought he could get from ertz.

    Chip had philosophies that he was testing in the NFL. Some work, some dont work, it’s really trial and error. I also think chip got a little ahead of himself and i think the beat down this year is what he needed, we’ll have to see how he responds.

  199. 199 Allen3000 said at 7:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Well, I sincerely hope this is a learning experience that he not only grows from, but is able to correct. Unfortunately, we have far more holes on this roster than we did 2 years ago.

    Another beef I have with his handling of the WRs….He knew damn well that the difference between Maclin and Huff/Cooper was immense. Far more immense than between Cooper and Brad Smith. Why not cut a guy like Cooper and resign a guy like Brad Smith on the cheap so you have more $$$ to extend Maclin???

  200. 200 anon said at 7:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    fools gold. Coop played well in his contract year. Seemed to have a good rapport w/ Foles, $4m not outrageous. Brad jones was terrible and was replaced.

  201. 201 RobNE said at 10:25 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Cooper’s contract was guaranteed

  202. 202 Cafone said at 2:07 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Pinkston and Thrash would start on this team

  203. 203 anon said at 7:00 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    umm matthews came in an had 800/10 from the slot. Pre-season Ags looked pretty good. But playing outside he just got lost against big-time corners.

    I also think that since he was second string most of the summer he didn’t get the time needed w/ sammy b. gotta give these guys another year.

  204. 204 daveH said at 7:17 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    You barely started the W T F Chip list

  205. 205 Daniel said at 6:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I have never seen an LB consistently overshoot gaps like Kiko does. Really frustrating for someone so hyped.

    Maybe it’s rust, but it’s not the knee – he just doesn’t know where to position.

  206. 206 Media Mike said at 6:59 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Did you forget Trotter?

  207. 207 A_T_G said at 9:18 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I was going to go with Ernie Sims.

  208. 208 MattE said at 9:18 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    oye.

  209. 209 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:00 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    There’s a shark in the water.

  210. 210 A Roy said at 1:28 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Yup.

  211. 211 Tumtum said at 10:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Bite your tounge! I am not a jersey guy. Only 2 I have ever bought were Trotter and Dawkins (though I would go for a throwback White).

  212. 212 daveH said at 7:11 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    no kiko no meco

  213. 213 TypicalDouche said at 8:11 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Fletcher Cox has been named to the Pro Bowl roster. Sproles also has been named to the pro bowl as a punt returner. Really upset my boy Jenkins didn’t make it but with Mathieu getting hurt hopefully Jenk can take his spot.

  214. 214 MattE said at 10:42 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    why did JP make the Pro-Bowl…. right it’s a joke lol. Fletch makin 1st Team All-Pro would be great.

  215. 215 Anders said at 3:10 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    There isnt really any great LTs this year and players like Peters always make 2-3 on merit alone.

  216. 216 TypicalDouche said at 8:15 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Bennie Logan – DL – Eagles

    Eagles NT Bennie Logan could miss the rest of the season with a calf injury.

    The injury must have happened in Sunday’s loss to Arizona. Logan has been a solid run defender this year and won’t be easy to replace. Beau Allen is next up on the depth chart at nose tackle.

    Source: Derrick Gunn on Twitter


    So no Logan and most likely no Maxwell and Rowe, oh boy this is going to fun to watch.

  217. 217 Gian GEAGLE said at 8:24 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    I have emotionally checked out at this point, might as well let the misery pile on..

    jaylen Watkins and EJ Biggers on Desean and Garcon for 60 minutes is the straw that broke the camels back
    ..
    We got 40mil contract we can’t get out of invested in our #4RB, don’t get much worse Than that
    ..
    ILB was a strength, yet we lost our 3rd round riook and all the ILB forgot how to play football
    ..
    Our Interiror OL can’t get push
    ..
    Might as well Bench SAM and save him for next year before we get him killed

  218. 218 botto said at 8:32 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    seriously. but just one more game for sam at least, we can spoil the season for the skins and be happy

  219. 219 TypicalDouche said at 8:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Perfectly said.

  220. 220 Gian GEAGLE said at 8:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    The only thing that might get me to not throw in the towel, and answer the bell for the 12round, bite down on my mouth piece and keep swinging for one more week is that Fat piece of shitt, Chris Baker talking shit about how they will celebrate their division title in Philly Saturday night… He is the one skin I hate as much as Desean
    ..
    After Baker said that, these players better not let that fat prick celebrate in Philly.
    ..
    If Bellichick was our coach he would show that quote to his players 20 times q day TIL sunday, and have his players ready to do anything to not let the fat prick win
    ..
    After what Baker said, shame on this team if they don’t defend the Linc saturday

  221. 221 Tumtum said at 10:41 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Link to that please. I need some fre in my belly.

  222. 222 fran35 said at 8:11 PM on December 23rd, 2015:

    But we don’t have Belicheck. Chip will have a smoothie and chill.

  223. 223 Tumtum said at 10:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yet if we win this game we probably lock up the division and make the play offs.

  224. 224 MattE said at 10:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    …and play Seattle lol.

  225. 225 Tumtum said at 10:46 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yeah. Wouldn’t it be karma to upset them. They went at 7/9, and won a game.

  226. 226 fran35 said at 8:09 PM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Wait, you are lamenting personnel moves? Not quite as bullish on Chip the GM? Dude, it is way too early in the offseason for you to be despondent. If you aren’t careful, you may ready to jump off the Commodore Barry by Saturday evening. In Chip We Trust.

  227. 227 botto said at 8:31 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    rowe will play

  228. 228 TypicalDouche said at 8:32 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Well that’s some good news.

  229. 229 Gian GEAGLE said at 8:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    He is already out of concussion protocol?

  230. 230 MattE said at 9:22 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    McCoy was injured multiple times this year…i’d say the trade is even and the only plus side is Kiko was under his rookie contract.

  231. 231 MattE said at 9:23 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    IMO McCoy hasnt been anything special in Buffalo, just getting the ball fed to him.

  232. 232 DrFeelgood said at 9:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    yeah its totally even….a linebacker that can’t get off blocks and runs away from tackling and should be cut….in fact it was a great trade for the eagles….right?

  233. 233 MattE said at 10:35 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    did i say great? No. get off me brah.

  234. 234 Honest_T said at 7:20 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Kiko was rehabbing all summer and didn’t learn the D. Add another injury on top of it and I’m not surprised he’s struggling.

  235. 235 The original AG said at 9:34 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    https://twitter.com/wgsmit3/status/679363064186077184

  236. 236 P_P_K said at 9:00 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    That must be some rare and obscure record.

  237. 237 The original AG said at 9:47 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Well some good news.

    https://twitter.com/LesBowen/status/678953728288923648

  238. 238 The original AG said at 9:51 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    And this about sums up the Eagles season…

    https://twitter.com/CSNPhilly/status/679492196161204224

  239. 239 RobNE said at 10:22 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    well that would explain why his play seems to have dropped

  240. 240 Tumtum said at 10:37 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Yep. Bet this lingered for a month.

  241. 241 DrFeelgood said at 9:56 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Lawlor making excuses for the someone playing linebacker at historically terrible levels and running away from tackle opps…….big surprise coming from Chips #1 fan

  242. 242 MattE said at 10:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Dude, don’t talk crap about Lawlor. He is a good writer.

  243. 243 MattE said at 10:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    ….it’s Mr. Lawlor to you.

  244. 244 The original AG said at 10:53 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    You know if it bothers you that much, you could just not come here.

  245. 245 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:02 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Can’t we just fast forward to January and hire Sean Payton as our next HC already?

  246. 246 Tumtum said at 10:36 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Dont get your hopes up.

  247. 247 MattE said at 10:40 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    If i ever have kids they are gonna be Eagles fans. I want kids who are mentally tough lol.

  248. 248 P_P_K said at 8:59 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    I grew up in Philly and acknowledge there is no known cure to being an Eagles fan. I now live with my family in the heart of Patriots country, and my 13 year-old son bleeds Eagles green. He never misses a game and proudly wears his Eagles gear around town. While the other local kids get to celebrate the endless streak of Pats winning seasons and Super Bowl wins, he gets to celebrate, well, the unique experience of being an Eagles fan. Neither he nor I would want it any other way.

  249. 249 justanotherdummy said at 11:07 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    For anybody that is interested, I think Chip poached a fair bit of his passing game from the Air Raid boys. The Washington State website has some good info on formations, routes, options etc. I haven’t figured out how much WCO influence Shurmur has had on the NFL version of Chip’s Blur, still trying to make sense of it.

  250. 250 The original AG said at 11:43 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    Shurmur and Davis – IMO – were hires because he thought he had all the answers and didn’t think he’d need much input from them with the guys he brought in. Problem is that neither were very good coordinators before joining up with Kelly, and neither are good coordinators with him.

    I’m hoping Chip learns his lesson this year and brings in some fresh minds to help him. No coach can be an island. Maybe Belichik, but he’s got way more years than Kelly, so Kelly has to get some other good people around him to be successful. And get an offensive line. And a new WR coach. Someone to teach tackling. Someone to teach catching. Someone to slow down the pace on offense. Possibly willing to change his defensive philosophy. Possibly willing to run Murray up the middle more.

    Besides all that, I think he’s got a chance to do much better next year.

  251. 251 anon said at 11:58 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    or b/c he wanted guys w/ pro experience that would also input his scheme. problem is both those guys are too basic to be successful. agree chip needs to get a real oc/dc combo.

  252. 252 justanotherdummy said at 12:08 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Shurmur is there to help Chip transition to the NFL game. He knew there was a possibility that what he planned wasn’t going to work, he needed an NFL guy closeby. The mesh and shallow crossing routes are all old school Air Raid, so is the four verticals and back shoulder throws that have become to prevalent. But he knew he needed a bigger playbook so he gets a guy who is school trained by another WCO/Air Raid disciple, none other than ol’ Big Red. Davis was there to transition the defense from a 4-3 to the 3-4, by way of the 4-3 under front. Chip wants to run between the tackles, that’s why Murray is here. He fixes the interior of the line, then ramps up the IZR and the whole show gets underway again. “Chip learns his lesson” Do you really think he hasn’t noticed that this year hasn’t been a resounding success? Come on, be smarter than that.

  253. 253 The original AG said at 12:11 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    TBF – he consistently ran Murray to the outside – not his strength. He constantly goes fast when his offense isn’t clicking. Riley Cooper gets more time than guys that get better separation.

    I hope he learned his lesson, but this was a painful season. I think he’s been outcoached at times. Not running Murray on 4th and 1 is maddening.

    You’re probably right, but I don’t have to like what I’ve watched this season – inconsistency and some bad judgment calls.

  254. 254 justanotherdummy said at 12:30 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    I don’t think he started running to the edges until he realized that the guards weren’t going to hold up well enough to get the inside run game going. Check the first two games again, and recall how quickly the bad guys were coming over the walls early in the season. They had to start running wide because they had so much trouble punching holes inside. I think Chip figured he would use the OZR as Murray’s go to play just like the stretch they run in Dallas. Then the O Line incinerated and that plan went sailing out the window. They could have the Nigerian Nightmare on that 4th and 1 play and it wasn’t going to fly. They were outnumbered 6-4 on the play side with an extra run support guy coming in late. Didn’t matter who ran the ball, Cards did a really good job on it.

  255. 255 Honest_T said at 7:15 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    You could almost sense his frustration in his last press conference when he talked about the “inconsistencies” in the offense. It sounded like he had no confidence in his OL to block anyone, and only slightly more confidence the WR could catch. I’m eeger to see the changes he makes in the off-season and the talent the new scouts bring in.

  256. 256 justanotherdummy said at 8:38 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    I’m guessing they sign a mid tier FA guard, draft a RT first round and another O linemen later on. Then you flip LJ over to the left, have a bunch of guys competeing at the guard spots (new blood, not all the same guys from this year) and the rookie takes the RT position. Hopefully that gets the inside zone going again.

  257. 257 bill said at 8:42 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    That’s the preferred plan, IMO. Of course, executing it is a different story. BPA is the right strategy for the draft, but they almost have to draft a RT with their first, because I don’t see any FAs that will be a good option. There’s always a possibility for an “out of the blue” trade, I guess.

  258. 258 justanotherdummy said at 2:54 PM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Yeah, I struggle with that. BPA is the way to go, it seems the most reliable method. But holy smokes they need O line help. I wish Jake Fisher had fallen to the 3rd last year.

  259. 259 anon said at 11:57 PM on December 22nd, 2015:

    big bennie logan out roy. we might as well shut the team down. down nt, two corners against was. at least now they might put my boy bair in.

  260. 260 The original AG said at 12:08 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    He’ll have a killer week this week. It seems Chip isn’t utilizing his players to their strengths, which coincidentally is something he says he always does.

  261. 261 The original AG said at 12:19 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    For those of you up this late, this LA/SJ game is pretty good so far. Hockey that is.

  262. 262 Anders said at 3:12 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Its great the Fletcher Cox is already a pro bowler, 3-4 DEs rarely makes the pro bowl this fast unless they are of the HoF type.

  263. 263 Media Mike said at 5:32 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Best news from the Pro Bowl; Eli didn’t make it and isn’t one of the named alternates.

    That keeps him, rightfully, at 3 pro bowls in 12 years of play. That is such a significantly lower number than any QB in the HOF from the last 4 decades, that I’m hopeful it carries over to keeping his lucky and overrated (by some) rear end out of Canton.

  264. 264 Anders said at 5:58 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    yep, luckily the HoF voters also look at All Pro’s and Pro Bowls and by that Eli has zero chance to get in. Its also nice the Big Ben is out there gunning and Carson Palmer is having great seasons (2 guys that will create a lock jam together with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees)

  265. 265 Media Mike said at 6:05 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    And Rivers has better career numbers than Eli as well.

  266. 266 Insomniac said at 6:08 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    2 SB wins though.

  267. 267 eagleyankfan said at 7:57 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Lucky. Amazing run at defense for a title. Whatever. He still has 2 SB wins. I get the hate that he plays for the Giants. But Eli(aka Mr. Chuck n Duck) isn’t trash.

  268. 268 wee2424 said at 8:09 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Not trash by any means, but definitely not HOF material.

  269. 269 eagleyankfan said at 8:27 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    agreed.

  270. 270 Eagles News: Malcolm Jenkins is one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs - said at 6:19 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    […] Evaluating Kiko – Iggles BlitzI think there are a combination of factors at work. First, injuries. A torn ACL can ruin a career. Even if it heals right, the player has to get over the mental hurdle. Stewart Bradley tore his ACL in college and then in the NFL. He recovered from the college injury, but was never the same after the NFL injury. As much as anything, he just never looked as confident and comfortable on the field as he had been in the past. Alonso isn’t playing scared. He does look comfortable from a physical standpoint. His timing is off and he does seem to wear down. Those are the kind of issues that can go away with a time. He could be a completely different player in 2016. […]

  271. 271 eagleyankfan said at 8:02 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    Wow — an article about Kiko during the most(cough) important game of the season. You know things are bad when….
    I wonder if these are on his list as good eats:

  272. 272 Bleeding Green Nation :: Eagles News: Malcolm Jenkins is one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs - Rainy Monster said at 9:39 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    […] Evaluating Kiko – Iggles BlitzI think there are a combination of factors at work. First, injuries. A torn ACL can ruin a career. Even if it heals right, the player has to get over the mental hurdle. Stewart Bradley tore his ACL in college and then in the NFL. He recovered from the college injury, but was never the same after the NFL injury. As much as anything, he just never looked as confident and comfortable on the field as he had been in the past. Alonso isn’t playing scared. He does look comfortable from a physical standpoint. His timing is off and he does seem to wear down. Those are the kind of issues that can go away with a time. He could be a completely different player in 2016. […]

  273. 273 A**neck said at 9:59 AM on December 23rd, 2015:

    “The final issue for Alonso is fitting in. He is in a new scheme and he’s part of a rotation. Alonso is learning the Eagles defense and trying to figure out his role. That’s tough.”
    Sorry, but you shouldn’t be making excuses at this point in the season. There are only two games left. Kiko was out for weeks, time which could have been used to mentally get into the system. He shouldn’t still be learning the system now. He should be an expert in it.