One Man’s Trash
Posted: August 21st, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 213 Comments »We’re getting to that time of the year when there will be a lot of cuts, including some big names. Many fans will see news of a cut and instinctively think “Let’s go get that guy!” That is completely understandable. For some reason, we always want players from other teams. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, as the old saying goes.
Players get cut for a reason. Take CB Keenan Lewis for instance. I saw the Saints cut him and was surprised. They have been awful on defense in recent years. How could they cut a solid starting CB? Lewis says defensive coordinator Dennis Allen doesn’t like him. Sean Payton says that’s not true and the issue is simply health. Lewis missed 10 games last year. He has only practiced once this summer and might not be ready to get on the field for another couple of weeks. The Saints don’t trust him to stay healthy so they let him go.
If you think about Lewis from a couple of years ago, he was a big, physical CB who played really well. Signing him now would not guarantee you’ll get that level of player even if Lewis does get back on the field. You always have to balance the past and the present. If a player has performed at a high level, it makes sense to have interest in him. At the same time, chasing history can be a waste of time and resources. With a guy like Lewis, I think you wait until he’s healthy and then bring him in for a workout. Not the Eagles, but someone who needs corner help. I like the duo of Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll for now, with Ron Brooks in the slot and young guys like Jalen Mills and Eric Rowe as depth.
Buffalo cut RB Karlos Williams over the weekend. The Eagles seem unsettled at RB so Williams is at least worth a discussion. Williams had a terrific rookie year, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and running for 7 TDs. So why did he get cut?
Hearing #Bills released Karlos Williams "fully expecting" another #NFL team to pick him up. They loved his talent, soured on his attitude.
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) August 20, 2016
Williams ballooned up to more than 260 pounds in the offseason. He lost some of the weight, but then added some back…during Training Camp. How is that possible? Clearly there are issues with his dedication and discipline.
Should the Eagles have interest?
Tough question. I think Duce Staley is the kind of coach who could help Williams. That said, Staley isn’t patient with knuckleheads. He expects his guys to work hard, on and off the field. I don’t know if Staley would want to deal with a player who has some issues with dedication and work ethic.
The other problem is roster numbers. Ryan Mathews is the starting RB. Darren Sproles is a backup and key role player. He’s also your PR. The team has high hopes for rookie Wendell Smallwood. And Kenjon Barner has had a strong preseason. He also is a backup at PR and KOR, giving him real roster value.
I don’t see the Eagles keeping 5 RBs so someone would have to go. To me, that makes the move unlikely. If Smallwood was seriously hurt and you could put him on IR, Williams might be of interest. Smallwood hasn’t played in the preseason yet, but that’s because the team is being very careful with him. They like Smallwood quite a bit and want him to play this year.
The Eagles do not have a great roster. They have spots that can be upgraded. You can bet Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas will be watching the waiver wire carefully. They might find a player here or there who can help this team. I would think they will be looking more for young help, knowing that the Eagles best days are going to be in the future. Some players won’t pan out, but every now and then you will find an Al Harris or Darwin Walker and those guys can turn out to be key players even though they were little-known when claimed off waivers.
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#Eagles release four players:
WR T.J. Graham
C Bruce Johnson
RB Cedric O'Neal
WR Xavier RushRoster is at 84. Must be at 75 by August 30.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 21, 2016
Graham played well on STs, but he has terrible hands and wasn’t a threat to make the roster.
O’Neal looked pretty good, but the Eagles have numbers at RB and Byron Marshall also ahead of him.
Rush flashed a bit of ability, but wasn’t seriously pushing for a roster spot.
Bruce Johnson, my hero, was cut. Ugh. I think he had a tough situation. The Eagles have a good C in Jason Kelce. They have Josh Andrews behind him. They gave snaps at C to Steve Wisniewski and Barrett Jones. Johnson didn’t light it up in the preseason. Cutting him now may be the best thing that could have happened. Some other team that is light at C might have interest and give him more of a chance. I loved watching him in college and hope he gets another shot somewhere. I’ll be pulling for him.
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[…] Tommy Lawlor We’re getting to that time of the year when there will be a lot of cuts, including some big […]
top notch stuff…TY
TY is an excellent player
http://content.forums.colts.com/profile/photo-1110.gif
Good analysis. Clearly one (or two?) LB’s are in play off the waiver wire. Here is the time that I think the Douglas hire starts to pay off. Also, you would think one of these Wr’s would take control. Really both the x and the z are open on this team as Matthews is a slot guy only. I think there will be many two and three tight end sets used this year, which is fine by me.
Two TE sets should be a lot of fun. I’d especially like to see more of Burton. I’d like to know what exactly we have on him; especially in the context of seeing if we can get him here on a 2nd deal that is very cheap after we run out the clock on Celek.
“I think Duce Staley is the kind of coach who could help Williams.”
Help with what, finding good places to eat?
Duce is creeping on 300 lbs.
Tons of football coaches are fat in the offset chance you’re serious
Said in jest. Duce being pudgy doesn’t impact my view of his coaching…………….Duce taking Shady out of far too many goal line situations in prior years however…………..
Is Duce really that big now??? I’m glad he is coaching now if he is.
https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/767481845864857600
That’s a lot of money to sit the bench. Watch Kendricks sit that bench and Hicks go to WIL sooner rather than later.
Who really cares about the money?! It’s not ours. 😉
I hear you 100%, but I’m talking about how much cap space you devote to players in each position group and how much you pay a backup vs. a starter in those groups.
I think that matters more in multi-year deals where you are planning teams down the road. A one-year stopgap is more just about if you are willing to spend the cap money this year, and if so how to use it to best help the team for this season, position be damned.
I agree with your logic in general there, but I don’t see Tulloch coming here to ride pine.
Seems like other option is to not play at all. We’re halfway through pre-season and he’s unsigned — this is only place that he could go really since he knows the system.
After week 1 of the regular season I’d agree, but Tulloch didn’t have to rush to sign. He could have sat for another 2 weeks+ and seen if there were more injuries.
Time is running out. To have a real chance to start, you need to be on a team for training camp, or be an injury replacement. I guess to this point no team has had a burning need to sign him as a starter, so at this point you are looking at your best chances for playing time. He’s going to a coach who he knows trusts him, and behind a seemingly injury-prone starter, so this may be the best chance he has. Signing after a week of the season means missing a game check.
Surprised the Cowboys and Giants DIDNT want to sign him. He could replace suspended Rolondo at MIKE for Dallas while Sean Lee runs around as The WIL..
If they were willing to start Tulloch and bench Mykal, I would think this move would have happened weeks if not months ago. It’s not like they just realized today that our starting LB come with durability concerns and Najee was the only experiemced back we had..
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I Dont think we needed another starting LB, we needed to upgrade our depth at the position.
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Most likely we Will probably see both Kendricks and Tulloch on the field, working out some type of rotation. Heck, Najee Goode also earned a few rotation snaps per game. Either way, this improves our depth which is what I cared about
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Hopefully he has some game left in the tank
If 1.75 is a lot on the bench, isnt Kendrick 4.6 mill a lot more?
Speaking of trash.. haven’t head any mention of Trash Can this camp. Did he take his talents with Chip to San Fran? If so, that is rubbish.
Not quite 100% yet but
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/767482445960589312
Others had it as a done deal. $1.75 guaranteed, $3 mil with incentives. That’s a lot to sink into a guy unless you’re starting him.
His agent(Drew Rosenhaus) confirmed it on twitter.
Next question
https://i.imgflip.com/19afx6.jpg
Ha! If that’s Chase Daniel………he’ll be starting in 2017.
https://i.imgflip.com/19agap.jpg
Does anybody?
Here. Here.
If he’s starting in 2017, I’m finding a new team to root for.
I’m mentally resigned to a greater than 16 game apprenticeship for Wentz. I don’t desire to Daniel start, but I think we could realistically see it for part of 2017.
I’m one of the few that’s going to continue to wait on Bradford. I’ve seen flashes from him, but he just seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time – especially with the Eagles. Bad Oline play, okay, gets a little better and he gets some time. Open receiver? Drops. Other open receivers? Bad throw. Someone downfield? Checkdown. It’s like he can’t get out of his own way.
Pedersen is going to put him on a short leash like Reid did Alex Smith. I think we can expect passes between 5-15 yards (generally) with a bunch of screen passes, and the occasional shot downfield.
With this offense, if receivers can hold onto the ball and not drop an easy pass *cough*Josh Huff*cough* I expect them to move the ball decently throughout the game and eat up some clock. With DGB they might have a slightly better RZ percentage, but roughly 20 pts a game hoping their defense holds teams under that. Yes, I’m prepared to go back to the Reid years minus 2004.
Its a lot by the standard market of the NFL circa 2005…where have you been?
i wonder if Jim Schwartz may lure Megatron out of retirement….
Want to trade Kendricks to Detroit for Megatron’s rights?
Schwartz may get it done without giving up players. 🙂
I’d trade 3 Kendrickses to obtain Megatrons rights.
Good article Tommy – part of the reason i’m glad the season is heating up is so i can read more of your quality writing. DGRs were a sign for sore eyes.
Surprised Tulloch signed with us. Wonder if any promises were made or if we paid Tulloch enough to be happy starting the year as a backup?
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Certainly nice to have 5 Linebackers with NFL playing experience, Surprised a team like the Cowboys or Giants didnt sigń Tulloch to start
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HOWIE isnt messing around this offseason, staying aggressive and looking to add as much competition as possible
There’s already rumours that Kendricks will move to the bench…
where? that’d be interesting.
Kempski and Moesher.
Plus Schwartz made a few saucy comments about Kendricks not adapting to the system.
Yep. I gotta agree with Jimmy K. here. Kendricks hasn’t shown anything this off season in Schwartz D apart from being injured constantly.
Out of curiosity when exactly have you seen Kendricks play this offseason?
Schwartz said Kendricks was covering like poop prior to his injury. Kempski has the quote linked on his Twitter.
Schwartz also seems to use his mouth and the media to try and push his players buttons. Schwartz is tough on playërs this time of year and stingy with his praise. We probabky don’t need Schwartz to tell us that Kendricks is one of the most talented LB we have
I haven’t. But Schwartz has. In Training Camp.
Most likely we will see both on the field in some type of rotation on first and second Down…. But even if Tulloch takes Kendrics spot on 1st and 2nd down, Kendricks is still likely to start in our nickel package with Hicks..
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I assume we will see Hicks, Bradham, Tulloch and Kendricks all get some playing time. Goode may have Also earned a couple rotation snaps with how solid he has been this summer
The discussed move it putting Hicks at WIL full time and Tulloch at MIKE. Tulloch would come of for nickle and dime.
I think most likely is that Hicks starts at MLB but Tulloch takes some 1st and 2nd down snaps from him. HIcks is always in lineup in nickel and MAY take some OLB snaps on 1st and 2nd down instead of Kendricks or Bradham. I’m not sure if Bradham or Kendricks will be off-field in nickel. Likely Kendricks. Whoever doesn’t play in nickel packages will likely have to take a lot of ST snaps as Tulloch isn’t likely to play there.
Take out your best blitzing LB that can somewhat cover for a slow old thumper? Yea no. He’s just a backup.
Remember that Schwartz wants to get pressure with the front 4. He gives them the freedom to call stunts at the LOS. Blitzes will be relatively rare. Kendrick’s skill set is not ideal.
you are giving a little too much credit to Guber Geoff Mosher speculation. While it’s possible, I doubt Moesher knows this for a fact already
I’m not sure what to think of Kendricks. Given his athleticism you’d think he’d be a great 3rd down LBer. But, while he’s a good blitzer, he’s horrendous in coverage and actually plays the run pretty well.
It’s just speculation from the beat writers. I’ve speculated it too, but right now it’s just opinion.
Beat writers are also pretty dumb. Next.
drafting has been terrible apparently.
Why? I like what Howie has done:
1) traded for a young QB who doesn’t even need to play well for his serious talent and “IT factor” to jump off The screen. It’s one thing for a QB to show his talent when he is having on field success, but Wentz talent jumped off the screen while having an average at best performance..THATS a damn good sign.
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Seumalo looks like he has a chance to becone a legit solid starting Guard from day 1 even tho he missed all of OTAs due to dumb college rules.
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Joe Walker looks like he at least has the chance to become a decent backüp and ST contributor, which is great value for round 7
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Jalen Mills has some starting “potential”
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And we haven’t even seen Smallwood yet… “you can just get a RB in the 5th round”… Well we did that, hopefully Smallwood proves that cliche to be correct
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Considering the draft picks we had to give up for Wentz, it looks like this draft class has a chance to be solid. Too soon to know either way, but it’s great to see these early signs of promise
Wonder if Howie inquired about the availability of Jalen Strong before the DGB Trade since Fuller and Braxton already pushed Strong down to #4 On the depth chart?
Stong’s hands are weak. Did you see Hard Knocks last year?
if a player is available this late in the offseason probably safe to assume that he will have some type of wharts?..As long as a roster spot is being wasted on Huff, im down to take fliers on available yoûng talent in hopes someone surprises us, but I certainly prefer DGB’s upside. Unlikely that we can get a WR at this stage who would be more than a Flier
Let’s not count Huff as on this roster until we’re into week 1.
DEAL!!! Hopefully his eagle career is about to come to an end, tired of his shit, I respect the player development process and the Patience it requires, but this Oregon LAME hasn’t shown a damn hint of improvement to make it worth continuing to try and Develope him. When Kenjon Barner and 7th round Joe Walker become more valuable Oregon Alumni, your time is up! He better not make this team as if he is The only capabke KR
You can bash me later in the season when he does something stupid or multiple things stupid… but I still think he can get us valuable chunks of yardage and its nice to have 1 player on the team that im so ambivalent about injury that i know he’ll never get injured! such a good-looking athlete. His must have mini fingers. The guy just baffles me like why hasn’t put it together already . Im cool to stick with him for one more year
His talent has never been in question, I just don’t know how much longer we can justify being patient with him while he shows little to no growth. We now have a more talemted project in DGB To try and develope. hopefully he gets his ish together but he is running out of time. Im afraid He can’t catch perfectly thrown balls, and when he does catch it im I afraid he will fumble trying to make a play
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If Huff makes this roster hopefully it’s because he has shown more in practice than his irrelevant preseason Performances, I’d love for it to finally click for him, but how much more patience can we invest with no hint of reward?
Tell me what other wideout would you give Huff’s roster spot to?
Do you really need someone to poïnt out that we have 3 more promising young WRs to develope in front of Huff (jordan, Nelson and DGB)??
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I dont want to see 5 WRs with only a year or two of NFL experience. Rather mix in a veteran or two. I’d keep Jordan, Nelson, DGB. Givens and Randle all ahead of huff, and possibly Paul Turner as well if we are basing roster spots on Merrit.
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Im no Rueban Randle fan, but if we are being honest at this point, we would be extremely fortunate if Huff can give us the modest production the Giants got out of Randle.. Dissapointing Randle and DGB out performed all our WR last year with the exception of Jordan Mathews, and Huff ISNT showing growth that would make me feel comfortable assuming he can provide more production than Randle can this year. Randle has been dissapointment, yet Huff would be fortunate if he can even produce on Randle’s Dissapointing level….. Im all about respecting the player development process of young players and the patience it requires. I don’t need young playërs to show Monster production, but for a kid with two seasons under his belt, I at least need to see growth that warrants further patience and Huff is showing little to no growth this offseason,
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Huff was drafted the same year as Jordan, jordan had a pretty strong first two seasons to his career yet jordan was Dissapointed in his play last year, dissapointed in all the drops yet he shows up this offseason like a man possessed, catching everything thrown his way, on a mission to be much better than he was last year, yet it’s year 3, huff is coming off a dissapointing Sophmore season, and he allegedly DOESNT look any different than he did last year, reports of multiple drops in EACH Practice, while Jordan steps it up and catches everything thrown his way this offseason
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I don’t need to see Monster production out of Huff, but he does have to show that his growth rate is worth continuing to invest in.. It gives me no pleasure to see our 3rd round pick fail like this, but when we have 3 more talented young WRs to develope ahead of him, I’d Rather give his roster spot to see what Veterans Givens and Randle can do this year. By yeàr 3, you NEED to contribute on the field, and I don’t know what Huff has shown to make anyone think that he can help us on the field more than Givens and Randle can this year, and considering those two veterans aren’t anything special to begin with, what’s that say about Josh Huff?
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I’d love to see it finally click for Huff, but how much more patience can we invest without him showing any hints of significant growth? How many years can he be gifted a roster spot he hasn’t come close to earning?
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Jordan, Nelson, DGB, Givens and Randle are all ready to contribute more on sundays than Huff… Has Josh Huff even put together 5 practices in a row with no drops? Does he even have 3 days in a row with no drops?…. For the love of God, show us SOMETHING in the 3rd preseason game!! Anything….. Can he catch something other than a screen pass? Shouldn’t be too much to ask in yeàr 3
That is great response, and thanks for sharing. I hope you are right!! It did take Ertz some time to develope, I know they play different positions, but sometimes you don’t always get that luxury. I’m just ready for the regular season.
Lol I’d rather you be proven right and Huff develope into a weapon that can help us on the field. I get no pleasure out of being right about our 3rd round pick proving to be a bust….I’d much rather be wrong about this, and see Huff make the roster and contribute to us winning the division…. I just don’t have much to poïnt to that shows Huff capable of improving enough to help us,.. I hate Rueban Randle. I get NO PLEASURE out of feeling like he is one of our 5 most capable WR on game day. I want nothing more than all our yoûng WRs to grow to be better than Randle, im just begging Huff to show SOMETHING! ANYTHING!! Hopefully he can step up and have a successful game against the Colts and make this WR decision interesting, I just worry when a guy ISNT showing signs of big improvement by his 3rd season, Please show us something Josh Huff!!!!!
I’m with you on giving Huff this year to prove his worth.
What are the odds that bêtween this year and next yeàr Josh Huff can show enough to warrant a contract extension at the same time we will have to pay to extend Jordan Mathews? While DGB’s contract is set to expire the following year and Agholar the year after…. Slim to None?
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When over the course of two drafts, you have a 1st round WR(Nelson), two second round WR(Jordan/DGB) and a 3rd round WR, it’s pretty clear that we probably won’t be able to keep all 4 of them past their rookie contracts, and Huff is clearly at the bottom of that totem pole. Since it doesn’t look like Huff is going to have a big 2016, 2017 will be his last year to earn an extension, what are The odds of Huff showing enough in 2016 and 2017 to prove that he should be extended instead of the young WR’s ahead of him, jordan, Nelson, and DGB? Slim to none?
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If it’s unlikely that Huff can earn an extension, than I start to look at which WRs can help us the most on game day this year? And I don’t see how anyone can be confident that Huff can be more valuable to our offense this yeàr than veterans like Randle and Givens who have actually made a few plays in this league already…. What was The best play Huff made last year? Probably that lucky play where two defenders ran into each other, fell down, and huff was able to run with no one around..
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During the 4 years of Huffs rookie season combined, will he even put up more TDs than the 8 TDs randle scored last year during what was considered a dissapointing season for Randle?
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Im dying for Huff to show something, Anything… Just show a hint of being a better WR then he was last year…. Running out of time
I’m a homer for sure, even though I live in Colorado. The kids we draft I always pull for them a little more, but when they don’t produce like Huff so far, maybe you are right. Time is almost up. Also, I would be shocked if he had 8+ TD’s this season.
I’d rather you be proven right than for me to be right. I get no pleasure out of being proven right when it negatively impacts that Eagles. Their success is much more important to me than my ego.,.. So Id Love nothîng more than for Huff to prove me wrong. Hopefully he will make a positive contribution,,,, I wish I knew how the Eagles reallly view him, on one hand, I haven’t heard of him making many plays this Summer in practice and games, but on the other hand the coaches still had him starting this week ahead of Randle on the depth chart, so you could be right….. Either way hopefully he has a strong showing in Saturday’s dress Rehersal
You are putting stock into preseason depth charts?
Curious to see what type of fire this lights under Kendricks ass? Used to be a big Kendricks apologists, but my patience is wearing thin. Im getting tired of waiting for him to become the stud LB I know he has The ability to be. He was coming off a highly dissapointing down yeàr, and he is already starting his yearly hamstring crap. Before we give up on him, I like that we are rattling his cage a bit, curious to see how he reacts. IM sure he noticed that now schwartz has two of HIS GUYS in Bradham and Tully, and hicks who’s spot is 100% secure. Kendricks has to be feeling a lot more nervous than he felt yesterday. FIGHT OR FLIGHT time, hopefully this pushes to be the LB we have been waiting for Mychal to become, He has all the ability and talent he needs, hopefully he steps up and responds to this challenge
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I also wonder how much Tully has left in The tank compared to Mustafa, hopefully significantly more than demeco showed last year
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Hopefully this eliminates our LB depth issues. Out of Hicks, Kemdricks, Bradham, Tully and Najee, as long as 3 of them are healthy at all times, we should prove to have the best LB’s in the NFCeast
In fairness, it isn’t the hamstring every year. In 2013 he milked a “day to day” calf injury for 4 weeks.
Off topic, because I like your analysis most of the time, who do you think has the best QB this year in our division?
I guess Romo, but he doesn’t really count because I don’t think his body can withstand hits any more. Sure the OL can keep him from getting sacked, but I don’t think his body can even withstand those hits after he gets rid of the ball
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Eli is impossible to predict, who knows if we will see Dr Jeckyl or Mr, Hyde, he is usually either pretty damn good, or pretty damn horrible. I don’t know how successful ELI will be against the rest of the league, but he has nightmares about playing the Eagles. Our DL is what’s responsible for our recent dominance over the Giants, yet our pass rush is improved, while those idiots did NOTHING to upgrade their OL, and they may have the worst Rt/RG tandem in the NFL (Newhouse and Jerry) Vinny Curry is going to feast on Newhouse, and even asking Jon Jerry to try and block Cox is laughable… Eagles vs Giants will most likely continue to look like Eli running for his life, getting killed by our pass rush, and if the refs ever start calling him for those intentional grounding penalties against us when he is running for dear life, it will be even worse for them. We typically kick the Giants ass unless we have a Backup like Matt Barkley in the game.. OL is the most important position on offense, and those morons spend over 100mil yet did nothing to upgrade their OL which has been responsible for the Eagles recent dominance over The Giants,
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Hard to know what to expect out of Kirk Cousins. He looked good last year, but initial success can be misleading. Need to see him build on last year to know if he is really legit…..but while dumb media grossly over rated the Giants and Cowboys, washington is The roster I legitimately respect and fear the most in our division. IF Romo gets hurt again, my guess is that The Giants and Cowboys will be competing for 3rd and 4th place, while Washington is the team that stands between us and the division title. I don’t think the Eagles are ready to hang with the legit Super Bowl contenders, but I think people who have the Eagles as the worst team in our weak division are mistaken…. It’s like the Eagles flaws are being magnified while the glaring holes at some of the most important positions in football are being overlooked because the Giants and Cowboys have sexy flashy stud WRs…whoodidty Doo…. I’d rather be weak at WR any day rather than have the worst group of edge rushers in the NFL like Dallas does, playing in front of a weak group of LB besides Sean Lee…. no pass rush in front of an average Secindary is a terrible idea ESOECIALLY when they are supposed to protect Romo, instead their pathetic defense will most likely pull Romo into a shoot out each week which exposes his body to Kill shots that could end his season at any time…. I’ll be surprised if Romo is still healthy by the 8th game.
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Who the hell cares about the Giants great WR, when they have the worst OL in the division? Even without Lane johnson our OL is still much better than theres and we easily have the best front 7 in our division…. The Giants also have what may be the slowest starting safety tandem in the NFL which is a bad idea in this modern NFL with all the stud pass catching TEs… Their slow TEs and average at best Linebackers are going to have to hold up against weapons like Ertz, sproles, Burton, Jordan Reed….. Unless JPP and Olivier Vernon have monster season rushiñg the passer, that Giants defense is in trouble, and they don’t have the best OL to Consistently win shootouts, and the Giants run game doesmt scare anyone
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Now the Washington roster is to be respected especially if Cousins can build on last season. They have some scary weapons and their defense has the best chance of competing with our defense for top defense in the NFC East
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I think the NFC east is going to be close all year. We probably won’t see any team have more than a two win lead in the division at any point this season and once again this division Title will probably be decided the last week of the season
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We may not have the Flashy big name weapons like DEZ and ODB, but what the media fails to realize also DONT have some of the glaring weaknesses at important positions that the Giants and Cowboys have
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Cowboys have a great OL, but their DL is the worst in the division, and their DEs (which is a premier position) is amongst the weakest in the NFL… As an eagle fan, I take comfort in the fact that we are the strongest team in the trenches in the NFCeast when you combine both The OL and DL… And I’ll take a strong team in the trenches over flashy WRs any day… I also LOVE that we are being so overlooked and underestimated by the media when reality will show that we have as good a chance to Win this crappy division as anyone. Kelce als made an interesting point that our best years seem to be the years the media thinks we will be bad… Hopefully that trend continues this year… We aren’t ready to contend with the elite teams, but no reason why we should accept anything less than winning this average at best division, Apparentky the media doesn’t think it matters that we have the best defense and probably the best ST in the division, while Also being the strongest team in the trenches…. Shame on anyone who thinks we should bow down to these flawed cowboy and Giant teams
Romo can only make it if Zeke can run 30+ times a game a la Demarco Murray’s last year there. At the NFL level, can he do that?
Here is the update of our roster predictions. Lots of interesting stuff.
At nearly 50 responses, I think I have nearly exhausted my reach. If you would like to see a larger sample, help spread the word on Twitter or in person.
And here is the link: https://goo.gl/forms/E7WBIKHahP4RzyOs2
not a lot of love for lane johnson
Lane doesn’t count towards the 53, so I put in a note not to take him after GermanEagle pointed it out.
Thank you! 🙂
pretty sure i voted before that note was in there and i picked Lane. feel free to change mine to… really, anybody else. it doesn’t matter. lol
also, “LB not on roster” is looking pretty good with the Tulloch news : )
I did my 53 after Tulloch signing and wanted to have 2 LBs not on roster(one being Tulloch) but didn’t have that option. So threw in a 5th DT.
just noticed that Dorenbos is at 100% of the vote, but DePalma is also at > 0%. i guess some people have predicted that we will carry two long snappers? i’m curious to the reasoning of that.
Awesome work, mate. Thanks!
Wonder who voted for DePalma… lol
Who cut Carson Wentz and Donnie Jones?!!!
The trash business is a goldmine . . .
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_HlFKfSS410/hqdefault.jpg
Denmark are Olympic champions in men’s handball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Yes it matters, as Handball is the next largest sport in Denmark after soccer and the sport is invented by a Dane)
Ze Germans would have beaten you. Congrats though! 😉
Consider we beat fucking France in a final, I doubt it.
Seriously, this was France 12th Final since 93 and the had won 10 in a row (lost their first in 93).
Their golden generation is coming to an end soon while Germany has a pretty young team still. Should be fun years ahead.
Yea, the same for Denmark, only Mikkel Hansen is up there at age 28 (so should have 1 more OL left at least).
The crazy at the medal ceremony is that you had the OL champions, World Cup as no. 2 and European cup as no. 3.
But Germany will be scary next couple of years
If I were on the team USA would have won. I’m a champion at handling my balls.
How large are the crowds when you compete?
In one unfortunate event, at least 200 pounds.
Thank you for not providing a pic.
One man’s trash…
Speaking of balls…
I’m not too happy about this fellow eagles fan 😉
You guys have won enough
“Jones conceded the Cowboys talked long and hard about whether they wanted to play quarterback Tony Romo Friday night against the Dolphins since Smith wouldn’t play. The determination was to play Romo and start Chaz Green at left tackle.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2016/08/21/nfc-east-matt-jones-victor-cruz-tyron-smith/#tmO5iusFKtvhYxgG.99”
Wonder what Mike Tainer will say to this if Romo gets hurt by a blindside hit? 😛
I imagine the first thing he will say is “look, here comes Dak Prescott into the game.”
Anyone else think Beckham can become a top 5 wr?
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2016/8/22/12583294/dorial-green-beckham-eagles-nfl-wide-receiver-trade-titans-philadelphia-highlights-profile
No – it is highly unlikely he has the commitment and mental tools to become that. He does have the physical tools to do so however so it is worth spending some time trying to invest in him over the next 2 seasons, because if he can start to run routes properly he will be someone who can at least be a no.1 type WR.
Until he develops we should be able to put him in positions to out jump Corners and come down with the ball, especially in the redzone. A 6’5 240lb athlete who runs a 4.4 playing against corners who on average are 6’0 200lbs.
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For this year I hope they simplify the offense for him. Put him in jump ball opportunities, give him some screens so he can use his physicality to beat a defender or two and then turn on the Jets and unleash that 4.4 speed in yards after the catch,,.. Put him in position to use his body to sheild the defender while running slant routes.
And anytime a CB looks like he will try to press him at the Line of scrimmage, Audible and send him deep
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I look forward to seeing him smash defenders with his run blocking
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Such a shame this DGB trade happened now instead of April when he would have had time to learn this offense. We should still be able to simplify thngs, design some packages for him to use his talent and freakish size/speed/athleticism package to make some plays
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The kid is an underdeveloped pro WR who lacks polish, yet he still managed to have a rookie season that would have made him our second most productive WR behind only Jordan and DGB was able to accomplish that Basically just off raw ability. If we can manage to develope his route running, teach him the tricks of the trade, this kid has all the physical tools we could ever hope for in a WR… Hopefully Greg Lewis is up to the task of taking this raw talent and developing him into a polished pro WR…..
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Long way to go before we even think of him becoming a top 5 WR! For now, I’ll be thrilled to see him develope into a solid starting #2 WR…. Baby steps
Great post.
Agree with all this – similar could be said about teh whole WR corps – dump off and let them use RAC ability (Ags and Huff).
My hope at this point is he will become a good #2 receiver behind Matthews, and a significant red zone asset. Imagine how awesome it would be if Schwartz can get him in gear and DGR does become an elite wr.
Seems that Schwartz is our coach for all positions these days! lol
D’oh. Morning coffee must not have kicked in. Ya’ know what I mean.
I think Matthews is a legit #1 WR, second tier most likely for now, and imagine if he had a legit QB throwing to him?
Looks like our prized free agents Brooks and McLeod are as advertised and I don’t take that for granted after all our free agent dissapointments, well done Howie…Sounds like Dolphin fans are Quickily realizing why we were willing to give them Byron and Kiko. BGN has tweets up from Dolphins media showing Kiko’s piss poof effort missing tackles, and Maxwell was on the bad end of a Dak to Dez TD pass
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Brooks was balling against the Steelers, and I can’t wait to see Ryan Mathews rumbling behind Brooks in the regular season. i was also happy to see a solid performance by barbie doll at RT. Hopefully the starting OL can build on the solid performance against the steelers and have an even better game in the dress Rehersal against the Colts, Jason Peters also looked pretty good, im hoping we get to see Trent Cole vs. Jason Peters on Saturday
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With Doug keeping Stoutland from the previous staff, I like that Pederson was wise enough to let Stoutland keep The same Language that we used under chip, so it’s been an easier transition for our lineman who haven’t had to learn a brand new language that usually comes with a coaching change
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Probably won’t be able to teach DGB this entire new offense by the start of the season, but it shouldn’t be difficult to design a few packages for him as a deep threat and as a red zone target… It must be a lot of fun to be a 6’5 240lb WR who runs a 4.4 playing against corners who on average are like 6’0 200lbs. jordan, Ertz and Sproles are our weapons that will be commanding the attention of opposing defenses so teams probably ARENT going to be abke to allocate two defenders on DGB, and even tho it will take some time to teach him this entire offense, we should be able to put the kid in position where he is just asked to out jump a corner who is 5 inches shorter, and come down with the ball. Our WRs aren’t the strength of our offense, but because defenses will repect the match up problems guys like Ertz, Sproles and Jordan presents, we just need our WRs to be decent complimentary weapons and take advantage when they get a chance to make a big play
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Anyone know how far along DGB is in his development In terms of beating press coverage off the line? Id like to think he can toss a tiny CB out of his way. Greg Lewis has a lot of young Talent to work with, hopefully he proves to be the right man for the WR job, but it will all come down to how he developes our talented youth. Bicknell clearly wasn’t up for the Task
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Gut feeling that Jordan Mathews has a Monster yeàr
Jordan Matthews is quickly becoming my favorite offensive player. The kid works his tail off, no off field issues, improves each year, says the right things, and is still on his rookie contract.
…and everyone else who could compete with him for the title was banished by Chip.
Love that kid. Im expecting to see him play like a beast This year.
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Hopefully next offseason, Jordan takes DGB and Nelson under his wing and makes them workout as hard as he does. I’d love to see Greg Lewis hook them up with a week of offseason tutoring by Terrell Owens Who far all his Personalty flaws was one of the hardest working WR’s in NFL history. T.O should be able to share some tricks of the trade with Jordan and DGB about how T.O used that big body of his … And jordan is a workaholic, be great for him to learn about how T.O trained to become such a dominant WR
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SPROLES should have his biggest year in the passing game since joining the Eagles. Shocking to see how poorly chip used SPROLES in the passing game. Now SPROLES will get to use the same playbook that turned Jamaal Charles into the modern day Marshall Faulk, Brian westbrrok in the passing game.. Between all the screens we used to see Jamal Charles and Brain Weatbrook do damage with, along with all the routes they run out of the backfield as well as linning them up in the slot, SPROLES should have his biggest Recieving year as an Eagle by far, Chip lacked so much Immagination with how to use SPROLES. Chip either had SPROLES run a wheel route or a swing pass, where as Pederson will use SPROLES similar to how the use CHarles in the KC passing game, and how we used Weatbrook
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When the Eagles are passing, Jordan, Ertz and SPROLES will probably command the most attention from opposing defenses. Our Wrs may be a weakness, but The attention ertz, jordan and SPROLES command should provide one on one opportunities with little help for outside WRs, and Nelson, DGB, Randle, and Givens should win their fair share of one on one matchups
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ERTZ is also very important, but what will decide if he becomes a GREAT TE is if he can improve his yards after catch. yards after the catch is what ERTZ has to improve on. It’s the only thing keeping him from Truley breaking out into Elite TE status
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Don’t sleep on Trey Burton. I like that Doug ISNT using him much in The preseason, think he has a chance to be a surprisng weapon for us
Thanks Tommy once again. I love this blog, but Holy Sh*t everyone, it’s nice to have educated Eagles fans posting, so THANK YOU all you Philly A**holes! I miss your attitudes and love for the team.
I probably speak for all when I say “go to hell.”
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Seriously, this is probably the best spot for knowledgeable Eagle fans.
Chase Daniel tweeted: “after watching the Film, I really like where we are this early in the process! trust that we are going to Fix our mistakes and continue building”
As long as we’re not relying on him to fix his mistakes.
this early?
Lane is allegedly expecting to hear The results of the B sample testing by the end of the week. Assuming it comes back positive and Lane appeals it, hopefully the NFL will rule on the appeal in time for week 1…ideally he can ATleast reduce his suspension by appealing the positive tests
thanks for the news
Hopefully we get lucky…. Former UFC LHW champion Jon Jones was suspended for two years by WADA for a positive PED test, yet they are now finding our that he didn’t take PEDs, something else triggered The positive test and he is in the middle of getting his two yeàr suspension overturned… WADA is not fucking around these days, they are busting everyone. If WADA who is at the top of its profession can make mistakes, then the NFL ISNT infallible either.. Hopefully we get Extremely lucky and Lane gets his suspension overturned, but I’ll gladly take a reduced suspension. Wonder what defense strategy Lane will go with in his appeal? Can he get his suspension reduced since his first offense which is what led to this 10 game suspension was for a positive test for something that the NFL doesn’t even ban anymore?
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I don’t know if it was the best idea to publically rip the NFLPA when they are the ones that will have to appeal the ruling on his behalf.
Really an interesting case. If the supplement had a banned ingredient that wasn’t listed on the package then i think he should get some leniency. But teams should require that any supplements be tested.
That said, clearly lane was taking something no one else on the team was taking so…
The Jones suspension was huge as it came right before the Cormier fight.
Lot of balls to pull that trigger – but would also be bad if Jones won and it turned out he was on PEDs
That was my first thought. My second thought, though, was they waited until the last minute to pull the fight so that guys like me and my son couldn’t try and get our ppc $ back.
That cost Jones the biggest pay day of his life. He is paid on a base salary to show up and fight, a win bonus (Thus the term PRIZEFIGHTING) and he gets Paid on pay per view points depending on how much his fights sell. and that suspension cost him a fight On what was not only a historic UFC 200 card which was always going to sell a ton of pay per views, but that card also featured the return of Brock Lesnar which always sells a ton of Pay per view buys with the mainstream attention he gets along with the WWE fans he brings when he fights in the UFC….. WADA really screwed him BIGTIME by not letting him fight Cormier at UFC 200, but Jon Jones is like one of the biggest scumbags in the sport, so I ain’t crying bloody murderer over This,… It also doesn’t look good when his NFL brother Aurthur Jones gets caught for PED’s shortly after Jones got suspended
It sucked for Cormier, too, as it was his chance to make a statement.
Lane should appeal that the first hit wasnt PED, but drug abuse, so he is only on 1st strike
It was considered a PED at the time of his 1st suspension, they have since changed it but think his 1st suspension will still be factored in. Best hope is the NFL shows mercy and gives him somewhere more than 4 but less than 10 games.
I know there was a couple of athletes that got changed their 4 game suspension to 2 games the year they changed even if their test was before the rule change
Didn’t the NFL implement a mandatory 6 game suspension for domestic violence? So how does the Giants kicker only get a 1 game suspension for domestic violence? This dude has a disgusting history of violence dating back to college. Someone needs to man up and punch this wannabe tôugh guy kicker in The mouth. I hope the media Makes some noise about this and tries to hold Roger accountable. The Giants too, apparentky the Mara family knew he had a history of This when they signed him.
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You know The Bucs are getting a little nervous seeing their 2nd round kicker they traded up to draft is showing early signs of “Alex Henery bust syndrome”… Two missed FG’s (both under 50 yards) and a missed PAT in his first two preseason games?
according to phillydotcom aritcle I read and heard the same reiterated on radio, the league dug deep. They got zero help from anyone involved, nobody would provide any info to them. Nothing from his ex wife, no statements or anything, zero from police departments. Doesnt mean they cant suspend the guy more but thats their story. Cant confirm anything so they only suspend for 1 game I guess.
I imagine that kicker has a ton of pressure on him. I think kickers are weird in the way they go through ups and downs. Like they can have a bad season and then be great again. Almost feel like that could be Parkey, see him lighting it up on some other team in a year while Sturgis comes back down and is average or worse.
I used to love reminding the Redskins fans that Akers was there first. The list of good kickers they have cut is pretty hilarious.
I like telling them that their bigoted mascot is a few years from being totally wiped out and only refer to them as Washington.
With our luck they are going to get a super cool mascot, change the horrid colors and be the Oregon Ducks of the NFL.
His wife wouldn’t meet with the NFL and the local cops wouldn’t release any info.
Wow was not expecting Skinner to get cut at this point – think he had looked ‘ok’ in the bits i had seen and he seemed to have a good chance to make it as our SLB back up.
Yeah I didn’t ezpect that either This soon….. Is this an indication that they only plan on keeping 5 LB’s (hicks, Tully, Nigel, Goode, and Kendricks? With Joe Walker injured, I struggle to see a LB that they would rather keep as a #6 LB over Skinner… So im thinking that waiving skinner means we only keep 5 LB, all of which have NFL experience
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I wish they would give Braman a look at Strong side LB, because it would make it easier to keep Braman, MS2 AND Means if Braman could count as SAM LB depth…. If Braman has to count as a defensive end, than it will probably come down to BRAMAN vs MS2 for a roster spot
MS2 is an obvious cut…
Over Means, yes, over Braman? not so sure
I’d take Braman in a heartbeat going by $ required and stats
Think my 53 had 5 LB
What is the consensus on Dak Prescott? Is he fool’s gold in the preseason? I didn’t watch the game, only the highlights, but he looks pretty damn impressive.
Quote AI, re: practice. That’s what preseason is.
I seem to remember a certain sleeved quarterback lighting it up in preseason just one year ago only to have the regular season blow up in our face.
There is some good things, but majority is wide open guys with ages to throw.
He do have some wheels and my early years McNabb comp still stands.
He looks better than I thought he would. I’m not calling him the next Troy Aikman like the media is ready too but I can understand why Dallas fans and staff would be excited over him.
Remember when Nick Foles had a great line with lots of time to throw the ball to receivers running wide open? Let’s just say Dak knows exactly how Nick felt. Time will tell how he will fare when under pressure and/or not having Dez around to win jump ball throws.
Complete fool’s gold. I don’t trust any Dan Mullen system guys to make progression reads in the NFL.
Eskin tweeted that Tulloch played 40 snaps on ST last year
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DGB claims that he is currently 6’5 230lbs, WOULDNT him at 230lb mean that he is in great shape? he is a big boy, we don’t want him to be under 230
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Jason Kelce via Lombardo article: ” this isn’t going to be the typical rebuilding in the coaches first year type roster IMO. I think we have quality players that can win some ball games. We can be as good as anyone in this league and I firmly believe that”….. I don’t know about all THAT, but I do think there is no reason why any eagle fan should set their sites on anything less than winning this division which is as wide open as it will ever be,
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When asked about what went wrong last year and what needed to change: “I still have the OPPINION that we were soft last year….the biggest thing on offense is that you don’t want to be predictable. You don’t want to get into the same tempo over and over and over again, or run the same plays over and over and over again. defenses will find a way to scheme it up and hurt you..”-Kelce
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From the looks of the 49ers first two preseason games, it seems like Chip kelly still disagrees with that….
Kelce is a company man – hard for me to take anything he says at face value.
I’d take Kelce more seriously if he was actually good at his job recently.
What’s crazy about his struggles is that he was soo good at all the calls and reading plays. Then with Chip he isnt making calls and is running fewer plays and he made poor reads. I mean I can see the merit in what he is saying. Still funny.
I really resent hearing guys who aren’t playing well being vocal about the team. Full credit to Kelce for always taking full blame for his poor play, but I’d still like to hear him talking less.
Funny thing is, if the Oline plays decently (average to slightly above average) – DGB and Turner might win us some games. And if DGB is in shape, I hope he’s got a chip on his shoulder.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/767824725552705536
we cant give first time coach Doug another one of these guys can we. I mean they are already taking fliers on Randle and DGB lol. I say just stick with Barner although I want to see more of Byron Marshall. Think they only keep 3 anyway right, Ryan, Sproles and Barner probably with maybe Pantale as FB which Im not a fan of.
Don’t forget Smallwood. He isn’t going anywhere.
Hmmm, doesn’t seem like Pederson likes his starters all that much.
https://twitter.com/LesBowen/status/767766379793641472
Why?
Because he didn’t come out and sat that Tulloch is definitively a backup.
I’m not sure if Tulloch would have loved to hear that. Also it doesn’t do any harm to light some fire under Kendricks’ arse.
I’ll provide the matches and gasoline.
Think he was vague because the real answer is “Schwartz makes all the decisions on D.”
I don’t see why (barring injury) that Tulloch would start over Hicks at MLB. Unless they decide that Hicks needs to move to WILL or SAM. That said, I don’t know what they promised Tulloch, and maybe they told him he could “compete” for the MIKE, but know he’s only there for depth.
I’m of the Seth Joyner school of thought that Hicks is best used at WIL and Tulloch should be starting at MIKE.
I was thinking of you during the game on Thursday. I think I found someone that I can’t stand as much as you hate Barner. For me that’s Chase Daniel.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Getting one of those guys is fun.
Wonder what poll here on that would look like? Who is your number one, please get rid of this guy now? I’m curious. Not sure I have one of those right now. Last year it was Chip for me.
I have to say it’s Daniel, with Huff making a strong case. Huff still has time to fix his crap, but he’s making it tough to like him. Should be much better right now and I haven’t seen anything yet to make me thing he’ll change. Daniel – he’s just not worth the money he is being paid. No arm, no mobility, no nothing. I would have preferred to keep Sanchez then this dude. Hell, I’d even take Foles back, at least he had a good year to stand on.
I’m with you on Daniel. If he is the starting QB for a stretch, this team is going to be very hard to watch.
I can see that, but at least Daniel & Huff make an effort. For me my initial gut reaction is possibly Reuben Randle or just all the WRs not named Mathews (including CBDGBs). Have to mull this one over.
Speaking of which, did you guys see the vid making the rounds of Kiko Alonso taking himself out of the play against Dallas on Saturday? I don’t miss that at all.
Kiko probably doesn’t want to get hurt in pre-season, understandable.
Fostering competition, and not giving the media fodder to use should he ever be the starter.
On what channel will be Eagles vs Colts next Saturday?
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagles-2016-Preseason-Broadcast-Schedule/d4371965-6cea-41cc-999f-a86548e8630d
NBC 10
Is that also in New York?
Probably not.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nflstreams/
Use this link to find a stream for the game.
Seems like I will have to sign up with NFL gamepass for another week. Lol
LOL. I thought about it since I have to stream it this year for the season. My options are:
1. Go to a bar. Can’t, too expensive and with a relatively new born at home, I don’t think the wife will appreciate that.
2. DirectTV. Hellz no. Crappy service and even crappier Internet.
3. NFL Streams. Well it’s cheap, I can watch it on the couch, and if the Eagles really start to do well in the first half of the season (doubtful) then I can venture out for a couple games later in the season.
Twitter will stream some games apparently. Since they’ll likely only get to screen crappy games you might get to see the birds play once or twice.
Only Thursday night games, and I have NFL network already.
I’m still hoping that the courts will break up this monopoly that DirectTV has, and everyone else can offer it. I was hoping Google and/or Apple would have been able to get in on just selling the streams of the games. I would have jumped on that in a heartbeat.
I actually really like DirecTV, and think their service is infinitely better than any cable I have ever had. I do not use them for internet though, and the NFL Sunday ticket is expensive.
Congrats on fatherhood!
Thanks!
Have you gotten your kid a jersey yet?
Not a jersey, but he has two eagles onsies and an eagles bib. He has an eagles shirt, but that’s a 3-6 months shirt, so should be ready for it by football season.
I trust he’ll teach the other kids in pre-school how to pronounce, “Dallas Sucks.”
Seriously, though, congratulations.
NFL Network.
Live?!
While Jason Peters seems to be the exception to the rule being listed at 6’4″, is there any other top tackle in this league being that ‘short’?
I am asking because I would love Dillon to become another Peters…
Gordon would be a wonderful success story to watch develop.
Of course, people tell those stories because they are rare…
This is mildly interesting, and mildly depressing.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/which-nfl-team-are-you-stuck-watching-every-sunday/?ex_cid=538twitter
With the game viewing conversation, I don’t have TV and I tried the streaming through Verizon, but local games are blocked so the Eagles were the only team I cannot watch. And suggestions beyond illicit streams?
I do the illicit streams via my Linux laptop. NFLStreams on reddit usually has them. I’ve looked for every possible way to stream them otherwise and haven’t found a way.
The only way you can is if:
1 – You’re a full time college student
2 – Live in an apartment where you can’t get DirectTV
Use a piece of software like Tunnel Bear (you can find cheaper versions) that sets up a private VPN that you can set up as a proxy, so allowing you to access the internet from anywhere.
Works a lot better than private streams since you can get glorious full HD, and using VPN’s and proxy’s are entirely legal (even if getting around rights restrictions is a somewhat more of a grey area).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/portable-entertainment/tips-and-solutions/how-watch-free-tv-your-computer-without-wireless-broadband
Wow, that is very interesting. Unfortunately, the comments say both are no longer made, and we are an Apple family, but I will look into mobile DTV.
Do you have Roku or another device similar to download streaming content?
Apple TV.
Yes I do mean to get political.
Every time we doubt Doug Pedersen or the decision of this football team, I want him to say, “What do you have to lose?”
Only if he starts responding to all reporter questions with, “Says who?”
I don’t know about you guys, but I cannot bloody wait for the Eagles season kicking off!!!
E
A
G
L
E
S
EAGLES!!!
I am definitely excited for football to start in general. My expectations for the Eagles are somewhat tempered. Definitely look forward to their defense, hopefully they can control most games. And who knows, maybe we all will be pleasantly surprised with their offense.
Eagles are good enough to beat Cleveland to start the year.
Then squeeze one out against the Bears on MNF and get off to a 2-0 start. That’s my ideal for now.
I’ll be ok if we break RGIII.
If we break him in half, would that make him RG1.5?
Theres a Bears bar right next to me in the city.. dare we watch it in enemy territory?? Their sad faces would be almost as sweet as the win if we could pull it off