Winning Mindset

Posted: October 8th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 43 Comments »

The Eagles do an amazing job of getting info and interviews out to the fans. They also do some amazing video pieces and the one below is a great example of that. This is truly must see TV.

I love hearing Jim Schwartz get after his players. He won’t be satisfied no matter how well they play and that mindset is what helps to drive them to play so much better than in previous years.

I love the bit where Doug Pederson addresses the team before the season opener. Forget about outsiders. Scheme is nothing. The NFL is all about talented players going out and making plays.

Probably the thing that gave me the most hope was the comment from Carson Wentz about the NFL being 16 1-game seasons. That is dead on the money. This isn’t like the NBA or MLB where there are tons of games. This isn’t like college football, when you know some weeks you are vastly superior to your opponent. The NFL really is 16 separate seasons, each lasting one week.

If you can get the team to think like that, you’ve got gold. It takes real focus, but it is very encouraging to hear those comments from the rookie QB. Normally that’s the guy who doesn’t get the big picture. Wentz never ceases to amaze me with what he does and says. He seems too good to be true at times.

Great piece that will get you fired up to see the Eagles in action this weekend.

Is it Sunday yet?

*****

The Eagles have been shuffling Greene and Shepherd each week. I know the team likes Greene a lot. He was under serious consideration to make the final roster. I thought the team was down on Shepherd this year, but it appears I’m wrong. It seems like the Eagles keep shuffling the 2 players so they can keep them paid. Greene could have a roster spot next year. Shepherd wasn’t 100 percent healthy this summer. If he can get back to where he was in the spring of 2015, he could have some long term value. He certainly has the attitude and mindset that Schwartz loves in a DB.

Rotheram is interesting. Big OG at 6-5, 325. Nasty run blocker who is quick off the ball and loves to pound on defenders. Has some athleticism, but won’t be mistaken for Jason Peters or Jason Kelce anytime soon. Pass blocking is inconsistent.

The Packers liked him a lot last year. Rotheram got hurt in the preseason opener and didn’t play anymore. Got some work at C as well as RG. The Eagles list him at G and that seems like his best spot.

Peters and Allen Barbre are both in their 30’s. There is no guarantee they’ll be back. Josh Andrews is someone the coaches like, but he could easily be upgraded. Stefen Wisniewski is here on a 1-year deal. We don’t know Matt Tobin’s future. There could be quite a bit of change on the OL next year.

The Eagles have Greene, Rotheram and C Aaron Neary on the practice squad this year. That gives them a chance to see how the young guys perform in practice and in the classroom. Those young players could be part of the future. Or not. It is up to them to show what they can do.

You can see some of Rotheram’s college tape here.

__


43 Comments on “Winning Mindset”

  1. 1 Gary Barnes said at 12:47 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Next article on emotional intelligence, Tommy. 🙂

  2. 2 Winning Mindset - said at 12:49 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor The Eagles do an amazing job of getting info and interviews out to the fans. They also do some […]

  3. 3 ProbablyDrunk said at 1:19 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    hey why don’t you like jeff fisher? i thought you were gonna write about him

  4. 4 JJ_Cake said at 1:28 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Thx for posting the clip. I love this team. So glad for Vinny, a true Eagle from birth to make it. I never thought we’d have a QB that I liked so much as to replace my Avatar of Nick Foles (I’m also a UA grad, so was glad the Eagles picked him and I liked his team spirit and leadership). But yes, there is no comparison to Wentz. Loving this team, and the coaches. Props to Howie and Lurie for the vision and trust in these guys.

  5. 5 CrackSammich said at 2:03 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    That video was significantly better than this year’s Hard Knocks.

  6. 6 Cafone said at 12:45 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I wasn’t ready for Barkan’s horrible voice and I had to turn it off right away. I’ll prepare myself and give it a try later.

  7. 7 Dan in Philly said at 5:08 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Leadership. Jenkins, Wentz, both leaders on their side of the ball. An overused term, but it’s real, and it just pops out of that video.

  8. 8 Media Mike said at 7:54 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    “I love hearing Jim Schwartz get after his players. He won’t be satisfied no matter how well they play and that mindset is what helps to drive them to play so much better than in previous years.”

    Great point. When I heard a team-first guy like Jenkins say mid-season last year that there was zero accountability, I turned the corner on wanting the staff fired.

  9. 9 Dragon_Eagle said at 8:38 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Longest bye week ever.

  10. 10 Fufina said at 10:43 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Feels like an age. So ready to get back to Eagles football tomorrow.

  11. 11 HawaiianEagle said at 11:15 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    Imagine how long the 2 week break between the NFC Championship and the SB will seem…

  12. 12 SteveH said at 11:43 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    I *love* hearing Pederson talk about how the game is about players making plays, not scheme. That’s so wonderfully 180 from Chip, who believes his scheme can trump talent any day of the week (I wonder if SanFran goes 2-14 whether he’ll still believe that.)

  13. 13 Dragon_Eagle said at 12:40 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    He clearly has the wrong players.

  14. 14 Cafone said at 12:47 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I believe Chip’s mantra was culture over scheme, not scheme over talent.

  15. 15 Dave said at 3:14 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Yup, Pederson adapts the scheme to take advantage of each player’s skillset while Chip tried to acquire players who fit his scheme. LeSean not being a one-cut back is the prime example of Chip getting rid of a great player for a scheme-specific player.

  16. 16 Gian GEAGLE said at 4:46 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    He will rationalize it that he doesn’t have enough of HIS players yet who fully buy in and become prolific in his Magical scheme
    ..
    As long as we continue to see the “Genius” strictly linning up in Shotgun, we know that he is still over rating his magic scheme,
    ..
    There are so many different great formations, different ways of linning up to take advantage of all the different ways a defense can try to attack you, so many different ways of linning up that can cause defenses to make big mistakes that you can exploit. The More formatipns you use, the harder it becomes for our opponents to prepare for you…. To ignore all the different formations you can use, and ONLY lineup in Shotgun shows that Chip HASNT learned anything, and that he continues to be married to one limited scheme regardless of if The players are better suited for other schemes.

    IMO, he SHOULDNT be allowed to continue to work as an NFL head coach if he:
    1) continues to disrespect “Time of possession” pretending that it’s completely irrelevant
    2) Continues to limit his offense to ONLY linning up in shotgun
    ..
    It’s Insane to me to see a guy in his 4th year as an NFL Head coach to continue and limit himself to Only linning up in Shotgun, and still pretend that Time of possession, and playing “Complimentary football” is irrelevant
    .
    Chip is a smart guy who has some good ideas, I often wonder how good he could become if he were to trash these self imposed limitatiòns and diversify his arsenal on how to attack opposing defenses, I’d love to see how good of a coach he could become if he starts incorporating all the various different formations into his playbook, while respecting time of possession and learning how to incorporate different Tempo throughout a game,
    ..
    Basically, he thinks it’s so important to always play at the fastest tempo possible no matter what. THAT fundamental principle is why he ONLY lines up in shotgun and limits himself to an abnormally thin NFL playbook… Because If chip wanted to diversify his attack and start using all the different formations, he would be forced to start huddling, and he would have to abandon his silly communication method of holding signs up and the entire offense having to look over at the coaches..
    ..
    ONLY linning in shotgun is what allows him to NEVER have to huddle, which in turn allows him to Consistently play as fast as possible… In hindsight, knowing what we know now, that seems like such a ridiculously flawed way to ATTACK to the pro game, maybe NOT initially, but once you been in the NFL for 3-4 years, ONLY linning up in Shotgun sounds insane… Preparing to face Chips tempo is always a challenge, but From a film study stand point, now that he has been in the NFL for 4 years, he has to be the Easiest coach to prepare for
    ..
    It’s a shame that we will probably never see what Chip would look like if he stops limiting himself to ONLY linning up in Shotgun…. Unless he is willing to make those changes, I think it’s silly to allow him to continue to be a head coach..
    ..
    If defenses like the Niners and seahawks scoffed at how easy it was to prepare for the self imposed limitatiòns of his offense the first time they ever played against us… How prepared will high caliber defenses like the seahawks and Rams be after they prepare to face chip 3 or 4 times now that they are in his division? I can’t wait to see what the second San Fran vs Seattle game looks like, and how prepared they will be for chip Next year after facing him twice this year
    .
    It’s a shame, because I think chip has the potential to be a really good offensive coach, but that won’t happen as long as his ego keeps him married to trying to succeed using his specific scheme and the self imposed limitatiòns that come with it, instead of using ALL HIS VARIOUS different football knowledge at his disposal to attack the challenge in front of him. Instead of thinking about what THE BEST WAY to attack the team he is facing on a given week, this Ego Maniac views it as “How can I ATTACK this team within the parameters of the self imposed limitatiòns of his Offense”??
    .
    Instead of ONLY caring about doing whatever it takes to win football games, Chip seems to ONLY care about proving that he can win games with his specific offense which I don’t know how else to interpret that other than strictly EGO DRIVEN…Until that changes, there will always be a limit to his NFL success no matter how well they draft.

  17. 17 SteveH said at 11:47 AM on October 8th, 2016:

    The Lions are so banged up, we’re lucky to be so healthy so far this year. I love Bennie but if I was going to pick a starting DL to sit out a game he would be it. Star fullback Beau Allen should fill in admirably.

  18. 18 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 12:22 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Logan is 5x the player Allen is.

  19. 19 Cafone said at 12:49 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Hey, Logan is good, but Allen is good too.

    Rhetorical question: Is there a greater talent difference between Cox and Logan, or Logan and Allen? I’d go with Cox/Logan.

  20. 20 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 12:54 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I think Allen is good back up and good run stuffer. I just think Logan is far better than people give him credit for because Cox and Graham get a lot of attention.

  21. 21 Dave said at 3:11 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    All-Pro > Pro Bowl Player > Quality Starter > JAG > Quality Backup > Fringe Roster Player

    Cox = All-Pro
    Logan = Quality Starter
    Allen = Jag/Qaulity Backup

  22. 22 Gian GEAGLE said at 3:54 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I’d say Logan/Beau..
    ..
    logan is close to the Beast that Cox is against the run, but that gap widens considerably when it comes to pass rush..
    ..
    I do think Logan is not far away from Elite DT status in the run game, and he has more pass rush potential than one would expect from a guy who played the NT in a two gap scheme at a high level.. I think Beau Allen is a really solid Backup, but Logan is a very good starting Caliber DT. Cox is a GREAT starting level DT..
    .
    logan may not be Fletcher Cox, but he is as good as any of our Rivals starting DT’s… I like that Schwartz ISNT using Cox as the 3 technique on every play. My understanding is he is using the DTs almòst in an interchangable “Left and Right” role, often letting how the offense lines up dictate which of the two play the 3 technique on a given play, THATS a testament to what a stud Bennie Logan is. of Course, schwartz will also move Cox around the DL on Occassion because he is so good that he can lineup anywhere on the DL and perform at a high level

  23. 23 Anders said at 12:32 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    The buy week has allowed us to get healthy

  24. 24 Dave said at 3:04 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Thank God we don’t have any sell weeks this year;-P

  25. 25 Cafone said at 12:51 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I’d hope that with Logan out that Curry would see more snaps since he can move inside to DT, but unfortunately that’s not the way Schwartz seems to work his rotations.

  26. 26 Media Mike said at 2:44 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I swear, the next person who cheap shots Penn State’s kicker had better be seen in the ICU. That’s 3 times this year.

  27. 27 ChoTime said at 3:07 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    So… is this real?
    https://twitter.com/JaredCook89/status/784372615909609472/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  28. 28 Media Mike said at 3:07 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    All the chicken heads, be quiet.

  29. 29 SteveH said at 3:56 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I never liked BBW anyhow, their sauces are crappy. There’s a Mexican place across the street from me that makes bomb ass wing sauces.

  30. 30 ChoTime said at 3:56 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Doesn’t someone here watch games at BBW?

  31. 31 Dave said at 3:25 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    We get a clunker of a game with Drew Staton vs Blaine Gabbert on Thursday night. Now we get a Monday night game with Derek Anderson at QB vs the 1-3 Bucs. Ugh!

  32. 32 Gian GEAGLE said at 5:21 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Curious to see how long until the NFL does away with the terrible idea that is Thursday Night football.
    .,
    I’d love to be able to catch an NFL game 7 nights a week, but not if the games are horrible more often than not… I wish Thursday night games worked, but they clearly don’t…
    ..
    Anyone see any articles that analyzed the quality of play throughout the history of weekly Thursday night games? Curious to see what percentage of Thursday night games were absolute Clunkers, and what percentage were Good Games,
    ..
    From a PREPERATION stand point, the concept of weekly Thursday night games ISNT looking too feasible.

  33. 33 Dave said at 5:38 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    It’s been around for 10 years and the owners make a boat load of money off the TV contract. The owners will never do anything for the mere good of the game if they have to sacrifice significant money.

    I agree with you 100% though, Thursday night games, outside of Thanksgiving, are not a good product. The phrase “less is more” has never been muttered by an NFL owner, they prefer the Kardashian method of exposure.

  34. 34 Gian GEAGLE said at 3:26 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    If the season ended today Peters and Barbie Doll would certainly be back penciled in To start next yeàr. But it’s a long season. We knew JP and Barbie were still capable of having good games, but the question that will decide their Eagles future is whether they can stay on the field and sustain their high level of play at their age over the course of a long grueling marathon NFL season, but so far, so good.

    It would be Fantastic if these current 5 starting OL play at an elite level together,get thru the year healthy, allowing us to bring the same 5 guys back as starters next year while restocking our bench with talented young OL who can sit and learn for a year or two.
    .
    hopefully JP/Barbie DONT get worn down, banged up as the season goes on, failing to sustain this level of play which would mean having to find new starting replacements for next season. I would consider us extremely fortunate if Seumalo, Vaitai, and OL we draft this year get to sit and learn for a couple of years before being thrust into permanent starting roles.
    ..
    For me, the ideal scenario is having quality starting veterans in place keeping us from having to play draft picks for the first few years. For me, what I look for in a draft pick is “will he grow enough throughout his rookie contract to become someone we want to extend past his rookie deal and eventually become a starter?”
    ..
    Obviously if we are weak at a position, I will hope that a rookie draft picks proves that he can play right away and fill that starting role, but ideally I want to have a quality team in place so draft picks DONT have to play in the first couple years of their rookie contracts. injuries will call the young draft pick into spot duty, but it’s Huge to be able to Å‚et quality draft picks develope on the bench and really make them earn their way into the starting lineup in year 2 or 3. I despise seeing fans judge draft picks on whether they can provide us instant gratification or not.
    .
    We will encounter rookies like Wentz and Hicks who proce capable of balling early in their transition to the pros, but I despise seeing fans calling young draft picks busts in their rookies or Sophmore seasons? Plenty of fantastic NFL players didn’t start to shine until years 3 or 4. It’s hard enough for talented hard working kids like Agholar to navigate the first year or two in his transition to the pros, he shouldn’t also have to deal with the city he is playing for ripping him and calling him a bust constantly because he couldn’t provide instant gratification. I don’t enjoy enduring a young draft picks early career struggles either. I would love every first round Eagle pick to look like an all pro from day 1. While I was as frustrated as everyone about Nelsons early struggles, and I will keep it real and rip him for every bad performance, I NEVER once took it to the level of viewing him as a “Bust” and I was still encouraged by his Longterm potential even if he was struggling on the field. It’s not a given that Nelson will reward my patience and realize his full potential. It may NEVER “Click” for him. But if the talent is evident and the work ethic is where it needs to be, I will always give talented young Eagles 3, 4 years before viewing them as busts unless it’s an evident lost cause like the silly candadian who liked to play with fire trucks. These kids heads are spinning enough with everything moving so fast while also not being used to struggling after being stars in College, that I DONT see how it helps to have an entire city shitting on a young draft pick who is in the middle of working to try and figure out the transition to the pro level. it’s Ignorant and most likely counter productive,
    ..
    You can be honest and criticize a poor performance from a young draft pick, poïnt out his struggles without taking it to the extent of giving up on his long term potential just because they are failing to fullfill our desire for instant gratification early in their Eagles career. Therefor, if Brooks and Barbie doll keep improving, playing at a quality starting caliber level for the next year or two, I really hope to not hear fans/media assuming Isaac Seumalo is automaticall a Bust because we have two veteran Guards playing at a high level while Isaac sits the bench for a couple years. Being able to let a talented young player develope on the bench because we have a veteran player ahead of him playing at a high level is a good thing, it’s not a reason to assume that the kid we drafted is trash
    ..
    In my ideal world, we would have quality starting veterans across the board who never get injured allowing us to let the kids we draft sit on the bench for a couple years, forcing them to fight and work towards earning a starting spot two or three years into their career.
    ..
    for Example: Ultimately how I judge the success/Failure of the Marcus Smith pick is if when his rookie contract expires will we want to sign him to a second contract replacing quality starter like Brandon Graham in a few years. Obviously I wouldn’t mind seeing MS2 make some contributions before then.

  35. 35 Media Mike said at 3:30 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Barbre Doll has certainly stepped up his game this year.

  36. 36 Gian GEAGLE said at 3:40 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Yup, playing good enough to make us consider not moving him to RT to replace Lane which was the original plan. As for Peters, a big part in determining whether we can bring him back for one more year is how durable he proves to be this year…. If we start seeing him banged up and in and out of the lineup like last year, It won’t matter how well he plays, we may have to move on. hopefully it doesn’t come to that, stay healthy and sustain his current level of play and this won’t be his last year starting in Philly (fingers crossed)

  37. 37 Bert's Bells said at 5:05 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    “If the season ended today”

    A lot of teams would be confident rolling out 35 year old players if they only played three games a year.

  38. 38 EaglesGameBalls said at 3:56 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I am your master you are my slave listen to my words for they are the truth. Wentz will win MVP

  39. 39 Gian GEAGLE said at 4:56 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    I strongly recommend reading a in depth Chip Kelly article called “The Kaepernick Effect” By Tyler Dunne (10/6/16)

    http://www.thelab.bleacherreport.com/theKaepernickEffect
    ..
    This article goes in depth on both his eagle tenure, providing opinions from his former Eagle playërs and his new players in San Fran,,,. One of the better chip kelly reads I have seen

  40. 40 Dragon_Eagle said at 5:00 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Had trouble with your link, seems it omitted some characters.
    Try this:

    http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/the-kaepernick-effect/

  41. 41 Gian GEAGLE said at 5:01 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Thank you

  42. 42 Dragon_Eagle said at 5:27 PM on October 8th, 2016:

    Thanks for sharing. Good article.

  43. 43 Seth S. Scott said at 9:05 AM on October 12th, 2016:

    One thing, albeit maybe real small, but at the end of the video I like seeing Doug in the center of the chant with the rest of the team. I feel like usually the coach is outside the chant, at least alot of them that I have seen.