Visits, Workouts and What They Mean
Posted: April 12th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 160 Comments »I don’t know when this became such a big thing, but tracking player visits, meetings and workouts is all over the place these days. I’ve been doing this since 2004, when a guy on the Eagles Message Board named Muddy Waters and I started keeping track.
I don’t know if I have the original list. Here is the one from 2005. Man were we proud of this. Lots of work went into tracking down all this info. We felt like spies, somehow knowing something we weren’t probably supposed to know.
2005 VISIT INFO
Guys who visited Philly
Khalif Barnes…………..OT……………………..Washington
Chris Colmer…………..OT……………………..NC State
Danny Martz……………OG……………………..Alabama
Evan Mathis…………….OG……………………..Alabama
Vincent Jackson……….WR……………………..Northern Colorado
Oshi Atogwe…………….S……………………….Stanford
Brandon Jacobs……RB/FB/TE………………….So. Illinois
Robert Douglas…………FB……………………..Memphis
Matt McCoy……………..LB………………………San Diego State
Stephen Cucci………….TE………………………Houston
Terrence Murphy………WR……………………..Texas A & M
Jamaal Brown…………..RT……………………..Oklahoma
Ronald Bartell…………..CB……………………..Howard (PHI invited him…he couldn’t make it)
Guys who the Eagles met with or had a private visit with
Jason Brown…………….C……………………….UNC
Kirk Morrison……………LB……………………..San Diego State
Marquis Weeks……….S/KOR…………………..Virginia
Adam Bergen……………TE……………………..Lehigh
Ryan Hoffman…………..DE…………………….Shippensburg St.
Ralph Plumb…………..WR/TE…………………..Yale
Luis Castillo……………..DT……………………..NW
Frank Omiyale………….OT………………………Tennessee Tech
Jonathan Goddard……LB/DE…………………..Marshall
Adam Seward…………..LB………………………UNLV
Matt Sinclair…………….LB……………………….Illinois
Scott Young……………..G………………………..BYU
Ryan Hawk………………QB……………………..Ohio
Mondoe Davis…………. LB………………………Delaware
Marviel Underwood……..S……………………….San Diego State
Chaz Williams…………..RB………………………Ga. Southern
Alfred Fincher…………..ILB………………………UConn
Roddy White…………….WR………………………UAB
Jerome Mathis…………..WR………………………Hampton
Matt Jones………………..WR……………………….Arkansas
James Sanders………….FS………………………..Fresno State
Matt Roth…………………DE……………………….Iowa
JJ Arrington………………RB……………………….Cal
Brodney Pool…………….S…………………………Oklahoma
Elton Brown………………G………………………….Virginia
Chase Lyman……………WR……………………….Cal
Logan Mankins…………G…………………..Fresno State
CJ Moseley……………..DT…………………Missouri
Guys who the Eagles heavily scouted
Alex Green……………….S……………………….Duke
Chris Roberson………….CB……………………..Eastern Michigan
Duvol Thompson………..CB………………………Penn
David Bergeron………….LB…………………….…Stanford
Ryan Riddle…………….DE/LB…………………….Cal
Ronnie Fields……………..DT………………………Miss. State
Kenneth Pettway…………LB………………………Grambling
Geir Gudmundsen……….OT………………………Albany
Dante Johnson…………WR/RS……………………Graceland (Iowa)
Tad Kornegay……………CB……………………..…Fordham
Daniel Leger………………S…………………………Colorado School of Mines
Chris Mooney…………….DE……………………….Delaware
Chris Jones……………….WR…………………….…Jackson State
Josh Dean…………………S/CB………………….…San Diego State
Sidney Haugabrook……..CB……………………….Delaware
Mike Abate………………..QB……………………….Southern Connecticut State
Chad Friehauf…………….QB………………………..Colorado School of Mines
Antoine Cash……………..LB………………………..Southern Miss
Danny Horace…………….TE………………………..Miami (O.)
Roger Robinson………….RB/RS…………………..Northern Arizona
Jamar Enzor……………….LB……………………….Cincinnati
Issa Banna………………..FB………………………..Northwestern State
Marcus Lawrence…………LB……………………….South Carolina
Ceandris Brown…………..S………………………. Louisiana-Lafayette
Antwainn Spann…………..S………………………..Louisiana-Lafayette
Kyle Eckel………………….FB……………………….Navy
Barrett Ruud………………LB……………………….Nebraska
Jonas Crafts……………….TE……………………….UTEP
Michael Munoz…………….T…………………………Tennessee
Earl Charles……………….RB……………………….Marshall
Eric Shelton……………….RB………………………..Louisville
Ukee Dozier……………….CB……………………….Minnesota
Andy Thorn………………..TE………………………..Northern Iowa
Guys who the Eagles are rumored to be interested in
Chris Henry
DeMarcus Ware
Ciatrick Fason
Frank Gore
Kevin Burnett
How is that for a trip down memory lane?
Old time friends and readers might recall Jamar Enzor’s name. I obsessed on that kid, just sure that he was going to be the next Seth Joyner. I liked his teammate Trent Cole quite a bit, but I loved Enzor. The only thing standing between him and a Pro Bowl filled career was…reality. Ugh. Can’t stand reality. If it is true that there are infinite universes, I want to go live in the one where Megan Fox and I can attend Enzor’s enshrinement at Canton.
Okay, enough reminiscing.
The point of tracking player interest is to know the specific players the Eagles are interested in, but also the positions, the types of players and the value of the positions.
Let’s take a look at my compilation of visit/interest info for this year.
PLAYERS WITH NOVACARE VISITS
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippit State
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
QB Jared Goff, Cal
QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
RB Paul Perkins, UCLA
WR Mike Thomas, Southern Miss
WR Kolby Listenbee, TCU
WR DeMarcus Robinson, Florida
WR Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
ILB Steven Daniels, Boston College
LB Nick Kwiatkoski, West Va
LB Deion Jones, LSU
CB Rashard Robinson, LSU
CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama
CB Darryl Worley, West Va
PRIVATE WORKOUTS / VISITS
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
QB Jared Goff, Cal
QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis
QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford
QB Dalyn Williams, Dartmouth (met with him at Pro Day)
QB Christian Hackenberg, Penn State (at his Pro Day, also private workout)
RB Jordan Howard, Indiana (Duce Staley ran his Pro Day workout)
RB Jacobi Green, Richmond (met with him at his Pro Day per Tony Pauline)
WR Ricardo Louis, Auburn (Greg Lewis worked him out at Pro Day)
WR Duke Williams, Auburn (Greg Lewis worked him out at Pro Day)
WR Andy Jones, Jacksonville (met w/ him for hour at Pro Day)
WR Reginald Diggs, Richmond (met with him at his Pro Day per Tony Pauline)
WR Chris King, Duquesne (met with him at Pro Day)
WR Leontee Carroo, Rutgers (met with him at Combine, also private workout)
WR Brandon Zylstra, Concordia (met with him at his Pro Day)
WR Chris Moore, Cincinnati (private workout)
TE Nick Vannett, Ohio State (met with him per Tony Pauline)
TE Jerrell Adams, South Carolina (met with him at his Pro Day)
TE Devin Cajuste, Stanford (private workout)
TE Hakeem Valles, Monmouth (at local Pro Day)
TE David Morgan, UTSA (private workout)
TE David Grinnage, NC State (in-depth meeting)
OL Joe Dahl, Washington State (private workout)
OL Josh Garnett, Stanford (workout per Tony Pauline)
OL Kyle Murphy, Stanford (workout per Tony Pauline)
OL Graham Glasgow, Michigan (private workout)
OL Connor McGovern, Missouri (private workout)
OL Evan Boehm, Missouri (private workout)
OL Darrell Greene, SDSU (private workout)
OL Dan Bucholz, Duquesne (private workout)
DE Dean Lowry, Northwestern (DL coach at his Pro Day per Gil Brandt)
DE Ron Thompson, Syracuse (worked out at his Pro Day)
DE Matt Judon, Grand Valley State (worked out by DL coach at his Pro Day)
DE Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland (at his Pro Day, also visit)
DT Quinton Jefferson, Maryland (workout per Tony Pauline)
DT Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State (DL coach at his Pro Day per Tony Pauline)
DT Greg Milhouse, Campbell (met with him at his Pro Day per Tony Pauline)
DT David Onyemota, Manitoba (worked out by Eagles per Tony Pauline)
DT Maliek Collins, Nebraska (DL coach at his Pro Day per Gil Brandt)
DT Vincent Valentine, Nebraska (DL coach at his Pro Day per Gil Brandt)
DT Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech (met with Eagles)
LB Nick Kwiatkoski, West Va (workout at Pro Day per Tony Pauline)
LB Terrell Williams, Youngstown State (Eagles showing interest per Tony Pauline)
LB Quentin Gause, Rutgers (met with him per Tony Pauline)
LB Joe Schobert, Wisconsin (LB coach at his Pro Day per Gil Brandt)
ILB Steven Daniels, Boston College (workout per Tony Pauline)
ILB Blake Martinez, Stanford (private workout)
S Darian Thompson, Boise State (workout per Tony Pauline)
S Justin Simmons, Boston College (private workout)
S Stefan McClure, Cal (private workout)
CB Kalan Reed, Southern Miss (met with him on campus)
For all of the info by Tony Pauline, click here. Great link for Pro Day/workout info.
Let’s talk about what some of this means.
Clearly the Eagles are looking for a QB. They are checking out the big dogs and doing so thoroughly. You might wonder why the team would go work out Wentz and Goff and then have them come to Philly. Having the players at the NovaCare gets them out of their comfort zone and can help the team to judge them. They can also do any medical checks they want. There are no workouts when players come to Philly, only interviews and film reviews/whiteboard sessions.
The Eagles are going to draft a QB. That’s why they are looking at a lot of them. If they miss on the top group, they have mid and late round targets of interest.
The Eagles need RB help, but they are being choosier at that position. They don’t need a body. They need someone with starter potential. That should rule out a lot of role player types. One thing all the runners have in common is physicality. Even the Richmond kid. I’ve watched him run over defenders.
WR is pretty obvious. The Eagles want speed. They do seem to be focusing on mid to late round targets.
It is interesting to see the team looking at TEs. I don’t know how much interest they have in adding one, but it maybe a case where if a player has a high enough grade and is on the board, he’s too good to pass up.
No O-linemen have come to Philly. I’m not sure what to make of that. I guess the research done in scouting visits, all star games, the Combine and private workouts has told the team all they need to know.
On to defense. The Eagles are interested in mid to late round DEs. The team has young guys in Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham. It doesn’t make sense that they would feel the need to add another young DE with a high pick. If someone falls and they like him, maybe. Right now they seem more interested in guys in rounds 5 through 7.
DT is a bit of a different story. The Eagles are looking at guys who could be 3rd round targets, as well as other prospects who might go later. All of them have the ability to penetrate and make plays.
At LB, the team is looking for someone to backup Jordan Hicks in the middle. They are checking out some physical players. The one exception is Jones, the speedy kid from LSU. I’m sure Jim Schwartz is fascinated by his potential.
My guess is that the Eagles are looking at a lot more Safeties and we’re just not hearing about it. They need depth and a player to develop for the future.
The Eagles have lots of bodies at CB so they seem to be checking out guys with something unique about them. Robinson is a long, athletic corner who will slide a bit, but could be a steal if he can put it all together. Jones has great ball skills. Worley is just a local kid so I think that’s the only reason he’s coming in.
One thing to keep in mind. Howie Roseman worked under Tom Heckert, who admitted that the Eagles would bring in a couple of players they had no interest in. They wanted to keep other teams confused. I would bet that there are a couple of players the Eagles don’t like at all who will be coming to Philly. And the Eagles will make sure to leak their names to the press. Gotta have that info out there for it to work.
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[…] Tommy Lawlor I don’t know when this became such a big thing, but tracking player visits, meetings and […]
Great post Tommy. Hard to believe that was 11 years ago & almost all of those guys are gone now.
They still have a “players the Eagles have shown interest in” thread on the EMB. Looks like a few people keep it regularly updated. There are some names that aren’t here & vice versa.
It is an interesting alternative universe you talk of, and as impressive as Enzor’s career was in this reality, it was still shaded by Anthony Carfagno, who is (in this reality) to be a part of the same HOF class as James and who through his dominance, bought the position of FB back into currency. And please compliment Megan on her dress, she looks wonderful.
I will always think of Anthony when I think of you!
You wonder if these forgotten players know how much a small group of people obsessed on them in the past.
I hear Justin Harrison still appreciates your affections. 🙂
RE: contributing to the old EMB visit list and scouring the web for info…
Many relationships died to bring us this information.
And it was worth it.
It’s about time the Eagles kicked the tires on a Dartmouth QB. Remember, the Big Green produced Jay Fiedler AND Dr. Seuss…
It reminds me of how long the Dolphins have kicked around with decent or average teams and only lacked a good QB.
No visit or pro day by the Eagles with Stanley jumped out to me and also none with Jack, Ramsey, Bosa or Buckner. Seem to be looking offense and more a skill position than the OL. Pretty much the opposite of what I think they should do, lol. Hopefully a lot of this is smoke screen.
Howie Roseman went to his Pro Day. Forgot to write that down in a special category.
Thanks Tommy, good to know
It’s probably safe to assume that they have done their homework on all the top guys
Is it possible that that they decided there were no questions that needed answers with those guys? Either unquestioned sprinting to the podium or eliminated because of character and/or fit?
Stanley Ramsey Bosa and Buckner are not guys you need to have visit. They have clear health and you know what you are getting on the field and the kind of guys they are. Not sure what you benefit from having a 3rd interview with those guys.
Jack is a strange situation, his team is being very restrictive with medicals and testing as he goes through the recovery process. He is being rechecked in a few days by the NFL, and maybe if the Eagles have further questions he will be brought in to be looked at our doctors in house just before the draft.
While I view it as somewhere in between “Highly unlikely” and “No shot in hell” that Myles Jack falls to the Eagles, it’s still going to feel like a kick in the Nuts when some team takes Jack off the board.
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Seeing him fly around behind our nasty DL would be a dream come true. We have solid LB corp in place, adding Jack could take it to special Heights, we would have Hicks and Jack with Bradham/Kendricks competing for the 3rd spot. Since the end of the Buddy Ryan era, Linebackers have been one of our weakest positions the past 20 years. We have had some pretty good LB like Trott, Mufasa, Pre 2015 Kendricks, Emmons, shawn Barber was under rated, But we really haven’t had a Luke Keachly, Patrik Willis tyoe of special LB. Jack has the talent to reach that special level……
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With Logan and Cox forming a Monster DT tandem next year, what a dream it would be to see Jack fly around making plays behind them. It’s going to hurt seeing someone else draft him. Hopefully it won’t be Dallas
I think it would be more of a kick in the nuts if Jack was there for the taking, and the Eagles choose elsewhere. I’m looking at YOU, Earl Thomas!
Interesting list. Even if they don’t come anywhere close to taking a certain guy, I’m sure the info helps to game plan against the guy if he winds up on another team.
The amount of effort that goes into a draft is amazing. When do people like HR sleep? After the draft I guess….
Scouts have it even worse… It’s not a fun life, half your life spent in airports and train stations… Much easier ways to make money, you have to truley love what you do… I imagine NFL scouts have it worse of all with how much goes into the draft
100+ hour weeks. Worse than having triplets in terms of sleeping and free time.
Have we seen this?
https://twitter.com/damnnuby/status/719705766198816774
Since when does a few equal 7? Officer, I only had a few beers.;-)
Sell, Sell, Sell!
Mortimor!!!
We see that every year. Last year it was Mariota. I know, I know “Peter King is in the know” … so was everybody last year. It’s easy to make comments like Peter King(et al) made because there are so many outs. Eagles don’t move up “well, they didn’t sweeten the deal” or “Titans pulled out last minutes”. All that’s missing is the “reliable source”….lol.
Not for nothing, but the Mariota reports apparently were true.
I understand that these guys need to keep readers interested, but this isn’t a local guy drumming up Eagles hits or national guy being so vague as to interested every major market. This is surprisingly specific.
How true? Oregon Ducker said it’s a done deal. CK said they never even got close. Discussions always happen between teams. There are probably at least 8 to 10 teams calling the Titans and asking if they are willing to move. It’s due diligence to do so if you’re in the top 10. So saying the Eagles did it is like saying the sun will come out. What is “common thought”? What surprisingly specific? That the Eagles are linked? Who leaked the info to Peter? The Titans? Maybe they want a 3rd party to up their bid thinking the Eagles are interested? There are no facts stated, no sources. How is even close to valid? (those are the thoughts that run through my head reading what Peter wrote)
lmao at using Oregon Ducker as an example here.
I chuckled too. Just an example. That guy was as confident in a move than any other poster. He presented himself as someone part of the negotiations…
He supposedly had a friend in Chip’s inner circle, or who had been and still saw Chip occasionally. Golfing buddy, that type of thing. My guess was that it was probably an Oregon alumni connection.
I don’t doubt the connection, either. OD was a nice guy and wasn’t a bullshitter. But, like any connection, it’s only a connection, and even OD would admit that there were limits to what he could find out; people don’t tell everyone close to them every detail about their work lives at all times.
I think I believe OD more than CK at this point.
Maybe it is nothing, maybe Peter threw two darts at the schedule and linked them in a trade rumor, maybe I am a sucker for any news at this point. It seems like more than the sun is coming up tomorrow, though.
Peter King is garbage.
I would give them our first round pick and two more first round picks (the ones from 2014 and 2011). Three for one!
Gian GEAGLE,
In the last thread I asked why you comment so frequently
against the idea of a QB in the first and why every comment about one of
those prospects garners a dismissive response from you. Your response
of a personal attack and bravado indicate that you read the question as a
hurtful one, but it was a serious question.
Out of the first
200 comments in that thread, 15 of them were you disparaging the first
round QB notion. I am curious as to why. Do you feel if you can
convince someone with control and sway the pick? Do you feel the other
readers here are not aware of your opinion on the topic? Do you feel
they are not entitled to disagreeing opinions? Is there some feedback
or validation that you are hoping to receive?
sol·ip·sism
ˈsälipˌsizəm/Submit
noun
the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.
A_T_G:
A certain someone has previously written:
“But I dont think what I want, or what I think we Need should ever factor into what we do with a top 10 pick.”
http://igglesblitz.com/2016/03/the-second-wave/#disqus_thread
______________
We all agree with him about this.
Brace yourselves…. 12 paragraphs of nonsense we will all scroll over is coming
With all the discussion of smokescreens and misinformation, I expected less from this list. It is truly informative, though. Obviously there are plenty of guys on that list that will not become Eagles and plenty of future Eagles not listed, but it does give us insight into where in the draft they are considering certain positions.
The clustering also matches with what Allbright reported yesterday about BPA being overstated by media and fans whereas GMs focus more on BPA guided by need. Some of it is just semantics, but some of it makes sense from a real-world perspective.
If a team is targeting a WR in round 4 or so, they are not going to pass up a second-round graded OL in that round who is BPA, but they also don’t need to do a lot of research to make that call. Where they need to do their homework is differentiating the WRs with actual 4th round grades that they might pick. So they are teasing out the BPA, guided by their need.
Yeah it really looks like they have focused in on people in specific areas of the draft. Looked at 3rd round projected OL extensively, looked at WR’s in that range and a little later, looked at 3rd round defensive players.
The interesting thing is they have not seemingly dived in much with the later round QB’s. seem to be focusing in on the top 3 round prospects.
I see Megan Fox is pregnant. Congrats Tommy!!!
Tommy what are your thoughts on Connor cook? Surprised you haven’t spoken about h
im.
Probably one of the QBs who are completely out of our draft Range… Top 15-20 is probably too high to take Cook, and its probably even more unlikely that he would Fall to round 3. Think Cook is safely ahead of Cardale and Hack but he has some red flags that are a concern.
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For starters, I struggle to even understand how it could be possible that a QB who is a legit NFL talent, who starter for 3 years, played in multiple Bowl Games, doesn’t become one of the team captains? How does that even happen? like I don’t understand…
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Also concerning that he never even completed 60% of passes. Give him some credit for not playing in an offense that throws bubble screens all day, but in Today’s game, 60% completion rate isn’t some grand accomplishment, so it’s concerning to say the least..
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Whether the Eagles love him or hate him. There would have to be some drastic moves made on draft night for us to even be in a range where we could consider taking Cook.
Interesting Article on MMQB with Jared Goff in the film room breaking down tape of his own performance against stanford..he’s not my first choice but if our staff believes in him and decides to go with him as our QB of the future I wouldn’t be upset..
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/12/jared-goff-california-film-study-nfl-draft
Standard stuff but interesting nonetheless, thanks. I like Jared alot more than SI guy who sounded like oh nevermind.
Three things (besides his quick release) I like are he’s a mature 21 year old, he can call audibles at only 21, he sounds pretty genuine in recognizing his OL and seems to have teammates respect, he’s improved every year, he’s tough (though he has to get stronger!). ok that’s more like 5 things.
He reminded me some of Alex Smith in the KC offense (it wasn’t WCO but just the way he stuck to the grindstone) in this game. Their strategy against Stanford’s D was to take what was given. They came up short but were a handful for Shaw and Stanford.
I’m hopeful some team taht really loves Zeke will trade with one of hte QB needy teams ahead of us to take him. Thus, dropping a qb to us at 8. One can hope.
Looks like TJ Green is visiting today.
Nice. He’s a guy I’d love to learn more about.
“It is less than three weeks before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell takes to the podium and announces that the Tennessee Titans are on the clock. But will Tennessee still own the first pick of the draft once the event commences? Here’s the latest draft buzz circulating around the league:
1. The word from league insiders is four teams have inquired about the first pick of the draft. One of them is a bit of a surprise – the Dallas Cowboys. While the Cowboys rank quarterback Carson Wentz of North Dakota State as one of the best players in the NFL Draft, I’m told they’ve had defensive back Jalen Ramsey as the top player on their board for more than two months. The only way Dallas can be assured of acquiring Ramsey is moving ahead of the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers.”
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/The-Read-Option-Latest-QB-Buzz/181c3008-5a95-4c81-a081-118b4d56d143
Greg Richards posted in last thread rumor Tennessee may like Stanley over Tunsil maybe they’re floating that in case they trade with Dallas. Of course Tenn may be floating Dallas rumor. Fun fun, this is when everyone goes crazy:
1. Dallas -Ramsey
2. Cleveland – Wentz or Goff
3. San Diego – Tunsil
4. Tennessee – Stanley
Sell that pick.
Is Tennessee convinced that no player is worthy of #1 overall this year?
Is this gamesmanship going to increase or decrease the value of said pick because of their seeming lack of interest?
Also… I like Stanley, and would be totally fine with him in Philly at 8.
Qbs will go high, they don’t need a qb, they can move down and take a tackle or pass rushers or cb, etc.
They don’t need a QB, means no one has to pay them for that pick unless they think they’re competing with Cleveland… which is exactly my point… they are trying their best to sell the pick. Will it work?
Think it makes it more likely a deal gets done, vs last year.
Are we 100% certain the Browns are taking a QB at 2? Is it possible they take Tunsil in this scenario, and draft a Lynch or whoever in round 2 or in a late 1st trade up?
No I don’t think he is a lock.
I just have this feeling that Cleveland throws a curve and takes Tunsil (if the Titans trade back), Jack, or Ramsey.
can’t build a team around a tackle. If hugh wants one of these QBs and cant take him b/c of the front office guys i’d quit if i was hugh.
He knew what he was getting into when he signed on. Maybe Jackson likes Griffin and doesn’t see much of a difference in talent from Wentz and Goff to Lynch and whoever else. Cleveland lost a lot during free agency. They need to replenish their cupboard.
Yeah that’s cool but I don’t think so not with Hue who also likes Goff. I don’t think anyone is a lock and neither do you.
There is also this…
https://twitter.com/LanceZierlein/status/719949698199465986
The cleveland situation is pretty interesting.,..
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At first glance, How Could they not take a QB at #2, but that’s an interesting situation with a new Coach and front office who came over from Baseball with no NFL track record to look at. Its crazy to think they wouldn’t take a QB, but these are supposed to be, SAM Hinkie type outside the box thinkers, so maybe it’s a mistake to assume that they will just do the same thing that countless Different Brown Regimes have been doing that led to decades of dysfunction… Of Course it’s also very possible that having to take a QB is so obvious that there isn’t much room for “outside the box thinking” when it’s time to make the second pick…. Browns taking a QB is easily the safe bet, but their decision makers have no NFL track record, so who really knows.
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The One thing that jumps out at me is reports coming from the Browns that they aren’t neccessarily going to take a QB. Any time a team shares draft info this time of year, I can’t help trying to look for a motive. .. For a QB needy team, they are in an ideal situation picking #2 behind a team that is not a threat to take their QB off the board, so the only reason I can think to start planting seeds about them not taking a QB is to try and Discourage a team behind them from feeling as Tho they have to trade up to #1 and steal the Brows QB target.. I can’t see what other possible motive it serves the Browns to make teams think they may not take a QB.
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I feel like typically, if everyone assumes that a GM is going to do something that the GM really has no plans of doing, there is no need for a GM/Team to leak anything. If anything, Shut up and let the media continue to create a smoke screen for you… When teams and GMs talk this time of year, I can’t help feeling there is a motive behind it… If the Media really has found out your true intentions, THATS when it’s worth while for a GM/Team to speak up, or leak rumors that create doubts/Confusion about your true intentions that the media has been leaking
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Everyone automatically assumes the Browns are taking a QB. If that’s not true, I struggle to see why the Browns would would start to put it out there that they may not be taking a QB… If Everyone is wrong about your intentions, why would you speak up and leak true intentions instead of just shutting up and letting everyone run with false rumors of your intentions?.. For the Browns to planting seeds of them not taking a QB, the ONLY purpose I can see for that is trying to discourage a QB needy team from trading up to #1 to steal the QB they really covet
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This same point is interesting when it comes to Dallas. They lost an entire season because they had no adequate contingency plan from Romo getting hurt and haven’t done much to Change that in FA…yet we hear Jerry Jones being so Adament to the media about them not taking a QB at #4. this is a man who has openly admitted that sometimes lying to the public/media provides strategic advantage… Curious to see what Dallas does, will we find out that Jerry was cocky enough to be so openly telling the truth about not taking a QB, or will we find out that he was lying as a strategy trying to discourage teams from trading ahead of dallas to take the QB he had his eyes on all along?
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We spent the first half of predraft coverage debating Roseman taking Zeke. And now the second half of the predraft talk has shifted to Roseman falling in love with a QB to the point where he is aggressively trying to trade up. Will this narrative Hold from now Til the draft… Or will we start to hear different rumors about the Eagles desperately wanting to get some other non QB player shifting all the talk from Roseman aggressively going up for a QB? If the media found out what Roseman plans to do, will be just let them run with it from now to the draft? Or leak info that puts the QB reports in Doubt?
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It’s always interesting to find out what truths did the pre draft media uncover, and how much of the talk was just nonsense part of NFL “Silly Season”.. Enjoy trying to read into motives for why we are hearing certain things during a time when teams are trying to go all CIA super secretive., Id guess that 20% of what we hear comes from the media succeeding at their job and finding things out, and the other 80% of what we hear comes from NFL teams using the media to help create Silly seasons… So I try to look into why we are hearing what we are hearing, instead of what it is that we are hearing.
I won’t be surprised to see Dallas go for a QB.
I guess we have the context for that Cox “REALLY??!” tweet.
https://twitter.com/BrandonGowton/status/719938517833527296
was an eskin report – knew there would be a caveat, but i’m sure he’s trying to improve his relationship w/ the club so he ran w/ the story, personal credibility be damned.
The NFL may be throwing Josh Gordon a bone for his latest failed test. Allegedly they aren’t turning down his reinstatement altogether, but postponing it until he can go 60 to 90 days without any red flag tests. If this holds to be true THATS a big break for the kid, kind of surprised the NFL would give him this opportunity. Maybe the kid can finally get it together long enough to take advantage of this gift from the League offices. It’s one thing for him to keep failing tests, but to fail one in March, so close to getting your career back is as boneheaded as it gets. He hasn’t earned a pay check in some time and he is still on his rookie deal so it’s not like his bank account is set for life. Hopefully he takes this opportunity to save his career, but he is way passed the point where teams should be taking Fliers on his Talent. As fans we are better off having this talent in the game, but it’s hard to imagine that the 15th time will be the charm where he gets it together. Not only is he probably close to the point where he starts to need money, but after being out for the league for so long, another year on the sideline puts him in danger of reaching that stage where whenever he finally does get it together and make a comeback, he may not be the same special player he was, which would just be a shame on so many levels…. He is also putting the NFL in a difficult position because if he keeps pushing his luck, at what point does the NFL just say enough, and wash its hands of Josh Gordon? the Real shame is this kid is close to waking up one day 10 years from now. Hating himself for blowing his lottery ticket… Compared to someone like Manziel or Greg Hardy, Josh problems are so small, which makes losing his career that much worse…. Just play the NFL game a little, conform just enough to get your career back at least…
The bleeding heart will say the league doesn’t want to take away his carrot and leave him to be swallowed by his addiction. The callous will say the league doesn’t want to pass on the opportunity to monetize the young man with artificial deadlines. Either way, neither Josh nor the NFL gain anything by closing the door permanently.
Wow… I don’t know if this was released before and I missed or if it’s new, but this is the first time I saw the initial pics from the JPP firework accident, his hand looked horrible, it’s way worse than I imagined. Looks like some type of Alien hand. He is very fortunate to have been able to salvage enough of his hand to continue his career…
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sports Illustrated released the pics if anyone hasn’t seen them. not pleasant seeing any human maimed like that
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if Fletcher Cox plans on digging in and playing hardball all summer, hope he is smart enough to think about what JPP has been thru this last year, and stay away from Fireworks, Dirt Bikes and any other dangerous activities this summer… JPP turned down a lot of money, and because of his accident he probably won’t make 60million throughout his entire career…, hopefully Cox and Roseman can come to an agreement these next two months and put this behind us. The Eagles sacraficed Cedrick Thornton, extended Lane and ERTZ. I assume that the Eagles want to extend Bennie Logan but Cox deal is holding it up. Not sure the Eagles could pay Logan before they pay Fletcher without Cox/agent feeling disrespected. I think the Eagles really want to get a Logan and Cox extensions done before the season starts and Schwartz has them living in opponents backfield all year…. Hopefully Roseman can get Cox under contract ASAP, giving us enough time to also get a Logan extension done before the start of the season. Investing in Bennie and Fletcher means that we will have to go with backüp DTs on rookie contracts for the next 4/5 years
if they made an offer and FC said no, they don’t need to worry about him getting insulted. he said no
there is probably plenty more negotiations and Offers ahead bêtween Roseman and Camp Cox..
i’m sure of it and i hope it works out. but i hope howie and cox both knows there’s a price at which we should walk away.
We have some nice leverage being able to Tag him and make him risk staying healthy for multiple seasons before cashing in… There is so much that we don’t know, maybe they are far apart on the money, maybe they aren’t and its more of a case of Cox trying to hold out for better contract terms. It’s still early and we have years before he can threaten us by the possibility of walking away, but hopefully a resolution isn’t too far away and we can put this behind us in the next month or two.
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We are still a very long way from having to worry about this. A team trading for Cox would then have to give him a mega Extension which makes him less valuable in A trade than some fans realize.. Crazy to see people casually throw around the idea of trading a guy who probably has the biggest Impact our team. With Cox, and Schwartz our defense SHOULDNT be too far away from reaching an elite level… We subtract Cox, and that would have a monster crippling effect on our defense setting us back bigtime..
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Not every eagle that we sigń has accepted the first extension we offered him. Think,we are still far away from having to start worrying about losing our best player. They may be playing hardball, but the kid isn’t trying to leave Philly… A Player who wants to be here, who happens to be our best player, our most impactful player, who is about to be unleashed by a new DC playing a scheme that he is very excited about.. It may be time to play contract hardball, but we are fortunate that both sides really want to reach an agreement so im personally not very concerned. My only question is when does it get done? Soon? Or not until a deadline approaches like we saw wifh Bradford and Roseman? And if they ARENT going to reach an agreement in the next month or two, how will they go about the inevitable Logan extension?
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Think we a still a long way from this becoming worrisome
Eagles fans can take it easy now on being disappointed by having pick 8… Tennessee doesn’t even want pick 1 in this class.
Ah, who am I kidding, Eagles fans will be disappointed no matter what.
Im going to shed a tear when Jack comes off the board before we pick
Joy or Pain?
Joy would be an understatement if we get Jack…Probably more like something between Ecstacy and Euphoria
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I’ll be sick when someone else takes him, hopefully not Dallas
Sunshine! And what else? Rain!
Here we go here we go now!
me too bro…but I’m hoping that they end up being tears of joy after we end up drafting him.
I’ll be in a small village in the Alps during the draft, Locals are going to see me running out of an Internet cafe butt naked screaming thru the streets if we gets Jack..
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To see that kid flying around behind Our Nasty Front 4, with Jenkins and McLeod behind him…. What a dream come true that would be
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Hopefully if Jack falls to #5 and the Jags are going to take him, a team like the Rams blows them away with a trade offer so that they can steal a QB from the niners. if Jack then falls to #6, while Stanley is also still on the board, I hope HOWIE begs Ozzie Newsome to swap picks, let us get Jack at #6, the niners draft BUckner, and Ozzie gets Stanley at #8…
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To get Jack on top of what has been a great offseason would just be amazing
“Eli Manning said the Giants need Odell Beckham “to raise his level.” “We definitely need some guys to step up [at wide receiver],” Manning said. “Odell has obviously done great things, but we need him to raise his level as well.”
Can we trade our entire receiver corps for him then? 5 guys raising their levels > 1 guy raising his level right?
I don’t love Rueban Randle, but I do love poaching a starting WR who gave the hated Giants 8 TDs last year. They lacked WR depth to begin with. If Victor Cruz can’t reach his pre injury elite level, than Losimg Randle is a blow the Giants will feel. When we signed Steve Smith from the Giants, he wasn’t a guy who the Giants were counting on to contribute. But this time we managed to take one of their better WRs.
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Im Hoping Randle can at least be a solid red zone weapon for us. but one thing that could make it a solid signing for us is that Rueban spent the past two years in The Green Bay Packers influenced West Coast offense that McAdoo brought to the Giants. Hopefully it’s a smooth transition to Doug Pedersons west coast offense which also originated from the Green Bay Packers tree
yeah if superman could just be god
Great recap as usual Tommy. Thanks.
Ben Allbight on WIP . . .
According to his source employed by the Eagles:
1. Eagles offered “big money” deal to Cox, which he rejected.
2. Eagles exploring all options with Cox, including trading him to move up. Eagles don’t want to trade Cox. But exploring options. (negotiations in the media — clearly)
3. Several Eagles draft-day decision-makers are “enamored” with Ezekiel Elliott and want him to be the pick.
4. Eagles — if these decision-makers have their way — would trade-up to get Elliott because of concerns that other teams — including the Cowboys — may
grab him.
5. Lots of love for Kevin Hogan from the Eagles.
___________
Where’s Kempski’s rebuttal time?
#2 = smokescreen? Interesting there were reports of cox being on the block last year.
Scenarios 2-5 sound like disasters in the making. Trading Cox is a very realistic scenario as teams don’t view a player like Cox the way fans do. I know I will get slack for that comment but it is the truth. Every other scenario is also a disaster in the making. Enamored with a RB? Oh god I am done with this post AC as I can go forever on how these moves would make no sense.
TD . . . great stuff.
Excellent point about Cox.
Plus, the Eagles can tie him up via the tag through 2018.
He’d be unhappy. But he’d cost a total of about $40-$45 MM from 2016 through 2018.
My thoughts exactly on Cox my friend. If he truly turned down a monstrous offer from the Eagles as being reported then the Eagles would be right to play the franchise tag game with him. Unhappy or not to me that is a better scenario then signing him long term. Kevin Hogan, ha that one actually made me laugh. There are other QBs to be had in the later rounds with more starting potential then Hogan, who I view as a career backup. Your comment on trading up for a RB took the exact words out of my mouth lol.
The words are flowing like milk and honey!
Good stuff.
The devil’s in the details. Is it just me, or do DTs that sign monster contracts usually semi-flame out soon after?
That is my fear Cho. Don’t get me wrong now I am a huge Cox fan, no pun intended, but using the franchise tag on him at least ensures you that he keeps up his level of play.
yeah i love FC but the whole point of developing talent is that you don’t overpay for production. if the Man-Dog wants enough loot to sink the franchise, then resigning him becomes no better than overspending on an FA. does he want to play alongside talent, or does he want the world’s greatest megadeal?
What do you find distasteful about Hogan? I actually like him quite a bit.
He’s a gamer, for sure.
Lot’s of Billy Kilmer in him.
But even that comp may exceed his ceiling.
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I’ll defer to Belichick.
I don’t like his elongated throwing motion, could lead to more INTs in the NFL and his accuracy is very questionable. I know all the things that get thrown around with him that are pluses like being a winner in college, coming from a pro style offense, being a captain ect. but with his limitations I believe his ceiling has been reached. I just don’t see the upside in Hogan as compared to other QBs.
Id really like see data on the elongated throws leading to more fumbles. I get the premise just dont buy it all the way.
Not fumbles Mitchell, INTs. I don’t know what or if there is even data on that so I was speaking out of opinion. A longer throwing motion clearly makes the throwing of the pass take longer and that would be an advantage to today’s NFL corners. What is it that you actually see in Hogan that makes you believe he is anything more then a career backup?
If I had time I would come up with a list of qbs with exagerated throwing motions and their ints then compare them to league average. Unfortunately I dont have much time as of now. To your other point: I see a competitor with above average pocket awareness and better arm strength than advertised. I think the throwing motion is the biggest knock and I thought I heard he was working on it. I do see where you are coming from in regards to his ceiling but thats why he will go in the 4th.
Why would a team trade for Cox when the Jets would probably give up Wilkerson for much less than what it would take to pry Cox away from Roseman. The jets are going to try giving away Wilkerson soon
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Cox trade AINT even worth talking about
coxblocked?!
Trading up for Elliot would make me vomit. Running backs are super risky picks and have limited impact on actually turning a team into a contender. Spending multiple resources on RB when we need a QB and defensive playmakers to build this team would be madness.
moving into the top 5 for a RB would be . . .
I-N-S-A-N-E
“I loved the Ronnie Brown era”… said no one who is an Eagles fan that isn’t in a straight jacket.
but we did love the Westbrook and Shady era..
lol
puking in my mouth
Great reference AC. Still hard to believe that this happened and that both came from the same school.
Obvious smoke. I would be fine with picking him at 8 but trading up for him does not make logical sense.
i might be sleep deprived with little reading comprehension ability, but are these “reports” suggesting Eagles, “some Eagles”, want to trade Cox to move up to pick a running back? my head hurts. This type of “reports” is not even on par with this time of year, more like double bogey or something.
I don’t even know how he could write that without laughing out loud.
Numbers 2 through 4 seem like a checklist of things needed to get the Cowboys to do something foolish.
Lol. I’ll drink to that!!
So Eagles are exploring trading up with Fletcher Cox and want Elliott really badly. OK Benjamin.
On point #3… Several is defined as “more than two, but not many.”
Last I heard, only 3 decision makers exist within the Philly franchise. So I guess that makes it unanimous? Why not use the word unanimous as opposed to the ubiquitous “several?”
Mac —
Spot on.
When I heard Allbright say that, I was asking my self: “Who besides the Big 3 is making this decision?”
He’s happily being played, I guess.
To paraphrase Rick Blaine, “He’ll always have Bradford.”
Yikes. I hope exactly none of that is true.
I hope the people involved in #3 don’t get their way.
Sounds like misinformation to get the Eagles’ preferred guy(s) to drop.
Perhaps being the Eagles’ mouthpiece here is Allbright’s penance for leaking the Byron Maxwell trade compensation early last month.
I can’t imagine any other reason to give this info to Allbright, unless it’s from someone in the front office who opposes these moves…
I have a hard time believing that Pederson would be committed to the run to get a RB that high. Seems like a waste to me to get a RB in the top 10, and then use him for like 15 touches a game. A guy like that should be 25 touches and the focal point of the offense.
My question would be, are the Eagles ready to make that kind of commitment to the run and/or Elliott? Knowing Pederson is coming from Andy’s tree, if I’m a rival GM, I’m not buying they really want Elliott that badly.
I’ve reached a point where I am easing of of the hype wagon, and I would like to know (if anybody does know) the details of the offer that FC turned down. I’ve read 60M, and that is all I read. I’m wondering if the offer was way back-ended or in some other respect franchise friendly and signee insulting. I was a bit shocked, after the HR statement that Fletcher Cox will be taken care of, that the sizable offer was rejected, and I can only guess that Cox’s decision was possibly because of something in fine print. TL, I don’t expect the Eagles to share negotiation info w/you, but agents like to talk, so anything you learn will be appreciated.
That whole deal is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I’m dying to know details as well.
Eskin on Fox29 right now whining about being called out by France.
France?
Todd France —Fletcher Cox’s agent
Oh thanks
Sorry lol. I should have been more specific there.
No worries
the beat writers are all so sensitive wtf
FWIW(not much IMO), Todd McShay thinks the Browns and Eagles have a deal in place for Eagles to move up from 8 to 2.
I call BS. These types of deals in place aren’t firmed up until the week of the draft.
Unless it is a game of chicken with Dallas. Combine that with the Allbright “leak” and you are forcing them to go to #1 for Elliot or to call our bluff.
yeah hopefully Dallas will piss its pants and give up the farm to jump us
I seriously doubt Eagles would trade up for Elliott. I doubt even more DAL would.
If Dallas traded up to no.1 for Elliott it would make my year…. nothing would entertain me more in 2016, I would start laughing in April and carry on until September. I would probably have to stop during the season (where he will be good behind that OL) but once they have finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs i can go back to laughing at their missing draft picks and broken Romo.
No, we aren’t actually trading up to #2 for Elliot. We wouldn’t let it get out if we were.
We might want to get to #2, but we might not. It is irrelevant. What matters is we let it leak that CLE is willing to give it to us.
Then we let it leak, somewhere else, that we really like Elliot and want to get above DAL to get him.
Then we sit back and watch as DAL jumps to #1, takes a guy we never wanted and leaves us our choice at #2 or better odds at #8.
Granted, most likely these are random rumors that have nothing tying them to anyone in the Eagles organization and I am drawing lines to connect dots that are actually just spittle from frothing reporters. But it would make Howie truly legen-wait for it-dary.
I struggle to understand why I should ever believe that a team shared its true draft intentions with the media? Take Albright for example. there is a very big difference between someone in the Eagles front office sharing with him the compensation from a completed trade with the Dolphins before it gets leaked to the public, compared to sharing your teams true draft intentions with a media member.
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Albright even admitted to getting in a little trouble leaking the compensation from the Dolphins trade before he was supposed to, yet a month later Im supposed to believe that his source not only told him what the Eagles are really up to in the draft, but his source is Also ok with Albright sharing our true draft plans with the public? Lol yeah Ok, I must look like Boo boo the fool to believe that.
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In my experiemce, It’s more likey that our Source did Albright a solid, fed him a story before anyone else had it (the miami trade compensation), setting Albright up so that a month later he could use Albright to spread false draft counter Intel…. Typically trade a reporter a true story, for a favor down the road… And spreading this draft bullshit is most likely “the Favor down the road”, payment for the true story he gave Albright last month(Dolphons trade)
I wouldn’t even get one this year (with 1st pick) and just wait until Watson is eligible.
So you hold Watson in high regard. You think he is clearly superior to this years QBs.
How are you getting 2017 pick 1-1?
http://i.imgur.com/gBKH3cj.gif
I’d tank for the top pick. I don’t think that he’s above this year’s class, but there can be some others next year who may step up their games and make other teams get thirsty to make a deal with us.
I’m just not sold on these two. The last time I remember this kind of draft, it was Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers.
We ended up with Kevin Kolb and we know how that ended up.
Ok well the team isn’t tanking. We will win somewhere between 6 and 10 games.
Lurie isn’t going to tank.
Also it’s real easy to love Watson now. Let’s see him get through a full season with a target on his back, and a full offseason of everyone breaking down his every inconsistency.
The last time there was a QB class like this it produced the mendoza line of QBs who has a decade of starting and the best QB in the league. I’m not sure I see that as an indictment.
It’s also reminiscent of the 2014 QB class. That produced Bortles and Carr who are both on pace to be very good, and Teddy who is consistent but held back by a defensive HC.
Bottom line is,it’s not going to get any cheaper to get a QB. The notion of waiting for this Andrew Luck level QB is ridiculous. The franchise isn’t going to be bad enough to be in position to get that guy.
And the team isn’t getting any better with all the situations of keeping good players, so they better do their homework and do it well because Marcus Smith is still making us suffer.
Do you think we’ll even win 7 games this year? .
Yes. We have a low ceiling due to QB, but high floor due to overall roster. I think we’ll be picking mid to late teens next year.
I do. Hard to be successful when teams know what you’re doing.
No thanks on Watson.
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Really have to question teams moving up significantly for Elliott. If he’s there and you want a RB you take him, but moving into the top 5 to ensure you get him seems pretty crazy, even coming from someone who really hopes to draft him (me).
I also think that when you’re drafting in the teens or 20’s… that’s when a little trickery goes a long way. But when you’re #8, and there are at least 8 blue chip prospects (if only 3 elite tier), there’s really no need to fool anyone.
Same goes with trading up to get a QB. If the Eagles made a statement that you could 100% verify to be true, that they wanted to get one of the two QB’s, or even if they explicitly don’t want one of the two QB’s… it makes zero difference to other teams. Whomever they partner with to trade up has to be willing, and whatever the return compensation is.. it’ll be shopped around to see if anyone else can beat it.
IMO the only prospects worth moving up for are Tunsil (locking up a top tier LT long term is a no brainer), Jack (could be a Ray Lewis, but will certainly be an outstanding LB for a long time), and either of the two QBs, only because of the position. I don’t see the point in moving up for a defensive back.
I wouldn’t trade for anything but a QB from 8 to 1 or 2 and I don’t even want to do that.
I’m liking Wentz more and more, starting to understand why some NFL people like him so much. 1. Physical ability, the kind of guy that can throw a super deep pass with zip. 2. Advanced understanding of the game, pro-style offenses. 3. Stable extreme hard worker.The anti-Manziel.
Just this reduces his bust potential but there’s a decent chance he could be very, very good.
The only thing more entertaining than all of the conflicting rumors during draft season is the extent to which Eagles fans will get foaming-at-the-mouth-angry about things that haven’t happened yet.
Anyone who questions an expert or guru at this time of year should be sacrificed in the town square. Rumored draft value prior to every draft is the gospel. Collective consensus rules all.
Felt that way about the Sixers and then we were right.
Megan Fox was perfect and dif face surgery . . Bigger dope that that browns wr .u have a new hottie ??
u wot m8
Mine 250 .. otc command to buy 250M .. i like priyanka. Ill buy 500
I think megan fox was perfect before she paid someone to mess up her perfect face. That butcher shud be held accountable
Im here, anybody want a piece of me
@Tommy I think you mixed up Brodney Pool but the name is Brian Poole – Ah damn that´s your old list from 2005 – Sorry. So nevermind!