A Learning Year

Posted: July 9th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 55 Comments »

Training Camp is still 3 weeks away, but this seems like a good time to discuss a possible starting lineup. Injuries will likely have their say on who starts, but let’s assume everyone is healthy for now (which they actually are at this point).

The lineup I would like to see:

QB Sam Bradford
RB Ryan Mathews
WR Nelson Agholor
WR Josh Huff
Slot Jordan Matthews
TE Zach Ertz
LT Jason Peters
LG Isaac Seumalo
C Jason Kelce
RG Brandon Brooks
RT Lane Johnson

DE Connor Barwin
DT Fletcher Cox
DT Bennie Logan
DE Vinny Curry
WB Mychal Kendricks
MB Jordan Hicks
SB Nigel Bradham
SS Malcolm Jenkins
FS Rodney McLeod
CB Leodis McKelvin
CB Eric Rowe

The Eagles can compete for the NFC East title this year, but that’s a combination of a solid roster and a bad division. It doesn’t mean the Eagles are on the verge of something special.

The 2016 season should be a mixture of trying to win and trying to find out if the young guys can play. So why not Carson Wentz? Notice I said “young guys” and not rookies. The only rookie I have in the lineup is LG Isaac Seumalo. The rest of the young guys are second and third year players. They have potential, but also question marks.

One thing to keep in mind is that I’m not saying the coaches should just give those jobs to young players. I’m assuming those players will win their position battles or at least be close. If Allen Barbre is a little bit better than Seumalo, is it worth putting the guy in his 30’s on the field over the rookie who has a lot more potential?

If a veteran is clearly better, you have to play that guy. Eric Rowe didn’t have a strong spring. He needs a good summer to beat out Nolan Carroll and Ron Brooks and everyone else he’s battling against. Jalen Mills did have a good spring. He needs to be even better this summer to show he’s the real deal and someone the Eagles should consider starting.

At TE, Brent Celek is still better all-around than Ertz. But Ertz isn’t going to become a better blocker by sitting. He needs to get on the field on run and pass plays. Celek was a poor blocker when he was drafted. He became good by working at it. Ertz has the potential to be a good blocker.

DE is probably the toughest spot for me. I want to reward Curry, Barwin and Brandon Graham. I went with Barwin based on the fact he is such a strong team leader. It helps when those guys are starters. I would split the reps pretty evenly among the trio, but I would give Barwin the starting nod. This is purely semantics, but there are times when that stuff matters.

I sure hope that defense can stay healthy. I want to see those guys play together in this system and for this coaching staff. We haven’t had a really good defense in a while. There were impressive stretches under Bill Davis, but not entire seasons. This could be a good year for the D.

_


55 Comments on “A Learning Year”

  1. 1 A Learning Year - said at 10:17 AM on July 9th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor Training Camp is still 3 weeks away, but this seems like a good time to discuss a possible starting […]

  2. 2 daveH said at 11:09 AM on July 9th, 2016:

    Aaron you getting any waves in Avalon today ?

  3. 3 Aaron said at 2:49 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    1st

  4. 4 PacificPurl said at 4:41 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    Now you are a man grasshopper.

  5. 5 SteveH said at 11:44 AM on July 9th, 2016:

    Curry is going to be a breakout star this year, book it. 10+ sacks easily if he stays healthy. I think a 3 man rotation at DE is strong, there’s enough snaps to go around.

  6. 6 Media Mike said at 11:45 AM on July 9th, 2016:

    Schwartz, when taking over the D is places with fan bases far inferior to ours, has always made the D better upon arrival. This will continue.

  7. 7 Genevieve Cunningham said at 12:54 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    <<o. ✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:✸✸✸✸✸:::::::!bq803p:….,….

  8. 8 Cafone said at 12:10 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    Gen, OMG! it’s been so long. Glad to see you’re doing well.

  9. 9 Evelyn Farrell said at 1:31 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    <<o. ✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤✤:::::::!bw670p:….,..

  10. 10 Cafone said at 2:26 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Curry would be a very strong jersey choice imho.

  11. 11 Cafone said at 2:27 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Hopefully the parallels to the Andy Reid era don’t also include years of talking about how we need to get the QB some weapons because our receiving core is among the worst in the league.

  12. 12 SteveH said at 2:32 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Jordan Mathews already ensures our superiority to any of the puke that we had out there from 99-03.

  13. 13 Media Mike said at 6:19 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Correct. As well as Ertz if you’d like to add TE into the mix.

  14. 14 PacificPurl said at 4:39 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    Writers keep talking about the years of success with Reid. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl once. In 14 years. And lost.

  15. 15 Gary Barnes said at 9:03 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    Getting to the SB is very difficult. Reid won many divisions, the most playoff games and I believe the most regular season games as well. They played a dynasty Pats team at the peak of their powers and lost by 3 points.

  16. 16 Cafone said at 12:13 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    It was the most successful span of Eagles football in the lives of anyone born after 1960.

  17. 17 SteveH said at 2:34 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    I’m gonna go on the record and say Ben Simmons will always be crippled by being a poor shooter. He’s like a taller Rajon Rondo.

    He might be an all-star type guy in a few years, but he’ll never be a superstar.

  18. 18 Cafone said at 2:49 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    I am going to go on record and say you are out of your friggin’ mind (or a very poor judge of talent if you’ve watched the summer league games).

    He is nothing like Rajon Rondo.

    He could not improve his jump shot at all, and he will still be an all-star. But most likely he will develop his jump shot just like many other NBA stars who came into the league without one, like Dwayne Wade. In the meantime, he will average 20ish points on 55%ish field goal percentage with the majority of his baskets coming at the rim.

  19. 19 SteveH said at 3:09 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Magic Johnson eh, I think we are pretty far apart on our evaluations haha. Time will tell.

  20. 20 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 4:01 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    “If you don’t think he’s one of the greatest players in NBA history, you’re just a hater!”

  21. 21 Cafone said at 12:08 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    He compared him to Rondo…

  22. 22 SteveH said at 12:17 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    He is like Rondo, only taller. Great handles, gonna be very good in the assist category, very good defender, but struggles with a jump shot.

    He’s taller so he’ll have an easier time at the rim but otherwise their skillsets are very similar.

  23. 23 Cafone said at 12:36 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    https://youtu.be/qEfU5aEw1U0

  24. 24 SteveH said at 12:38 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    yes, good defender, great handles, better at finishing at the rim than Rondo, it all checks out.

  25. 25 Cafone said at 6:08 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    A 6-10 Ricky Rubio would probably be a better comparison.

  26. 26 Cafone said at 12:39 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    Rondo has an IQ of like 83.

  27. 27 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 11:12 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    And he’s almost certainly likely to be closer to Rajon Rondo than Magic Johnson.

    It’s like biting someone’s head off for saying JP Crawford is more likely to be Edgar Renteria than Barry Larkin.

  28. 28 The original AG said at 9:17 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Simmons has elite passing, ball skills, and moves to the hoop. He will improve in other areas and he’s going to be a star.

  29. 29 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 4:03 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Josh Huff is the same age as Rueben Randle.

    I’m not sure that I can think of any valid reason to start Huff over him.

  30. 30 Media Mike said at 6:19 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    They’re both massive underachievers

  31. 31 wee2424 said at 6:27 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    With Huff far more so. While Randle isn’t living up to his high talent level, he has sure put up some good numbers. Huff not so.

  32. 32 Media Mike said at 6:31 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RandRu00.htm

    Much better than Huff for sure, but he was given a ton of chances in NY to really take a step up, but he remained a 3 or 4 catch per game type dude.

    At least he’s had the common courtesy to be on the field for every game of his career. Huff has already missed 5 in two years.

  33. 33 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 10:07 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    That’s like saying Sam Bradford and Jamarcus Russell are both massive disappointments.

    If Huff had “underachieved” to the tune of 1700 yards and 11 TDs over the past two seasons, no one would be complaining.

  34. 34 bdbd20 said at 7:57 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    I was really surprised that Chip didn’t find ways to get him the ball. He sucks as a route runner, but his RAC skills are legit.

    Hopefully Reich can design some stuff for him. Maybe some time in the backfield?

  35. 35 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 10:08 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Eh, Chip wasn’t a particularly original or innovative play designer.

    Andy got WRs involved in the backfield to a far greater extent than Chip ever did.

  36. 36 The original AG said at 9:15 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    It’s interesting the difference of what you say here about playing a young guy with more potential, and that seems to be the way to look at getting better long-term. Such a difference of thinking from Hextall who wants to play the guy who is better now, not the one with more potential. Does Doug take this approach to try and win more games, or does he take the long view and think playing the younger guy is better?

    I tend to lean with your thinking Tommy and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

  37. 37 D3FB said at 10:14 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    All else being equal, a tie goes to the youth

  38. 38 Gary Barnes said at 12:39 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    NHL totally different than NFL. There is no reason for Hextall, similar to Klentak with the Phillies, to rush young players to the major league level until they are ready and can succeed/stay once they arrive. They are being developed where they should be. Thus Hextall and Klentak need other players to play at the major league level until the young talent is ready to take over. The NFL does not have a proper development system and thus drafted players are immediately put on the major league team. Most struggle their rookie years and would really benefit from development time.

  39. 39 The original AG said at 1:20 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    You know, I think that this whole London business is a way for the NFL to pave a way for a developmental league in Europe. There’s no way they can expand there with the time difference, but a developmental league would be the way to sell the game over there (I think).

  40. 40 teltschikfakeout88 said at 1:32 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    This was tried…it was called NFL Europe

  41. 41 daveH said at 9:45 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    NCAA

  42. 42 Gary Barnes said at 9:08 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    The NFL really needs a development league, Europe might be a way, but it would be much better imo that it be here and our colleges can get out of the football business and put sports back in its proper place within the educational mission of the schools.

  43. 43 Mitchell said at 11:36 PM on July 9th, 2016:

    Who else is still waiting for that Ertz breakout season!?!?!

  44. 44 Cafone said at 12:21 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    He’s gone into every season with really high expectations, but in his defense, if he shows the same amount of improvement this year that he has shown every season, one would project him to have like a 90+ catch, 1000+ yard season. (I’m not going to do the math but it would be around there).

    Needs to score more TDs though.

  45. 45 Eagles News: Jaws is bringing American football to China - NFL Feeds To The Fans said at 7:42 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    […] A Learning Year – Iggles BlitzThe Eagles can compete for the NFC East title this year, but that’s a combination of a solid roster and a bad division. It doesn’t mean the Eagles are on the verge of something special. The 2016 season should be a mixture of trying to win and trying to find out if the young guys can play. So why not Carson Wentz? Notice I said “young guys” and not rookies. The only rookie I have in the lineup is LG Isaac Seumalo. The rest of the young guys are second and third year players. They have potential, but also question marks. One thing to keep in mind is that I’m not saying the coaches should just give those jobs to young players. I’m assuming those players will win their position battles or at least be close. If Allen Barbre is a little bit better than Seumalo, is it worth putting the guy in his 30’s on the field over the rookie who has a lot more potential? […]

  46. 46 meteorologist said at 8:33 AM on July 10th, 2016:

    If you look at the top defenses, they have elite cornerback play from at least one guy (Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots, Cardinals, etc). We don’t have that guy yet although here’s hoping he develops from what we do have

  47. 47 DaO_Z said at 3:23 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    Every one of those defenses is very different and were built in different fashion…..they all just happen to have a top CB.
    Overall though, all of those defenses are pretty solid from top to bottom. If the Eagles were to get some top CB play this year, they could be up there with all of the defenses you named. If the line and safety play is as good as expected, the Eagles are solid enough in the other areas of the defense. (LB and second CB)

    It’s not the top CB that sets them apart per se, doing so would ignore the rest of those defenses….i.e. top Safety play and top Pass rushes. A top pass rush is always going to be better than having any other part of your defense be elite. Giants SB and the Broncos SB wins are great examples of how important the pass rush is to controlling a game

  48. 48 BobSmith77 said at 1:21 AM on July 11th, 2016:

    The problem with this defense in general is they lack upper-echelon talent except Cox.

  49. 49 DaO_Z said at 1:07 PM on July 11th, 2016:

    I think that’s asking a bit much….You’re not exactly going to have top talent everywhere on D….The Eagles have had holes, so they’re using high draft picks (and missing top talent) on those positions….most of those teams have top picks on the D side of the ball because they have a QB….The Eagles haven’t had that luxury in 10+ years.

    If the Dline and Safety spots are as solid as projected, that’s top talent…no team has a bunch of “Cox/Watt” level talent unless it’s older “top” talent from FA and a mix of top picks that haven’t gotten a second contract…Eagles have a decent LB core, that obviously has injury problems, and a question on how our CB’s will look. The defense isn’t devoid of talent.

    We fans just gotta hope Schwartz can put it all together…this isn’t “browns/titans/jags” level D he has to work with…..

  50. 50 BobSmith77 said at 1:31 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    I admire you optimism Tommy but the only way this team competes for an NFC East title is if the division winner wins 8-9 games.

    I could see this team playing playing good enough defense and special teams, cutting down the offensive turnovers, and winning a few close games to eek out 8-9 wins.

  51. 51 Call Me Carlos the Dwarf said at 3:27 AM on July 11th, 2016:

    …and who in this division would you expect to win more than 9 games, haha?

  52. 52 SteveH said at 2:10 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    Wow, Warriors sign David West. Didn’t get the ring with the Spurs so now he’s upgraded to the Warriors haha.

  53. 53 Ryan Highlands said at 5:37 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    Tommy, do you expect a lot of looks with Barwin, Cox, Curry and Graham all on the field together in passing situations?

  54. 54 wee2424 said at 6:03 PM on July 10th, 2016:

    If they do it will be during 3rd and longs while we are ahead.

  55. 55 ac134spectre said at 12:57 AM on July 12th, 2016:

    Just sucks not to get value out of trading bradford… Maybe he comes alive and wins something… but… You have the QB of the future and hopefully in 5 years we are talking about defending the title.

    For now… meh… Lane Johnson, Wentz, Hicks, Curry, Ertz, Kelce… get something out of WR group… then you have a really nice bunch to build around.

    Why not Cox? He is great but I HATE building around a DT.