Big V Update

Posted: October 12th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 183 Comments »

We found out Today that Halapoulivaati Vaitai will officially be the starting RT this week. Doug Pederson said the decision was based on both wanting to keep Allen Barbre at LG and wanting to get Big V on the field. I think Pederson might be a little generous there. Vaitai showed nothing this spring or summer that made you think “We definitely need that guy on the field.”

But a coach is supposed to pump his guys up. I liked the fact Pederson said the team would help him some, but wasn’t going to overdo it. If you trust the guy enough to put him on the field, you need to give him a chance to show what he can do. You want to give him some help, but you can’t build your whole gameplan around babysitting the RT. Pederson won’t leave him exposed like Big Red did with Winston Justice in 2007. The Eagles will adjust within the game based on how things are going.

PE.com has video of reporters talking to Big V at his locker.

My favorite comment came when he was asked about getting help from RBs and TEs. Big V said he’d get some but also noted he’s got to do his job and then said “I’m a big boy and I’m gonna do everything to protect Carson.” That’s what you want to hear.

Young players need to be aware of the challenge in front of them, but you don’t want them scared. And you do want them to have a sense of responsibility. Vaitai needs to do his job. Jason Peters has been telling him to focus on playing 4 seconds at a time. Win enough of the 4-second battles and you’ve got a good game.

Some of you have asked about the long term ramifications of the move. Pederson actually got questions about that today. He tried to answer. I wish he’d stolen a Chip Kelly line and said “I don’t deal in hypotheticals.” There are so many moving parts to this discussion that it doesn’t work well for a coach to talk about it midseason.

As for us…that’s different. The first part of the equation is Lane Johnson and his long term future. If he tests positive again, he’s facing a lengthy ban. Johnson says he will avoid supplements in the future, but the Eagles will need to monitor him closely to make sure there is no confusion. His past means you have no room for error. Johnson certainly has the ability to be a stud LT, the kind of guy you want protecting the blindside of your elite QB. Vaitai is a talented rookie and has good potential, but so was Dennis Kelly. Making the transition to long term starter is tougher than it sounds. Vaitai could be the RT of the future, but he’s got a long way to go before we have any idea whether that’s realistic to expect.

For now, I’m just curious to see plays on Sunday. Forget the future, focus on 4 seconds at a time.

*****

Since the Skins are the opponent on Sunday, there is lots of DeSean Jackson talk today.

Lots of Eagles fans would love him back.

I’ve got very mixed feelings. He is still arguably the fastest player in the league. He is still very talented. But he also was a headache at times. He skipped out on his exit interview after the 2013 season. There were questions about his effort in 2011. He always seemed just as focused on becoming big in the rap world as he did becoming a great receiver, which he’s not and has never been.

I miss the big plays just like everyone else. I don’t miss the bad stuff, though. Maybe time in WAS has changed him. I’d have to do a lot of homework before committing big money to him.

 

Probably a wasted discussion anyway. I get the feeling Pederson prefers big WRs. That certainly does seem like a position that will be addressed in the offseason, but we’ll see how things go the final 12 games. Heck, I’m still curious to see if Bryce Treggs can play.

*****

Site stuff…

We had some issues with the site being hard to access when new posts went up. I think we found the bug and took care of that. Thank you for your patience with that.

You may notice that I started putting stuff up at EaglesBlog. I don’t always have time to write lengthy posts so that gives me an outlet to put up shorter pieces when I stumble on something I think is interesting.

EB has something built in that helps it with mobile devices. I don’t have that here on IB yet. Let me know if you like how EB looks and we can add the software here.

I also know I need a new header for this site. Feel free to submit your ideas.  Something tells me Carson Wentz has a good chance to be on there.

_


183 Comments on “Big V Update”

  1. 1 Big V Update - said at 11:38 PM on October 12th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor We found out Today that Halapoulivaati Vaitai will officially be the starting RT this week. Doug […]

  2. 2 Charlie Kelly said at 11:42 PM on October 12th, 2016:

    Would love Desean back, was always my fav eagles player. Funny thing was at one point, desean was my fav eagle and sproles was my fav non-eagle. Give me one year with both as eagles and ill be happy!! lol

  3. 3 Mitchell said at 12:05 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    With Wentz being the main focus of last years draft, if Seumalo and HPV develop into starters, I can’t imagine a better first draft for Pederson and Howard together. Thoughts on Seumalo being the eventual replacement for Kelce, if it comes to that?

  4. 4 A_T_G said at 8:44 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Jason and Isaac stand side by side, Jason’s left foot nearly touching Isaac’s right. Both men bend their knees, squat, and grip the ball between each of their feet.

    As a warm breeze sweeps across the turf, Carson meanders up behind the men. He walks slowly past Jason, eyes averted, and stops behind Isaac. Carson squats behind Isaac and reaches under his bottom. Chase follows behind Carson, mimicking his stance behind Jason.

    Slowly, Jason turns and looks at Isaac, “So, it has come to this.”

  5. 5 D3FB said at 9:50 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC6jnHFdqbQ

  6. 6 A_T_G said at 10:09 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    bum-Bum-bum, wee-ooo wee-ooo we-oooooo

  7. 7 Tumtum said at 12:35 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Hey that mobile site isnt half bad. Wonder what discus would be like?

    Carson Doug and Howie on the banner?

  8. 8 A_T_G said at 10:10 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Like my wife says, well, never… you need Cox in there too.

  9. 9 Insomniac said at 12:42 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I talked about WR FAs for next offseason last thread. Well the 2018 FAs are the ones we want.

    http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/2018/wide-receiver/

    ODB
    Deandre Hopkins
    Mike Evans
    Sammy Watkins
    Allen Robinson
    Brandin Cooks
    Jarvis Landry
    John Brown

    After seeing that, it makes me want Djax less.

  10. 10 Media Mike said at 4:39 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Not leaving NY
    Not leaving Houston
    Not leaving Tampa
    Should put some cranberry juice on his foot
    Not leaving London
    VERY interesting because of their cap problems
    Not leaving Miami
    Not leaving Arizona

    So out of that list, I think you could see Cooks shake loose.

  11. 11 Insomniac said at 4:46 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    The funny thing is..all of these guys are going to have QB issues by the time they’re FAs. You never know who’ll be available.

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 4:46 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I can’t imagine any of those guys who I don’t think will be available not getting tagged.

  13. 13 Insomniac said at 4:52 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I could see Hopkins getting tagged. ODB might not if he can’t keep his emotions in check. Evans might. Watkins probably wants out of Buffalo. Robinson will most likely get tagged too.

    Brown, Landry and Cooks are the guys I don’t really have a clue about. They could stay for the inevitable rebuild or move to a real team like the Eagles.

  14. 14 Media Mike said at 4:56 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    You’re a tad more optimistic than I am here. I don’t see any of these guys coming loose except Watkins who is an absolute bum and Cooks who New Orleans won’t be able to afford. Brown and Landry might not quite be franchise tag level guys, but I bet their teams do what it takes to keep them.

  15. 15 Insomniac said at 5:00 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Are you telling me that other teams don’t let their probowl WRs go without getting anything in return?

  16. 16 Media Mike said at 5:05 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

    F U CHIP

  17. 17 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:17 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I could see Jarvis Landy getting mad and wanting out of Miami… Tannahill/Adam Gase ISNT looking like a tandem WRs will want to play for

  18. 18 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:11 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Yeah im much more interested in drafting and developing our own WR talent instead of throwing 70mil at someone else’s free agent, but at least those names make a ton more sense than signing 30yr old Desean
    ..
    Forget Desean, hopefully having to pay Deandre Hopkins provides an opportunity to pry will fuller away from Houston via trade or FA signing a few years down the road… Ideally Wentz becomes a Qb God every WR wants to play with, along with Will Fuller wanting to play for Hometown Eagles… That’s my dream scenario

  19. 19 bubqr said at 4:56 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    All of those guys are key for their own organisation apart from maybe John Brown (if Fitz really retires however that might change). I know Watkins is a bit pissed off at the Bills, but apart from him, and maybe Robinson (Hurns + Marqise Lee are around), I’d be surprised if they hit the market.

  20. 20 Insomniac said at 5:04 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    There is no way that the Jags are keeping Lee over Robinson but I wouldn’t complain at all if they did. Lets hope that some of these teams will have to make some tough decisions on who to tag when the time comes.

  21. 21 bubqr said at 5:08 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    My thoughts are that the Jags have spent a lot in FA recently, will (probably?) extend Bortles + some of their young guys soon and who knows, cap might become an issue. I also think they’ll keep Robinson over Lee but hey, it might become their Maclin situation

  22. 22 MattE said at 9:03 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    WOW

  23. 23 Baloophi said at 2:27 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    RE: New Header https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cef25408b7cb766a8f830aec4b87f919af136c80b2d17c1448d7f34606bb5c00.jpg

    Like Ryan Mathews before me, I’ll get the ball rolling…

  24. 24 The original AG said at 2:38 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    No PBR?

  25. 25 Baloophi said at 2:51 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Trash Can is carrying them.

  26. 26 RogerPodacter said at 12:56 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    make some PBR & funyuns & pudding sticking out the top of the Trash Can and this is pure gold!

  27. 27 Mac said at 3:15 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    And Wentz is carrying the rest of the team?!

  28. 28 Sean Stott said at 2:51 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    needs more jpeg

  29. 29 P_P_K said at 6:23 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Excellent, except where’s the sunglasses?

  30. 30 Anders said at 6:38 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    They are still on the way….

  31. 31 P_P_K said at 12:24 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    LOL!

  32. 32 TommyLawlor said at 7:49 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Brilliant.

  33. 33 Mitchell said at 10:12 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Tommy, please put this up. Wentz is for the casual visitors, Fox is for the ones who read fairly regularly and trash can is for the die hards who visit everyday.

  34. 34 Ankerstjernen said at 7:40 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    I all seriousness Tommy, you could ask readers for suggestions for the new header in a separate post. It would be so much fun, and something ingenius might come of it!

  35. 35 mtn_green said at 11:04 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Nailed it.

  36. 36 ChoTime said at 11:10 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Wow! Mean-lego eyes on the Trash Can might be good too.

  37. 37 A_T_G said at 11:50 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    In my opinion, that isn’t Megan Fox’s best angle.

  38. 38 Spooonius said at 3:35 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    no funyuns?

  39. 39 Ankerstjernen said at 7:38 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    Add some funyuns and a frolicking turf worm, and you have the historical ties all summed up.

  40. 40 Sean Stott said at 2:50 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I know I’m not the only one who completely forgot about Treggs.

    Also, doesn’t Ryan Kerrigan usually line up as LDE? That’s going to be a great test for Big V.

  41. 41 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:06 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Yup.. He has been known to cause Lane some problems

  42. 42 bubqr said at 4:11 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Desean brings exactly what we need, and while there sure was a few “bad stuff” during his time as an Eagle, it was nothing too bad. Plus he would bring exactly what this offense need to compliment Ertz/Mathews working the short/intermediate routes.
    I’d take him back in a heartbeat.

  43. 43 Media Mike said at 4:40 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Agreed. But I’m a very big DeSean fan.

  44. 44 Spooonius said at 3:35 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    To me the “bad stuff” is a non-issue. A good, stable organization (like we have) would negate his negative qualities. As for his value on the field, I would definitely take him for the right price.

  45. 45 Ankerstjernen said at 7:42 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    By bad stuff you mean quitting on his team every other season because he wants more money, being a distraction in the locker room and not showing up in the playoff? Let’s not throw big FA money after anyone like that. Washington has already regretted it, we are smarter than them.

  46. 46 Media Mike said at 4:37 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Why isn’t this article called “HPV Update?”

  47. 47 Rellihcs said at 5:53 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Cause its a dumb nickname.

  48. 48 Media Mike said at 6:43 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Killjoy. I can’t remember who on here made up that nickname, but you owe them an apology.

  49. 49 Rellihcs said at 11:11 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    Hes a player on the team you root for and you want to call him a serious medical condition?

  50. 50 MattE said at 9:02 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    …..Fantasy related.
    My one buddy picked up Cameron Brate (TB-TE), so i was clever enough to ask him to change his team name to “Brate Rape”…..i know i know locker room talk.

  51. 51 Media Mike said at 6:43 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Nice.

  52. 52 Media Mike said at 4:41 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    New Banner – Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Concrete Charlie, Reggie White, Dawk, and Carson Wentz.

  53. 53 MattE said at 9:00 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    i would say 1 doesn’t belong, but hopefully that is just relative to time.

  54. 54 A_T_G said at 10:27 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Yeah, I don’t think we should put Banner on there either – now Howie on the other hand…

  55. 55 Anders said at 5:29 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Imagine if Wentz had Maclin, Jackson and Matthews as his 3 WRs and is RB was Lesean McCoy?

    Of Course if had traded McCoy maybe we can never trade up to 8 and then up to 2

  56. 56 Media Mike said at 5:37 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I was going to say that you’d have some serious cap issues, but it wouldn’t be hard to subtract a few deals off of the ledger to afford those guys.

  57. 57 Anders said at 6:37 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I bet Howie could make it work

  58. 58 ChoTime said at 11:09 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    It would be a dream team.

  59. 59 P_P_K said at 3:03 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Please never use that term again.

  60. 60 Spooonius said at 3:32 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    not even sarcastically

  61. 61 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:14 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Give me Jordan Mathews, DGB, Will Fuller and Wentz

  62. 62 Anders said at 10:17 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Where does that extra 2016 1st round pick comes from?

  63. 63 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:18 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Not now…. Dreaming about poaching Fuller via trade or FA signing a few years from now

  64. 64 Stacks209 said at 6:24 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Jalen Strong or Braxton Miller might be a couple more reasonable options? In an ideal world, Fuller all day.

  65. 65 Jbirdss said at 10:18 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Fuller has drop issues too

  66. 66 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:19 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Going to be the next Desean BIGTIME NFL deep threat

  67. 67 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:19 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Im also bias towards my fellow Roman Catholic alumni (full disclosure)

  68. 68 Rockedupeaglesfan said at 1:09 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Recruiting. Should have went to his neighborhood school like the rest of his siblings

  69. 69 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:19 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Hell no, screw that! I was recruited to roman instead of going to my neighborhood St. john nuemanns…. nuemanns didn’t even become a basketball class TIL after our Roman class graduated

  70. 70 Rockedupeaglesfan said at 1:36 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    St JN isn’t a neighborhood school either.

    Point is, it was good enough for the rest of his family

  71. 71 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:17 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Its the neighborhood school where 90% of the boys from south Philly who wanted to go to catholic school went.. Call that what you want
    ..
    Other schools were good enough for my siblings too,, we all went to masterman one of the best public schools in Philly, but why wouldnt I leave to go to Roman when like 90% of playërs on Romans basketball team got some type of College scholarship? Why wouldn’t I prefer playing for a national basketball powerhouse if I could instead of going where my siblings went? Who wouldn’t want to play a national schedule and travel America playing high school basketball tournaments as far as Hawaii? fuller had no right to want better for himself? Tôugh to question a kids choices that got him a Notre dame education and a job in the NFL… Sounds more like sour grapes than being rational

  72. 72 Rockedupeaglesfan said at 3:00 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    That’s called a catholic school. Sounds like your neighborhood school is probably Southern. Masterman is a magnet school.

    The difference is, Roman is not a powerhouse football program like they are in basketball. If he would’ve gone to his neighborhood school he would’ve actually played in state playoff games instead of being on a middling Catholic school team. Playing for them didn’t get him noticed, these kids go to so many camps now, they get found regardless. I don’t blame the kid, I blame coaches to recruit, when they don’t really have much to offer Except promoting their own brand

  73. 73 unhinged said at 7:55 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I think the Jackson craving is wrong-headed. Empty calories (red zone disappearance), unrefined sugar (me,me, me), facilitates negative gut bacteria (locker room debit), over-cafeinated (speed is fine…but there’s an inevitable crash). I can see the sense in having a burner to stretch the field, and catch the occasional bomb, but that guy needs to do more…like go across the middle, contribute on ST, not be invisible for long stretches. If HR is targeting a WR in FA, I want it to be somebody who has more to offer.

  74. 74 anon said at 8:10 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Got a lot of big boys for red zone but no one to stretch the field. Jackson hasn’t been an issue in Washington.

  75. 75 unhinged said at 9:17 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    After the RGIII debacle, Jackson appears quiet as a church mouse, but that doesn’t mean he won’t raid the larder. Really, I get your point, and I’m not against him coming back for personality reasons. I just think there are probably better options for stretching the field.

  76. 76 GermanEagle said at 10:20 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    What are the better options? Have you seen the FA WR list that Insomniac has posted. Good luck with finding a better fit – besides Jeffery who will be too expensive. The only other WR that also makes sense in next year’s Free Agency might be Pryor.

  77. 77 FairOaks said at 8:37 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I think Jackson is better than that — he really affects how the defense can play you. He’s less useful in the red zone, to be sure, and if he’s your only weapon other teams can take him away.

    So, it really depends on the contract. If he demands to be paid as a top-flight WR, meaning you don’t have the cap space to improve the rest of the offense enough, it’s a problem because he’s not a #1 receiver. If he’s OK with a mid-range WR contract, that would be an entirely different situation.

  78. 78 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:05 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Doubt we will have any interest in 30yr old WRs

  79. 79 GermanEagle said at 10:18 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    The argument that DeSean is a ‘locker room debit’ might be one of the most unjustified ever. Thank you, Chip Kelly!

  80. 80 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:21 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Bennie Logan was on the radio last night taking some subtle shots at Chip… Claiming that no one in the locker room wanted Desean to leave, and that Desean is gone “because one person DIDNT want to deal with him”…. FUCK YOU CHIP!

  81. 81 GermanEagle said at 10:47 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    FU CK!

  82. 82 A_T_G said at 11:49 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Whoa! It was there all along. How did we miss this flashing billboard of a warning? Shame on us.

  83. 83 xmbk said at 12:31 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Shenanigans.

  84. 84 The original AG said at 1:29 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    https://media.giphy.com/media/UNeHvSzLsXwE8/giphy-facebook_s.jpg

  85. 85 Koy: The Legend of Neckbeard said at 12:12 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    But he was in a gang! Or something.

  86. 86 xmbk said at 12:20 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Top paid vets who don’t lead by example are a locker room debit. Player who take plays off when they aren’t primary targets are locker room debits. Completely justified, has nothing to do with extracurriculars.

  87. 87 unhinged said at 1:16 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I was intentionally generic there because I agree that the whole gang-related angle was more of a canard than actual news. But.. he’s a diva without the walk. At least he was when here last. He may have zipped his lip after being let go, but he was always a me-first guy, and that’s why it is justified to me.

  88. 88 BobSmith77 said at 10:36 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    If the Eagles are against bringing back Jackson because don’t think he is worth the cost or what he provides at this point, that’s fine. He tends to have a big game and then disappear for stretches too. Just not the same dynamic player he was before the concussions.

    The extent of the ‘off-the-field’ issues always seem to been exaggerated with him. For whatever reason, Jackson got a lot more grief than McCoy did and it is arguable that McCoy had bigger issues off the field.

    As for the ‘rap/gangster’ thing, there was almost nothing there of substance there and I still think the Eagles’ FO were completely full of it about leaking that info to Eliot Shorr-Parks especially when they actually denied doing so. ESP almost never breaks anything of substance in regards to the Eagles and I argue hasn’t since then.

  89. 89 FairOaks said at 12:09 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I thought Shorr-Parks got that info from a California source? Police department or somesuch? Thought I remember reading that here somewhere. I highly doubt the Eagles leaked stuff to Shorr-Parks and I also seriously doubt that stuff had much of anything to do with his release (Eagles knew all about that before resigning him to his second contract). It was more that Chip just didn’t want him on the team — whether that was he didn’t like DeSean’s emphasis on his rap career off-season, or thought he would undermine Chip’s program by ignoring some of the rules he didn’t like and influence others to do the same, combined with not being a blocking wide receiver, who knows.

  90. 90 BobSmith77 said at 12:31 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    He supposedly did but that is not the way crime reporting typically works. Cops are always reluctant to talk to the media let alone a reporter who they don’t know well, isn’t a crime beat reporter, and is from out of the area. Almost is zero upside for the cop with all kinds of potential internal and external issues/problems.

    It also just happened that ESP released that story that day the Eagles released Jackson.

  91. 91 FairOaks said at 2:08 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Fair enough to wonder, though that does not seem like the Eagles / Roseman style — that is more a Phillies thing (at least pre-2015 management) to trash a player via leaks they are choosing to not re-sign or release. And perhaps the article was the last straw for Roseman in trying to get any compensation for Jackson (which was going to be very tough at that point) and just gave up.

    Could have been a Tom Gamble way of doing things though. Might explain a few things.

  92. 92 Stacks209 said at 6:33 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    This is my big issue with bringing Desean back. I absolutely LOVED him when he was here, but, as Bob said i vividly remember some big games from him, but also stretches of quiet games too. Ultimate boom or bust receiver. We also need to consider his age, and the fact he really is a one trick pony, once he looses a step (and ALL athletes eventually do) the one thing he does really well won’t work anymore.

  93. 93 Corry said at 9:15 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    CJ Smith has been promoted to the active roster. Makes sense given McKelvin’s hamstring issues seem to be lingering.

  94. 94 A_T_G said at 10:05 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Good. He is the one I was hoping would get the spot.

  95. 95 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:03 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Rookie LT Terron Armstead had one week of experience under his belt when the saints started him on the road in Philly during the 2013 playoff game.. Armstead stepped up and stonewalled our defensive ends helping the saints leave philly with a win.. We fear the “unknown”, but sometimes an unknown will prove to be a pleasant surprise. It’s true that Vaitai didn’t show anything this summer that would lead us to believe he is ready to start, but had Vaitai not shown big growth since then, I doubt he would get first crack at filling in for lane… Hopefully he proves Capable of handling it, but we have no way of knowing either way
    ..
    There are a handful of Eagles veterans throwing public support for the kid. Both BG and Vinny spoke up about his growth, and they battle against him every day… Brooks and Bennie were on the radio last night and both sounded like they had some faith in what he has shown…. Hopefully it works out. It would be so huge if this kid steps in and proves he can handle filling in for Lane, especially in his first test against a beast like Kerrigan.
    .,
    Never know when a young unknown will get an opportunity and Run with it….

  96. 96 A_T_G said at 10:21 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Did you ever go back to a restaurant that you loved and find that some the charm had worn off and instead you noticed lots of un-charming things that you overlooked the first time?

    I have a feeling we would find that with DJax’s limited menu.

    Besides, there are other options. One such example:
    https://twitter.com/IgglesNest/status/786105656197668864

  97. 97 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:26 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Washington Huskies also have future SIXER PG/SG Markelle Fultz..
    .
    Huskies basketball is must see TV this year

  98. 98 ACViking said at 11:12 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    I love your relentless optimism that anyone you think is good will play for one of the Philadelphia sports teams.

    On the other hand . . . you called Wentz a late-1st, early-2nd talent that no team — ‘specially Eagles — should trade up for.
    http://igglesblitz.com/2016/03/pick-early-overview/#comment-2577340936

  99. 99 HawaiianEagle said at 11:14 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    His account was obviously hacked…

  100. 100 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:17 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Huh?

  101. 101 Bert's Bells said at 12:18 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    He’s no DAAAAK!

  102. 102 Blackfoot said at 12:58 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    hey hey whoa, he was obviously trying to throw off the scent

  103. 103 BlindChow said at 4:18 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    https://m.popkey.co/2e18f2/VlgXG.gif

  104. 104 BlindChow said at 4:26 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    “If there was a QB like Jameis Winston…”

    Winston:

    58.5% – 9 TD – 8 INT – 75.9 QB Rating

    Wentz:
    67.4% – 7 TD – 1 INT – 103.5 QB Rating

  105. 105 mksp said at 7:07 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    “If Jameis WInston or Luck was in this draft I could see us take a QB, but No, Goff and Wentz ARENT special enough to draft at #8, ”

    To be fair, a lot of guys were wrong about Wentz.

    Not me though. Not me. I was right.

    And I won’t ever forget it.

  106. 106 D3FB said at 1:24 PM on October 14th, 2016:

    I have come to take my L

  107. 107 HawaiianEagle said at 11:18 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    Jim Schwartz: Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz asked about how defensive end
    Vinny Curry has done in practice (Curry saw limited snaps against the
    Lions). “Practice doesn’t mean anything,” he responded. “I don’t want to
    get Allen Iverson in that. It’s all about how you perform on Sunday.”

  108. 108 ACViking said at 11:19 AM on October 13th, 2016:

    So did the reporter ask Schwartz about how Curry’s doing on Sundays?

  109. 109 RobNE said at 4:10 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    ACV, party affiliation aside did you see the letter from the Times back to Trump’s counsel? that is a legal letter masterpiece.

  110. 110 ACViking said at 4:25 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    RobNE . . . spot on!!!

    Slick legal jujitsu on Trump’s assertion of a damaged “reputation” with this paragraph:

    The essence of a libel claim, of course, is the protection of one’s reputation. Mr. Trump has bragged about his non-consensual sexual touching of women. He has bragged about intruding on beauty contestants in their dressing rooms. He acquiesced to a radio host’s request to discuss Mr. Trump’s own daughter as a “piece of ass.” Multiple women not mentioned in our article have publicly come forward to report on Mr. Trump’s unwanted advances. Nothing in our article has had the slightest effect on the reputation that Mr. Trump, through his own words and actions, has already created for himself.

  111. 111 SteveH said at 4:47 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I’m taking a Media Law class and we literally just covered libel a couple weeks ago, and this kind of situation is one of the things we discussed. Very slick response from The Times. They had to know he was going to sue so I’m sure they had that angle worked out before they went with the story.

  112. 112 RobNE said at 5:17 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I’d be really surprised if they actually sue.

  113. 113 SteveH said at 6:23 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    They already did. I also learned today that Donald Trump has about 4,000 open litigations in which he is either the plaintiff or the defendent (about 50/50 split).

  114. 114 RobNE said at 9:52 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I don’t think so.

  115. 115 xmbk said at 12:37 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Fans obsess over highlight players like Jackson. Players like that rarely are part of the makeup of championship teams.

  116. 116 GermanEagle said at 1:37 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Then you haven’t seen his last year as an Eagle where he literally caught EVERYTHING coming his way. Unlike other WRs on this year’s Eagles team…

  117. 117 xmbk said at 2:13 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I must have forgotten indeed. They won a championship in his last season? Did they play a close playoff game and he turned out to be a difference maker?

  118. 118 since1961 said at 2:13 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    But we saw the year he dogged it the whole year over his contract (and later admitted he had). That bothered me a lot more than his disappearing act in the red zone, or his occasional brain-farts

  119. 119 Rellihcs said at 2:04 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Golf clap. Infinity upvotes!

  120. 120 laeagle said at 3:50 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    1000 times this. One trick ponies are easy to shut down in the playoffs. We saw that in 2008. Add in the fact that he’s a petulant ass, and it’s easy to see why you wouldn’t want him as part of a young team. But fans like pretty things, like mindless birds dragging tinsel back to their nests…

  121. 121 A_T_G said at 4:11 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    There is no reason to bring Kendricks into the conversation.

  122. 122 RobNE said at 1:20 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    http://www.csnphilly.com/the700level/carson-wentz-leaves-very-generous-tip-north-dakota-restaurant?utm_source=bustedcoverage.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=bustedcoverage

    at least we shouldn’t be hearing Shady-like tip stories about Wentz.

  123. 123 unhinged said at 1:28 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Hey RobNE, off the subject but I thought you’d appreciate. My gf has some vicarious motivations to support Boston, and totally could not identify when I was explaining TB’s arrogance and oversized sense of self (when he sued the NFL for “violating his civil rights”). So TB was okay…and then she learned that he’s a Trump supporter, and now she gets the arrogance and oversized sense of self, and now he’s the asshole I was claiming he was.

  124. 124 Rellihcs said at 2:03 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I’m not RobNE but I lived in Boston (rocking an Eagles Asante jersey obnoxiously with the spygate rule in bold on my fridge) for 5 years.

    BRAVO unhinged. BRAVISSIMO

  125. 125 RobNE said at 3:03 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    ha thanks for sharing. I wonder what TB’s true feelings are these days towards Trump. Maybe they were friends (kind of) awhile ago but now that Brady sees all that’s been revealed, maybe not now. Or maybe Brady is just so slick that he won’t take any position at all (kind of like Michael Jordan) because anything he says will alienate some fans. I don’t know which it is.

    Glad to see you vindicated.

  126. 126 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:41 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    This weeks matchup is an opportunity for Shwartz to show his value and our defense to show how much better they are then last year.
    ..
    If you can’t get jacked up to put your best foot forwards against a division rival who has beaten us the last 3 times we faced them, something is seriously wrong.
    ..
    Kirk Cousins enters this matchup averaging like 370 passing yards a game against our defense, if we dont step up and do something about it This week, then our defense won’t deserve the level of praise they have recieved.
    ..
    You can’t allow yourself to lose this game, and go into the vikings game 3-2 on a two game losing streak, one loss away from blowing our 3-0 start. Gotta take care of business and put An end to the ridiculous losing streak to this average rival.

  127. 127 GermanEagle said at 1:44 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Amen, brother.

  128. 128 Nick C said at 1:49 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Certainly a big game. Last week’s loss is still stinging for me with our upcoming schedule. Completely negated the Steeler’s win.

  129. 129 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:14 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I can accept losing trap again now and then, but with the tôugh schedule ahead of us, if we are to be a serious contender for a division title, then we cant be losing two games in a row to middle of the pack(at best) teams like detroit and washington.
    ..
    If we slip up and lose a trap game, need to refocus and take care of business the following week, and stop a loss from turning into a losing streak.

  130. 130 GermanEagle said at 1:44 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Any chance (I’m not saying I think the Eagles are considering this) that Howie may look into trading for Joe Thomas?

    LJ will miss the next 10 games and Jason Peters’ back could always tighten up on any day.

    Furthermore LJ is another drug offense away from being banned for the next 2 years, which would basically mark the end of his Eagles career.

    Would Thomas be able/willing to play RT for the Eagles this year? And what are next year’s ramifications. Do you let go of JP or try to plug him in at guard at a reduced salary?

  131. 131 The original AG said at 1:59 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Have to see how HPV does before going down this route. If he’s legit, probably not.

  132. 132 GermanEagle said at 2:03 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Let’s hope the latter is the case.

  133. 133 The original AG said at 2:09 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Right there with you. I will say this about Pederson: If he does pick anything up from Andy, generally I thought he did a good job getting value out of OL coming off the bench. Granted, Winston Justice thing was a bad scene, but outside of that he liked to draft and develop big fat guys. If this holds true, we can at least hope HPV will be solid.

  134. 134 Spooonius said at 3:21 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I know it’s juvenile, but I still can’t read HPV without giggling. Hopefully after this week superior line play comes to mind first.

  135. 135 The original AG said at 3:24 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    LOL – the only reason I’m using it. Vai Sikahema said his first name literally translates to Road Boulevard. So Road Boulevard is replacing Lane.

  136. 136 Spooonius said at 3:26 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Ha! I hope having the entire boulevard will be better than just a single lane.

  137. 137 Tumtum said at 6:12 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I would much prefer Road Block to Road Boulevard.

  138. 138 Gian GEAGLE said at 4:17 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    This coaching staff told us Wentz was ready to play
    ..
    They told us Mills was ready to leapfrog Rowe
    ..
    They told us Undrafted Rookie Destiny Vaiao should be given Taylor Harts roster spot who had been playing some solidball
    ..
    They got smallwood ready to contribute early after missing the preseason
    ..
    Now they are telling us that Vaitai is ready to handle this replacing what as been one of the top 3 RTs this season(Lane), and this coaching staff certainly earned the benefit of the doubt, Hopefully Vaitais play continues to make this coaching staff look pretty damn good…. Because they feel he can handle this even tho he isn’t our only option, hopefully he proves to be a pleasant surprise

  139. 139 Tumtum said at 6:11 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Doug sounded less sure of V and more sure of not wanting to dicker with the rest of the line.

  140. 140 Gian GEAGLE said at 11:56 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    Reicht sounds extremely confident in Big V… Claims that after the skins game ends, Big V will realize he belongs at this level…

  141. 141 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:07 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I dunno man. That sounds great but we aren’t the first team THATS trying to make the playoffs that lost a starting Tackle to injury. If the Browns were ok with trading Joe Thomas, they could find a trade partner whenever they want…. They would have no shortage of interested teams willing to trade for that dude…
    ..
    You think Super Bowl contending Vikings WOULDNT have loved to acquire him when they lost their starting LT to injury during the first month of the season?
    ..
    I’d do back flips if HOWIE acquired Joe Thomas, but I doubt that’s very lkely. I don’t know if the Browns will ever trade that dude. I’d sure love to be wrong tho… Im down to upgrade Wentz protection in any way we can… Sigń me up for any OL upgrade,

  142. 142 Tumtum said at 6:10 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I would have to know the contract ramifications on the Browns before I could really answer.

    He is wasting away there though.

  143. 143 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:01 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    There is so much to like about Pedersons playcalling in the first quarter of the season. He has done a fantastic job of using his play calling to get the rookie into a Rythem and I love that he doesn’t abandon the run game or our screen game over the course of a game continuing to Chip away at the defense..
    ..
    My one criticism is he didn’t allow Wentz to attack the Lions secondary down field enough….we are more likely to break a WR screen for a big gain if you put the threat of going deep in the defenders brain. The Lions secondary had some chinks In it’s armor I would have liked to see us attacks a little more aggressively…. For the most part, the only times Wentz attacked 15+ yards down the field was when penalties put us in 3rd and long, and Wentz/jordan Mathews converted on some 3rd n longs pretty well, that in Hindsite I would have liked to see the coaches łet Wentz ATTACK that secondary a little more aggressively.
    ..
    I see the similar opportunities in attacking the washington secondary. Stay away from josh Norman, not because he is Deon Sanders, but because there is a significant drop off from Norman and the rest of that secondary, Ertz and Burton should be able to roast The Washington Safeties all day long. Deangello Hall DIDNT scary me at safety, so his replacement off the couch certainly isn’t scaring anyone… That LB Compton looks better than I expected, but SPROLES and our TEs vs any washington Linebacker is a mismatch we can expose..
    ..
    I don’t want To see Doug Change the game plan too much, but I’d like to see him take the cuffs of Wentz and łet him take a shot down field once a quarter just to give washington defenders something to worry about and keep them honest instead of allowing them to sit on our WR screens
    ,
    We need to continue to spread the ball around, while also making sure that we feature Jordan Mathews and ERtz, who at the minimum should see 10 targets combined in each game, and that’s a low number. jordan should see at least 7 targets, while Ertz gets 5 or 6..

  144. 144 P_P_K said at 2:59 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I am really happy with Doug’s Offensive playcalling. Really happy, after the debacle of Chip’s kookiness and Andy’s run phobia. I imagine the reluctance to take deep shots is not due to Carson, rather, he doesn’t have a true deep threat wr. Plus, the ones he does have don’t know how to fight for a ball (see: Agholar, Nelson, Eagles vs. Lions). Maybe DGB can become that guy.

  145. 145 Gian GEAGLE said at 4:05 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I’m definitely waiting for them to take some shots at DGB down field. His height would have stood a better chance at adjusting to that Wentz pass that wasn’t on target. Even if he doesn’t make that catch, his height could have possbly broken up that INT… Then again, even if we make that catch, odds are those scumbag refs would have pulled a holding penalty or offensive pass interference penalty out of their ass or found some way to take that catch away from us.
    ..
    Nelson Agholar has gotten open deep his share of times. He burned joe Haden deep initially, which is what made us send him deep again, and he burned Haden the second time for that TD… And if the WR are struggling to get open, then send our TEs down field on post plays.. Wentz has a cannon, I’d like to see him uncork a bomb down field per quarter on average

    The Only other nitpicking I can do about Dougie’s playcalling is that he has sprinkle a few touches for Barner and Smallwood into each weeks game plan. Featuring SPROLES and Ryan is fine, but those two deserve a few snaps each week
    ,,
    But overall, Im ecstatic with the job Doug, Reicht and DiFillipo have done with the offense and play calling. Pederson has already whipped out some brilliant play designs and im sure he is just scratching the surface on the plays he has up his sleeves… Gone are the days of chips pamphlet sized playbook.

  146. 146 P_P_K said at 4:48 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Agholar is improving and hopefully his ceiling is high. The only items on my wish list: More touches for Barner and especially Smallwood (like you said), more throws to DGB in the Red Zone, more touches for Ertz.

  147. 147 Blackfoot said at 3:00 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    how is it that the broncos 7th rounder QB is better then the guy, Lynch, people were talking about maybe going in the first or second round?
    and they are both better then the sanchez? ha

  148. 148 Sean Stott said at 3:19 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    How is it no one drafted Dak in the first round?

    Football is a game of randomness and chance.

  149. 149 daveH said at 3:21 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    His career wouldn’t be as bright if the browns had

  150. 150 Blackfoot said at 4:48 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    because he sucks

  151. 151 P_P_K said at 4:49 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Even if he doesn’t, I appreciate your sentiment. He is, after all, playing for Dallas Sucks.

  152. 152 Spooonius said at 3:24 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Every week that the eagles have won this year, I’ve had a gig on game day. I have to find a gig for this Sunday. I’m not religious but I might have to find a church service to play for.

  153. 153 Bert's Bells said at 5:01 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    A buddy of mine in high school make good cash as an organist around town. He’d pull in like $200 per service and had like 4 or 5 churches every weekend.

  154. 154 BlindChow said at 5:53 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Somebody hire this man!

  155. 155 SteveH said at 4:51 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I’m kind of disappointed the talk this week is more about DSJ and whether we want him/would it make sense to get him rather than about the game itself. Lets live in the moment folks and let next years plans sort themselves out after the season!

  156. 156 Rellihcs said at 5:47 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    THANK. YOU.

  157. 157 Tumtum said at 6:07 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Very disappointed I won’t be going to work tomorrow (in D.C). I was going to wear my white 11 jersey, hat, and jacket.

    Oh well…Monday victory attire it is.

  158. 158 The original AG said at 5:00 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    In Captain Obvious’s department, Andy Reid’s team is tops in league for percentage of passes.

    https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nfls-most-run-heavy-and-pass-happy-teams/

  159. 159 BlindChow said at 5:53 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    This is what happens when someone poaches your OC…

  160. 160 Media Mike said at 6:46 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    unconscionable with Alex Smith as your “QB.”

  161. 161 Bert's Bells said at 7:46 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    When they do their situational adjustments, Chiefs are middle of pack.

    They’ve been playing from behind so that, they claim, skews the stats.

  162. 162 A_T_G said at 9:08 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Wow, sorry. I didn’t even think to check before posting a tweet from 538. I’ll get rid of mine. By the way, it looks like Dak is awfully sheltered.

  163. 163 A_T_G said at 9:14 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    For those that just want the graphic, Eagles seem to be the dot just on the run side of the trend line straight up from the L in England. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3ebe32266d93eadf5f8c89329a1dc500c5e8dec068bd04b2e76b8b61e7db8d73.png

  164. 164 Rambo said at 6:22 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Redskins LCB Josh Norman will be playing with a cast on his “heavily sprained” right wrist against the Eagles.
    Norman’s status isn’t in doubt, but a cast could be a liability when it comes to hand checking and, of course, catching. Norman hasn’t ruled out taking a pain-killing injection.

  165. 165 Media Mike said at 6:45 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Don’t worry, Agholor will find zero ways to exploit that.

  166. 166 GermanEagle said at 6:45 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    And for a change, I agree with Jimmy K.:

    If WAS allowed Jordan Reed to play 3 days after he was diagnosed with his SIXTH concussion, it’d be less irresponsible, and more immoral.

  167. 167 Media Mike said at 6:46 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Not as immoral as their racist mascot, but close.

  168. 168 Julescat said at 6:46 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    good grief

  169. 169 Media Mike said at 6:46 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Yes?

  170. 170 Julescat said at 6:48 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I would say that putting a player in danger of a serious injury is a lot worse than some team name.

  171. 171 Media Mike said at 6:59 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    You’re probably correct, but I do enjoy razzing that fan base for their acceptance of that mascot.

  172. 172 HawaiianEagle said at 9:00 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Well…Let me ask. Did you truly grow up thinking how racist the name REDSKIN was, did you develop a true dislike for the name REDSKIN as you matured and understood REDSKIN to be an ugly label, or did you truly say “yeah, that IS racist” some time in the last 2 years or so and jumped on the PC bandwagon? I only ask because, try as I might to truly find a way to hate the name REDSKIN, the only way I can is because I truly hate the team. You can lecture me, call me insensitive or go so far as to call me a racist, I don’t care. Maybe one day I’ll get it.

    Until then, I hope we beat the REDSKINS on Sunday.

  173. 173 GermanEagle said at 10:27 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I hate the Washington Redskins. They’re #2 on my hatred list.

  174. 174 GermanEagle said at 6:47 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I actually feel bad for Reed. He should call it a career if he doesn’t want to suffer from serious brain damage at the age of 50.

  175. 175 Media Mike said at 6:47 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Yeah, a real shame with that dude. At least he got paid first.

  176. 176 GermanEagle said at 6:47 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Money ain’t never buy you happiness. Or health.

  177. 177 Media Mike said at 6:57 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    So hopefully he walks away.

  178. 178 Bert's Bells said at 7:44 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Money will buy happiness. Unless your brain fried from concussions, then it’ll buy you drugs.

  179. 179 Gian GEAGLE said at 11:53 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    He also had two known concussions in college.
    ..
    He seriously needs to consider retiring soon

  180. 180 A_T_G said at 8:26 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Guess who is most pass happy! Guess which QB is most sheltered!
    https://twitter.com/fivethirtyeight/status/786708093858091009

  181. 181 scratcherk said at 8:33 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    I know talking to the press is nothing like playing but big v sure looked nervous in his press pass

  182. 182 A_T_G said at 9:17 PM on October 13th, 2016:

    Things unlikely to be heard in the TNF post game interviews: Rivers – “I just didn’t see the defender.”

  183. 183 PacificPurl said at 3:37 AM on October 14th, 2016:

    One suggestion for a new header: use a few Eagles players from the past. Bednarik, Jerome to name a couple. That way you’ll never have to worry about becoming outdated.