Some Love for the LBs

Posted: July 12th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 65 Comments »

The Andy Reid era was mostly fun. Lots of winning. Some great players and great moments. One problem throughout those years was linebacker play. The Eagles struggled to get consistently good LB play. Carlos Emmons was a steady presence at SAM. Jeremiah Trotter was outstanding for a few years. Shawn Barber had one great season. Stewart Bradley had one outstanding season. Chris Gocong flashed here and there, but could never break through and become a flat out good LB.

The last time the Eagles had a great set of 4-3 LBs was 1995. William Thomas was a stud at WLB. Kurt Gouviea was a good MLB. And people forget about Bill Romanowski at SAM. That group was good against the run and pass. They picked off 10 passes. The defense was 4th in the league in yards allowed.

In 1994 you have Willie T, Romo and Byron Evans. That was an elite set of LBs right up until BE’s injury. The 1991-1993 teams were even better with Willie T, BE, and Seth Joyner. That was an amazing set of LBs.

I do think the Eagles have the potential to have outstanding LB play this year and wrote about that for PE.com. There are concerns as well, and I covered them, but there is reason for optimism. The players are talented. There is continuity. The DC and LB coach have a good track record with getting good LB play. There are no strange projections here.

The Eagles played the Wide 9 back in 2011 and 2012. Rookie Casey Matthews was the MLB in 2011 and struggled. Jamar Chaney played inside and outside. He struggled. Brian Rolle, who I used to love, played some WLB and was inconsistent. Akeem Jordan and Keenan Clayton were also on that team.

LB was upgraded in the offseason. DeMeco Ryans took over at MLB. Mychal Kendricks was drafted and Juan Castillo put him at SAM, which seemed very strange at the time. Rolle lost his mojo, and his job. Jordan and Chaney split time as the third starter.

Compare those 2 sets to the projected trio of Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks and Mychal Kendricks, now a veteran player. Those guys each have shown good NFL talent and they each fit their position. I think this group has the potential to be outstanding. There are no promises, of course. Hicks has to stay healthy. Kendricks has to bounce back from a disappointing season. Bradham is new to the Eagles and there is always some mystery when players change teams.

The last time the Eagles ran the 4-3 and got good LB play was 2008. That was Gocong, Bradley and Omar Gaither. I think the current group has the potential to be better than them and I’m excited to see what these guys do in 2016.

_


65 Comments on “Some Love for the LBs”

  1. 1 Some Love for the LBs - said at 8:32 AM on July 12th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor The Andy Reid era was mostly fun. Lots of winning. Some great players and great moments. One […]

  2. 2 Media Mike said at 8:46 AM on July 12th, 2016:

    This should be a competent enough group to be more than functional. As long as they’re not missing tackles, we should be ok.

  3. 3 Mac said at 10:12 AM on July 12th, 2016:

    The proof of the pudding is in the eating. But I do think there’s reason to believe this group can make tackles and get a few turnovers. Honestly, Kendricks is probably the player that concerns me the most. Hopefully, he benefits from actual tackling in practice this year.

  4. 4 A_T_G said at 11:34 AM on July 12th, 2016:

    Being both lactose and lackingD intolerant, I’m going to look for proof in a line of bruised, battered, and beaten opponents.

  5. 5 Mac said at 1:46 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    I guess I should also point out that I’m in no way advocating pudding turnovers. That sounds gross.

  6. 6 Evelyn Farrell said at 1:31 AM on July 13th, 2016:

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  7. 7 Ben said at 12:19 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Thanks Tommy for putting our LB corps in the proper perspective.
    As you pointed out this is a more talented group than we’ve had in the past couple of years and we should expect solid LB play at the very least.
    IF we can get a good pass rush and solid LB performance then our entire secondary won’t have to cover for prolonged amounts of time.
    That should hopefully translate into less yards and scoring for the opposing offenses we face.
    Can we win the division?
    Maybe but we first have to see what this new offense brings to the table.
    I think the division is wide open, but the media is all over the cowboys so we will see if they implode like Eagle fans expect or if they are world beaters like the media portrays them to be.

  8. 8 Ark87 said at 12:29 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Kendricks frustrates me, he represents something that felt all too common on this team in recent years, a lot of talent and potential that we are always just waiting another year to see it come together. Ertz is a similar guy, the entire WR roster. Seems like to moment a talented player played up the their talent, they were gone. Jaccpot, Shady, Boykin, Maclin, etc. We are left with these talented guys who we are waiming to break out

  9. 9 Mac said at 1:53 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    I disagree on Ertz, I think he’s already a good TE (just lacks TDs). I lost faith in Kendricks when I watched him get juked out of shorts by that red headed kid from Cincy. Will this be the year Kendricks learns how to play and tackle with consistency? I was a big fan of taking a chance on Boykin, physically gifted kid with injury history. I didn’t know he’s also a headcase, but evidently he is.

    Shady was headed toward decline (so no big deal in my eyes), and Jackson was eventually headed to decline… but I would have rather kept him around than cut for no compensation because he was still a big part of the WR core.

    We got totally shafted by the NFL on the Maclin tampering case. I am appalled that Lurie did not go straight to the media with the BS of not getting those picks as compensation.

  10. 10 Ark87 said at 2:56 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Kendricks is on the same level as Ertz to me. Both flash moments of brilliance, can and should be great, doubting they will be. Big difference is Ertz didn’t get as many opportunities as Kendricks, which is inconclusive, was that Chip being thick headed tradin play-making ability for run blocking, or did Ertz really not earn the time?

  11. 11 Mac said at 3:15 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Ertz indicated on his website that Pederson has him learning WR routes and may be lining up out there some this season, which is a good way to maximize on his potential. And yes, at this point I think it’s safe to say that Chip hamstrung some of our players by asking them to do things they couldn’t do, and keeping effective players on the bench.

  12. 12 Ark87 said at 4:25 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    What is dumb is he drafted him saying he runs routes like a WR, that’s what got him picked so high. Then it turns out he only brings TE’s on the field for extra run blocking, then maybe run a surprise route if the defense sells out on for the run. Very rarely did we bring him in to create a mismatch. I think 2 games he was a big part of the gameplan, but that is a little disappointing, especially as we had less and less weapons.

  13. 13 Ben said at 12:06 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    Yup, and the same goes for Sproles.
    Why Chip failed to utilize him more is mind boggling.
    Defenses always seemed to cheat to whatever side he lined up and for that reason alone, he should have gotten more playing time. He’s the biggest playmaker on the entire team and played just 34% of the snaps on offense last season.
    I hope Pederson sees what he has in Sproles and gets him closer to 50% minimally.
    How do you sit such an electric player 66% of the time while you are on offense?

  14. 14 Ben said at 11:52 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    I agree Mac…Ertz has shown us more than Kendricks IMHO and it’s not even close.
    He could be a little more durable, but this kid can flat out play.
    The way the Cheif’s put so much emphasis on the TE, ( See Travis Kelce) you can’t help but to project him as a top flight fantasy WR this coming season.
    Also, with the lack of quality WR’s, he becomes one our most dangerous receiving options.
    If Ertz is ever going to have a break out season, this should be the one.

  15. 15 anon said at 12:34 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Man this penn state thing just gets worse with time, would have been better to make all this public when it happened and just moved on. Difference between information age and pre-internet age is yuge.

  16. 16 SteveH said at 12:57 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Maybe this will finally shut up the goddamn Paterno family who’ve been banging on about how unfairly people are treating Joe and his wonderful legacy.

    Now that things have spread to Schiano and Bradley, the question is who else knew and when.

    I doubt this is over.

  17. 17 BobSmith77 said at 1:06 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Yup. Should have just taken their lumps at one time, come clean, and paid out the settlement. Instead it continues to drag on and on.

    I do wonder what kind of monetary impact, if any, this has had on the university beyond the direct costs of the settlement including alumni giving rates and gifts to the athletic dept.

    Football team certainly doesn’t attract like it used to and I’d argue has become a second-tier program in the Big Ten behind Ohio St and Michigan. Maybe even behind a few others including Wisconsin. It didn’t help they have really jacked up fees on ticket license fees for season ticket holders as well as huge increases in parking lots fees for RVs.

    Even some of the biggest diehard Penn St fans I know (including my cousin who is a grad and sent him two kids there on swimming scholarships including an Olympian) finally said ‘No mas’ this year with yet another decent hike on his 4 season tickets.

  18. 18 Mac said at 2:06 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Acting as though you don’t have a disease is the most sure way to allow it to spread.

  19. 19 daveH said at 7:42 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Hadnt seen that. TY
    DAm Paterno is the ultimate creepy leader.

  20. 20 RobNE said at 10:26 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    I know that this information has not been vetted fully (so there’s my caveat), but there are also assertions that each of two assistants witnessed assaults. If the description is like how that one assistant (red head?) saw something in the shower, I just do not understand how you let that go. If you say to [anyone, Paterno or AD] and then 2 weeks later nothing has happened, then you go higher, and higher, and to the police. You don’t ever think it’s no longer my problem b/c I told someone within the PSU faculty/coaching group.

    Shame. shame. shame. [if that really happened, and of course I don’t know]

  21. 21 BobSmith77 said at 12:57 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    If Kendricks plays better & stay healthy and Hicks can stay on the field for a whole season, then yeah. Just don’t see that playing out though with Kendricks or Hicks missing significant time.

    Bradham strikes me as ‘another dude’ who is a placeholder this year.

  22. 22 Cafone said at 1:09 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    If you could bet on one of these players to play all 16 games, which would it be?
    Jason Peters
    Jordan Hicks
    Ryan Mathews

  23. 23 BobSmith77 said at 1:16 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    d) None of the above. Peters although betting on a guy with a bad back is probably a fool’s errand.

  24. 24 daveH said at 7:36 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Pet er s if we get near the playoffs

  25. 25 Mac said at 1:45 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Jordan Hicks

  26. 26 anon said at 3:40 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Ry – Ry at least he’s got a decent backup to spell reps.

  27. 27 wee2424 said at 6:00 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Hicks… and I say that with no conviction.

  28. 28 Sean Stott said at 6:49 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Definitely Peters. He seems like a guy who’s been mostly healthy but is old and CK wore him down too much. Hicks and Mathews, on the other hand, are snake-bitten.

  29. 29 Cafone said at 11:08 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    That’s who I’m going with too.

  30. 30 daveH said at 7:35 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Add 1 more dude and make it a futures trade .. ha I’m a seller of greens

  31. 31 Ben said at 12:10 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    I would have to say Ryan Mathews, as the odds that he has healthy year have got be in his favor, as he’s had only one healthy year out of seven seasons playing in the NFL.

    I’d say he’s due.

  32. 32 Anders said at 2:49 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    I go with Hicks.

  33. 33 RobNE said at 5:08 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    the little ball of hate? wow I’ve been here at least 5 years.

  34. 34 SteveH said at 8:31 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    I remember Rolle had a play in his first game where he hit a center who coming up to block him so hard he fell over. I thought for sure Rolle was going to be a stud.

    Wroooonnng.

  35. 35 Media Mike said at 10:21 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Who’d he knock over; Jason Kelce?

  36. 36 Barbara Page said at 1:16 AM on July 14th, 2016:

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  37. 37 anon said at 6:24 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Some talk that Kenny Bell might not make roster in TB. Remember him being a favorite among some — what were thoughts on him?

  38. 38 Insomniac said at 9:23 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    Bell has good athleticism but inconsistent hands. He blocks pretty well and can make some tough catches too. I would cut Huff if we could get him.

  39. 39 Mitchell said at 11:56 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    It’s sad that Huff has actually done more in NFL thus far. The only thing I give to Huff over Bell is RAC/toughness. Of course, I wouldn’t give many WR that over Huff.

  40. 40 Insomniac said at 12:25 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    Bell was a rookie with hammy issues. Huff has been in the league longer. Bell is plenty tough and has good RAC skills too. Bell is a better WR while Huff is a better RB playing WR. I’ll take Bell any day considering our roster right now.

  41. 41 Mitchell said at 11:43 PM on July 12th, 2016:

    I don’t remember much about him except for the fact that I loved him. However, if I remember correctly, he was more of a route runner than a speed guy and at the time, we didnt have much speed making him less valuable on the roster. Currently, if I’m not mistaken, there are a few burner types on the team, so he may be worth a look.

  42. 42 D3FB said at 4:15 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSs

  43. 43 D3FB said at 4:21 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    I just looked at their depth chart. He’s not getting cut. It’s old ass Jackson, Evans, Russel Sheppard, Louis Murphy and then a bunch of camp bodies. Freddie Martino isn’t taking Bell’s job

  44. 44 Eagles News: Study says Philadelphia fans are some of the best in the NFL - NFL Feeds To The Fans said at 8:02 AM on July 13th, 2016:

    […] Some Love for the LBs – Iggles BlitzThe Andy Reid era was mostly fun. Lots of winning. Some great players and great moments. One problem throughout those years was linebacker play. The Eagles struggled to get consistently good LB play. Carlos Emmons was a steady presence at SAM. Jeremiah Trotter was outstanding for a few years. Shawn Barber had one great season. Stewart Bradley had one outstanding season. Chris Gocong flashed here and there, but could never break through and become a flat out good LB. The last time the Eagles had a great set of 4-3 LBs was 1995. William Thomas was a stud at WLB. Kurt Gouviea was a good MLB. And people forget about Bill Romanowski at SAM. That group was good against the run and pass. They picked off 10 passes. The defense was 4th in the league in yards allowed. […]

  45. 45 Gary Barnes said at 12:19 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Last season, we had Kendricks, Hicks, Ryans and Alonso as the core four LB. Is that better or worse than Kendricks, Hicks and Bradham? Unclear at this point, but we certainly do not have a LB of the quality of Ryans or Alonso as a backup and it does not look likely that Roseman will be able to find one for this season. So, there is potential for very good LB play, but all need to stay healthy all season. If one of them goes down, we are looking at a sizeable drop off in performance IMO.

  46. 46 Media Mike said at 12:46 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Alonso turned out to be a bum and Meco was a (slowly) walking corpse. The “coordination” on the D was also terrible.

    I can’t say if this year will be any better at LB in and over itself, but the coaching / system is going to be far better.

    I agree the depth is poop, but you need a lot less from your LB corps in a real (4-3) D.

  47. 47 Mac said at 3:53 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Where’s the most talent on this defense located? D-line
    Where’s it the weakest? LB or CB

    Let’s play a defensive scheme that features the LBers.

    Words fail to express how happy I am to move away from this type of thinking.

  48. 48 Gary Barnes said at 4:17 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Was Alonso a bum or simply mis-used/coordinated? I’d argue based on his performance in Buffalo that the scheme & coordination was more of the issue. I expect him to bounce back in Miami.

    Ryans was coming off his 2nd achilles injury and definitely lost a step, but I’d still take him over Goode who is probably our top backup now.

    The coaching I agree should be much better, but, as we all know, you’ve got to have the horses to win the race regardless of what DC is here.

    Schwartz is not Gandalf or Merlin, he cannot make chicken salad out of you know what with the wave of a wand. I think some are expecting him to be the savior though which is the same rabbit hole we got led down by the hype around Kelly. I’m not getting fooled again this time.

  49. 49 Mac said at 4:24 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Schwartz disagrees with your assessment of Alonso something about a box of rocks…

  50. 50 Media Mike said at 6:19 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Schwartz won’t make this a top unit, but they’ll be significantly more functional than last year. Schwartz improved the D when he took it over in Tennessee, Detroit, and Buffalo. There is no reason for that trend to not continue.

  51. 51 Mitchell said at 2:52 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Kiko was a sizeable drop off as well. Both Ryans and Alsonso were sizeable drop offs as well. woof!

  52. 52 Gary Barnes said at 4:07 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    On any day, Alonso and Ryans are better than Najee Goode IMO. I do not think Alonso is what he showed last season; the performance in Buffalo was very good and I expect him to bounce back in Miami. Ryans is older and injuries have slowed him down, but he is a warrior. Sorry, I think our depth sucks this year.

  53. 53 Media Mike said at 6:18 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    There won’t be a bounce back for Kiko. He sucked here, therefore he’ll always be sucky no matter where else he goes. People who suck here have a 100% moral obligation to continue to play like crap for their whole careers.

  54. 54 Mitchell said at 10:03 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    You think everything sucks though IMO. Most comments I see are negative.

  55. 55 Gary Barnes said at 10:18 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    No offense, but instead of attacking me you should focus on the issues we are debating and, if you disagree with me, make a strong counter argument that could convince me to change my position.

  56. 56 Mitchell said at 10:51 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    None taken. I was simply stating an observation. You are entitled to your opinion.

  57. 57 daveH said at 9:53 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Booya!

  58. 58 Dude said at 9:48 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Barwin?

  59. 59 Media Mike said at 10:19 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Is a DE

  60. 60 Dude said at 10:31 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    >Last season, we had Kendricks, Hicks, Ryans and Alonso as the core four LB.

    He was a LB last year.

  61. 61 bushisamoron said at 9:17 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Drafting Kendricks to start at SAM, drafting 5’9″ LB Rolle at all, Casey Matthews are just some of the reasons why Reid, while a very nice guy and a competent coach, was fired. Bad drafting, forcing square pegs into round holes, etc. I truly think, like Trotter said, that terrific players careers were ultimately wasted during Andy’s era. Not the most popular opinion I know but before you bash me, remember what you first thought when you heard Juan Castillo was named DC.

  62. 62 daveH said at 9:52 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Agree completely but would you rather have had Gore ??

  63. 63 BobSmith77 said at 10:25 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    As for Reid, I do wonder how he’ll be remembered in Philly longer-term. I always got the sense that a lot of fans soured on him after ’05 and that he still isn’t really appreciated for what he accomplished here. Ditto McNabb.

    Part of it is their inability to get over the hump but a bigger part of it was their personalities. Just didn’t click with a lot fans especially Reid’s low-key post game press conference and Monday morning talks.

  64. 64 daveH said at 10:42 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Andy Reid paid himself tops. Delivered the definition of mediocre.
    Overworked DMac and gave him arguably worst recieving corps in nfl history. Except TO and guess whst happened.
    Lucked out massively w Westbrook. Happy about that one. Killed The Freak because he mismanaged the game.
    CLUELESS performance in his 1 Super Bowl.
    Let Trotter go when we needed him most. Over money.. of which he paid himsrlf plenty. Let Dawk walk. . No thanks no phone call. Dawk. I just aint gonna give you the money.
    Lied to fans. 2 felon sons thanks from your neighbors.

  65. 65 BobSmith77 said at 11:01 PM on July 13th, 2016:

    Kind of what I mean. I have a feeling a lot of how Reid is remembered her is what happens over the next decade or so.

    In Cleveland, Schottenheimer is now remembered quite fondly as a guy who was just a bounce or two away from taking the Browns to a Super Bowl. They haven’t had a winning coach since then which is closing in on 30 years albeit without having a team for a few years in the 90s.

    In Denver, Reeves’ tenure was almost diminished a bit because of what Shanahan was able to do including winning consecutive Super Bowls at the end of Elway’s tenure in the late 90s.

    I kind of have a feeling Reid’s tenure here will be remembered in the same way too. If Pederson is a bust and this team continues to largely underwhelm for another decade with little to show in terms of playoff success, I have a feeling Reid’s tenure will be remembered a lot more fondly.