The Biggest Need
Posted: November 12th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 133 Comments »The Eagles need WR help.
Some might prefer a stud RB
I think a top fight CB could help this defense become a great unit.
Certainly a great argument for WR too. That's a mess, obviously. Personally, I lean toward trenches having more importance, especially at OT https://t.co/SX8WsXSInI
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 10, 2016
You can make a strong argument the team needs help in several areas. I think obsessing on position is the wrong way to go. The Eagles have a talented team with plenty of solid players. This group needs impact players more than anything.
Think about Dallas right now. You can argue that they have the best LT, C, RG, RB and 4-3 LB in the NFL. That’s impressive. Those guys can be dominant in games. It is easy to build around those players. There are some major holes on the Dallas roster, but the great players make up for that. In a fantasy world you would have good players everywhere. It is incredibly hard to build a roster like that.
I’m not saying the Eagles shouldn’t address weak areas. Obviously they should. But the notion that they must focus on one position over another is flawed. This roster needs impact guys more than anything. Would you rather have a good WR like Demaryius Thomas or a great pass rusher like Von Miller? The Eagles aren’t weak at DE, but Miller is an impact player. Those are the kind of guys who help you win big games.
I haven’t started thinking too much about the offseason and going over lists of who might be available, but the Eagles need to keep their eyes open for impact players. If that is a WR or RB or CB, great. If it turns out to be an OL or DL, that’s fine too.
*****
Speaking of holes on the Dallas roster…
#Cowboys DE Randy Gregory has failed another drug test, sources tell @MikeGarafolo & me. Per the drug policy, next suspension is a year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 11, 2016
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One thing that will help the Eagles quite a bit is the development of Carson Wentz. He has the potential to be a great player. Tom Brady has won with a variety of blockers, runners and receivers over the years because he is a great player and makes those around him better. It isn’t likely that Wentz turns out to be as good as Brady, but go back in Eagles history. Donovan McNabb won without having great skill players around him. He made James Thrash, LJ Smith and guys like that better players than they should have been.
Wentz does that here and there, but he’s too busy learning how to play to really make the players around him significantly better. He has shown the physical skills it takes to be a special QB. He needs experience to learn the subtle aspects needed to be a great one.
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Part of what the coaches have to do this year is figure out what their schemes need to thrive. If Doug Pederson has a choice between a great RB and a great WR, which way does he go? Beyond that, would he prefer size or speed? Strength or quickness?
Jim Schwartz is known as a DL guy. He might love to add another piece to the front seven. He might also see CB as a position that must be upgraded. Beyond that, he needs to figure out what kind of a player he might want for those spots.
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Eagles officially signed Aaron Grymes. They now have an open PS spot. https://t.co/YOVwcwNlL0
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 11, 2016
Grymes was promoted because of his ability to play CB, NB, S and STs. When you’re near the bottom of the roster, you need to be able to do multiple things. Coach Pederson said Grymes would be active on Sunday.
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[…] Tommy Lawlor The Eagles need WR help. Some might prefer a stud RB I think a top fight CB could help this defense […]
You heard it hear first: Grymes will have an int this week!
Buddy, Grymes won’t even be active this week…
(I assume Smith will be first in line)
Not so sure about that. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/99b30c8a227e0c7e4fc2d2034fdb71c902a7287673e74a49ecea0eacf4496429.jpg
He does have actual game experience (even if it was in Canada)…
I played CB and S in HS. I know the Eagles love versatility. Think I have a shot?
Your facts are no match for both my optimism and lack of information!
A true Philadelphian philosopher. We would get along famously.
If Wentz had a running attack close to what Prescott has, Eagles could easily be undefeated right now. Finding impact players is what every franchise is looking to do every April and FA. A great running game is easier to achieve over a couple seasons, I think, than rolling the dice on game-changing stand-out college performers at skill positions. I read that Kelce is high on Seumalo, but if he is more of a smart, agile pass-blocker than a gritty grappler who isn’t easily moved by huge NT’s, our running game will remain run-of-the-mill. I think Bill Callahan has found a stealthy, subversive strategy to make a mediocre team scary.
Kelce is undersized, Seumalo is 6’4″ and 310lbs.
I wasn’t subtexting size. All OL cannot be all things to all OC’s. Cowboys have targeted interior line grit, strength, core power over smooth feet, lateral agility, downfield mobility. POA is where run game lives and thrives, and the scheme that Callahan utilizes is not fancy or full of misdirection. Every DL knows it is facing a brawl v Dallas, and that alone provides less intense aerial defense every week. Kelce was never a mauler, but Brooks is said to be one, but is that what he is being asked to do? I don’t think Eagles are particularly interested in following Cowboy model, and it is worth noting that Dez Bryant helps that OL almost as much as it helps him.
Yeah, I guess I’m not sure what kind of lineman Doug is looking to acquire.
I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around your contention that Donavan made LJ Smith better.
If McNabb made LJ Smith better, how bad would he have been without him?
After LJ left the Eagles, he played one year for Baltimore. He was targeted 3 times and caught 2 passes for 31 yards.
…and Jason Whiten is still playing.
Never heard of him, who’s team is he on?
whats an NB?
the name of a shitty 90s band
They were 90’s? I thought early 2000’s.
probably right
Nickel back
ahhh duh, i should of known lol
Honestly at this point i havent researched many college players. But 1st round as of this second, im looking at Christian Mcaffery. I think he could be at about where we willd raft, dalvin cook will be gone, so ill go Mcaffery.
If theres a stud CB in FA i am OK with that, but if there isnt spend big on WR, go hard at Alshon.
Otherwise get desean back and im good!!
I will be a absolutely stoked with McCaffrey.
Could be very wrong, but part of me worries that he may be a Reggie Bush in the NFL.
i honestly think it will happen, unless he just tests out of the world at the combine then hell go much higher
I have some serious doubts about Mcaffery in the NFL. If you draft a RB in round 1 he better have an elite skill set. Mcaffery looks like a classic great college player, but limited NFL prospect.
I think he could be a weapon for a team. Put him on the Patriots and he can looks outstanding. I would easily put 4-5 RBs ahead of him however. We need a bell cow to take some pressure off of Carson.
i think Mcaffery can be the bell cow.. he isnt as small as some think he is..
and i think he fits exactly what pederson wants in a RB
It’s not size I’m concerned with. He lacks strength and power.
I agreee that DP may love him. Mcaffery is a guy I want to root for, but I do think he will struggle to live up to the 1st round pick investment.
I disagree, i think he has the strength and power. He gets the tough yards and isnt afraid of contact.
Sad that cowboys have out-gmed us in the past 5 years taking ol early and often. think they’ve been very disciplined in building a team. frankly can’t understand us wanting anything other than ol.
difference between Dakota’s success and Wetnz’s probably has a lot to do w/ oline.
I don’t know if they’ve “out-gmed” us (they’re +$9M over the cap next year), but I think they’ve certainly out drafted us.
Zeke will be hurt soon. Physical rbs rarely have long careers. Ryan Mathews is a case in point. Zeke’s effective shelf life is less than 6 years.
Zeke isn’t the only player I’m talking about, and while impressive, I agree that he won’t last as long as they would like in the NFL. Their entire Oline is home grown and drafted.
Other teams tried that and failed. Lions etc. there’s not just one way to build a team. Just have to be successful at what you do
Absolutely…but I still stand by comment that they’ve outdrafted us. I should add, that they outdrafted AND out-developed us on the offensive line. Drafting is step one, developing is the biggest part.
Hitting on LT Smith was the foundation of their line. Drafted the kid when he was 19-20, set them up for 12-15 years with the best LT in the game. He was good before, but this year he looks unstoppable and I hate to say that
Look at the Cowboys 1st rd picks since 2010. The under performer there is Claiborne, who is still starting for them. They’ve hit more than they’ve missed.
2010 Dez Bryant
2011 Tyron Smith
2012 Morris Claiborne
2013 Travis Frederick
2014 Zach Martin
2015 Bryon Jones
2016 Zeke Elliott
Now compare that to ours…
I don’t want to. Seasonal Affective Disorder is bad enough without factoring in the WTF nature of the Eagles past few drafts.
Question is, how much of this is a disparity in competence, and how much is sheer, unadulterated, stochastic, random, bitter luck?
I don’t think there is much luck there. For instance when they drafted Frederick in the first people were laughing at them. Turns out they knew what they were doing.
I agree with you, they have been WAY above league average in the first round this decade. Hoping they degree to the mean soon
We also gave away DJax & Mathis for nothing, traded McCoy for a LB flop and let Maclin walk. For all 4 players, we have zero return on our current roster. That is a big hit, hard to replace that talent without taking a step back.
I think we have impact players, they just don’t have have the required supporting cast, yet. Right now the OL is a mess, with Johnson suspended and Barbre injured. Kelce is a weak C and Peters is no spring chicken. Right now, Wentz is the only impact player on offense. I’d add Johnson, but how long before Meathead is suspended for a year, and then out of the league? Defense has Cox, Graham, and Hicks. The safeties are good. It’s obvious we need CB, WR, and OL. If I had to choose between the 3 to add an impact player, I’d choose OL over the other two. Meathead was the only OL we drafted in the 3 years under Chip. That was criminal negligence. (And Howie was a big part of that too.)
At the end of the 2015 season there were SIXTEEN offensive linemen on the Eagles roster. That is hardly ignoring the position group. The fact is that there aren’t enough quality OL to go around. Just as one example, Seattle has spent the last 2 or 3 seasons trying to convert DL and TE to OL. There’s a reason Wilson is sacked so much and that’s just 1 of many teams.
Drafting good talent is one part of the equation – the other is developing that talent to become productive players on our team. Eagles have struggled in both areas. That we only drafted Johnson over 3 drafts is a fact. We let Mathis walk for nothing. We brought in a ton of UDFA or reclamation types, but they failed which led to signing Brooks & Wiz and drafting Seumalo & Vitai. Too early to know if those moves pan out, but clearly their struggles drafting and developing talent forced those moves.
In regards to drafting, I’m always a fan of BPA. Drafting for need leads to the Danny Watkins type picks and um…just no thank you. Fill in your needs through free agency.
Danny Watkins was a stud lineman who could dominate and was well regarded when drafted. Nobody in the NFL knew he didn’t like football. Mix that with a drill-seargant type coach who relied on negative reinforcement in Howard Mudd and in retrospect, it’s easy to see why he was a bust. The Steelers were set to pick him if the Eagles didn’t.
That’s true. He also had to deal with the lockout and only had a couple years experience playing at Baylor. So maybe Danny isn’t the best example. How about Marcus Smith or Jaiqauwn Jarret?
Yup and yup.
Kendall wright!!
Danny Watkins was rated very highly by many prognosticators in his draft year. Just because he decided he wanted to pursue his career as a firefighter rather than spend 8 or 9 years playing a game, has nothing to do with how scouts and coaches saw him in university.
Further down in a response I said Danny maybe wasn’t the best example. However Marcus Smith and Jaiquawn Jarrett may be better examples.
T class is awful.
There must be some talent somewhere surely, even if there is no premium talent and it’s all developmental. 3rd round? 5th?
Not of what I’ve seen.
Is it Danny Watkins bad?
There’s Cam Robinson who is really good and will go really high. Only red flag is off field gun/weed stuff.
McGlinchey is having a bit of a down year but is Jason Spriggs/Jake Fisher floor and Lane Johnson ceiling, but the big name mockers don’t have him listed which means they’ve heard pretty convincingly he’s staying in school even with the bad class.
The Ramscyk kid from Wisconsin is pretty good and will probably be the second T off the board. He’s only going to have 1 year of FBS football and has some Danny Watkins desire vibes.
That’s pretty much it. Everybody else is kind of the King Dunlap too tall type or don’t have great feet and you’re going to have to babysit their ass at RT just like you do Vaitai.
There’s some decent interior OL guys that you could spend top 100 picks on and improve the line, but there isn’t going to be any easy answers at T.
McGlinchey has already stated he is returning to school
I’m going to continue to list him as a * because the class is so bad and maybe he’s got a cousin that reads this and convinces him being a surefire top 20 pick is worth coming out
Meh, you didn’t think too highly of Jack Conklin either, look how he turned out.
http://disq.us/p/178zp78
Conklin, the eighth overall pick in the draft after standout three-year career with Michigan State, went into midseason as the highest graded right tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. He has not allowed a sack all season.
Forecasting is just for fun. None of us are betting the farm on anything, I hope.
PFF. Sweet.
I’m shocked about that. I wasn’t high on him either.
According to Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks and their Move the Sticks podcast, the strenght and weaknesses of the draftclass won’t do us any favor. According to them, the strenghts are RBs (obviously), Safety and TEs. Weaknesses are OT (should be a terrible class), WR and CB.
While we need a workhorse RB and will be able to find a possibly good one in the 2nd or 3rd round (probably), we have one of the best Safety duos in the NFL and we have a good TE group (generally speaking, I know Ertz isn’t as effective as we hoped and Celek is old).
We need all 3 positions who are considered to be weak. The silver lining could be that Right Tackles are underpaid in the FA market (Joe Banner likes to point that out all the time). But a weak OT class could change that, obviously.
We could sign a RT in FA (no idea who’s available, to be honest), let Lane play LT. Brooks is set as RG. Maybe Peters is willing to take a pay cut and play LG. He should have a good season left in him at that position. We could draft a Guard in the 4th or 5th and let him sit and learn for a year. Seumalo could challenge Kelce at C.
WR and CB is very different. One should be fixed via FA, but we all know that for one Janoris Jenkins or Norman signing (who are playing good), there are some Maxwell, Nnamdi or Brandon Carr signings as well, who turn out like a disaster from an money spend/impact perspective. Thing is: almost all Rookie CBs need time and we don’t have that at the CB position. The silver lining here is that we have a scheme that needs good zone CBs, not exactly the shutdown corners. Good zone CBs can be have cheaper, but Howie and Douglas have to do their homework. One good CB and this Defense can be scary.
One thing I thought about: if we’d be able to get a good Safety in the 2nd or 3rd round, let’s say, where there is good value, we could make him our Nickel DB, with Jenkins playing the Slot. A Nickel DB plays around 50 percent of the snaps, so he is kind of a starter. But we have Jenkins and McLeod long term and we don’t need to replace them in the near future. The round and the value has to be right for us to invest a Day 2 pick for that position, imo.
WR? I don’t know. We need someone with deep speed, but we sure need someone with good hands, too. Drops are the biggest issue of this group. Deep speed and good hands are tough to find. Howie has to work some magic.
Jaylon Watkins is the nickel db
And what you say we need at wr sounds an awful lot like desean
Watkins is the Nickel DB since Brooks is on IR. But neither Brooks nor Watkins are any good. Dime DB, Special Teams ace, inactive on gameday, yes. They are good enough to be on a 53 roster in the NFL. But I’d prefer the Nickel DB, who plays half the snaps on Defense, to be better than those 2. Watkins was THE weak link last week. People attacked McKelvin, but the 2nd TD was Watkins fault, it was his zone. He also tackled poorly.
Yes, we could need a WR like Jackson. Ideally a younger version. But we don’t have him, no need to bring him up. We could also really need Shady… crying about that won’t help the matter, though.
The problem with Watkins coming in the Nickel packages is that it effectively weakened 2 positions. With Brooks out, Jenkins plays the slot and Watkins takes over his strong safety spot. Jenkins is an excellent player, but I think he isn’t as effective as the slot corner and Wakins is a big step down as a safety.
Jenkins will be a weapon for us for years to come. He turns 29 in December, he should have at least 3, at the Safety position more like 4 or 5 good seasons left in him. He’s a modern Strong Safety. Can cover 1 on 1, good against the run, good blitzer.
I’m sure next season, when everyone knows the scheme inside out and Schwartz knows his personell perfect, he’ll find more ways to use him creativly. He can be for our Defense what Polamalu was for the Steelers or what Harrison Smith is for the Vikings. Not saying he’s as good as those two (he’s really, really good, but those two are elite), but he can have a similar role. To a degree, he already has.
My statement about Nickel DB and drafting a Safety was meant to be a way to take advantage of the good Safety class. I’m perfectly fine with McLeod at Centerfield and Jenkins as SS like it is right now.
We even have a solid #2 CB in Carroll. “Just” need that #1. McKelvin, Brooks, Mills, Smith, Grymes and Watkins (as FS) can battle the slot corner/Nickel DB position out next offseason for all I care. But we need a #1 CB.
Jenkins. Thank you Chip.
One of the few great signings he had, no doubt.
Um. Desean is a free agent in the offseason. Who is crying?
And Watkins has a bright future despite people like you piling on him after a young mistake or two
I know DJax will be a FA, that’s why I wrote a younger version of him. Speedsters can get old very fast.
And it’s fine if you think Watkins has a bright future. I actually hope you’re right, it would help us, I’d be all for it.
But he isn’t that young, anymore. He’s in his 3rd year in the league. The mistake for the TD shouldn’t happen to a 3rd year player. Doesn’t mean he won’t devlop further, but to call this mistake “young mistake” isn’t completely accurate.
I would say this CB is one of the best in years if the underclassmen declare. Combine and workouts will determine a lot, but looking at it now:
Possible Top 15 Guys:
Marlon Humphrey
Quincy Wilson
Gareon Conley
Other Possible 1st Rounders
Teez Tabor
Sidney Jones
Cameron Sutton
Cordrea Tankersley
Other Possible Top 75 guys
Jourdan Lewis
Desmond King
Tre’Davious White
Marshon Lattimore
Yea well all we heard this year was what a weak draft it was for QB…
Those people talk out of their ass for a living
I respect those two, a lot. Doesn’t mean they’ll be right. And even they will tell you that. Even in the weakest classes, you can generally find a few good players for every position (except maybe QB, there are classes where there just aren’t any players capable of being a Franchise QB). It just helps if a class is considered strong, because you have depth there, then.
How about Embiid’s FT % eh? Dude is amazing from the line for a big guy. Sixers fans have to be thrilled about him, he can literally do everything (including shoot the 3.)
Can’t wait for him to play full games.
I can’t for him to OWN Porzingas.
If Jim Schwartz wants to add another impact player to his DL then he doesn’t need to look any further come next offseason. Sign Benny Logan and our D Line will be set for years.
I think we can do better than Barwin at DE. Maybe McCallister can win his spot. ‘Skins, Detroit and Giants had plenty of time to throw when it counted.
I really like Bennie and think he is a really good football player, but he is going to cost a lot of money. Michael Brockers signed for around $11mil per year. Bennie should be in a similar range.
When I look at the last few weeks I think about Bennie’a impact vs a top flight CB, say Trumaine Johnson (he will cost $14-15mil a year). Would you rather have Bennie Logan over Beau Allen or T Johnson covering Dez and ODB instead of McKelvin or Carroll. I can’t help but think our chances of winning those games go way up with Johnson compared to Logan.
Have you noticed that Cox’ impact have diminished since Logan has been sidelined. Yes that’s how good Benny is.
We paid Cox $100mil. He needs to produce regardless of who is next to him
The Eagles are an interesting case. The defense obviously has its moments–lots of them, actually, and it is ranked #1 in DVOA, but it is a notch or two below a consistently dominating unit. Personally, I think it is more that it lacks true top-end talent rather than its weaknesses at CB and LB. The defensively-oriented teams seemed to win with overwhelming dominance, not just being very good.
But the skill position situation does remind me of the 2000s, when we were doomed by a lack of play-makers. When Ricky Manning Jr took Pinkston’s candy and beat us, it felt like, singlehandedly. I think it was that moment that I realized Brian Westbrook, not 5, was the best player on the team.
It is one thing to have a relative weakness, but our WRs might be at the point of being the weak link that breaks the chain. It might be that just one good one–and some development from Wentz–could really open things up for this offense. I think the RBs are good enough for a decent running game.
If Westy doesn’t get hurt in the last game vs the Skins, we probably get to the SB. However, that game made the light to get TO go on. We probably make it back to the SB in 2004 anyway, because the NFC was so bad that year.
How many Super Bowls has TO won?
Yes, probably, considering we got over the hump while he was in his barometric chamber or whatever it was called?
Unfortunately we don’t call someone like DJax, Maclin or Shady one of our own. F u Chip.
Oh grow up. Players, even good ones, get traded all the time if the coaches/front office think the new arrivals will improve the team in an area that needs improvement. E.g. The 49ers traded Ronnie Lott and Joe Montana. They let Rice depart (like Maclin). Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Jimmy Johnson traded for draft picks and won Super Bowls. Ditka traded for draft picks and won nothing. Right now several teams have very good players picked up in FA or drafted, who are on IR for the entire season. Half the league has questionable O lines because there just aren’t enough top guards or tackles to go around. Think, man.
‘Grow up’. Lol, man.
This is wrong all of those are pro bowl players Chip got rid of for nothing. Its not just letting them talk but getting nothing back for them that makes it suck even more. We can even add Evan Mathis on here too.
For what Chip did to this franchise he should be jailed
Thanks, man. But grow up. 😉
I just don’t get how CK fluffers are still around lol
Chip is the franchise scud missile
What do people think of John Ross? Where is he projected to go and is he worth it? How does he compare to day a Brandon cooks?
He is a first round pick. Small but explosive. Cooks is shorts but has a sturdy build. Ross is more of a Desean without the head aches. He will likely never be a high volume reception guy, but his deep speed will impact all areas of an offense.
John Ross looking great again tonight.
I could get on board with double dipping at WR. Alshon in FA and Ross in the draft. Give Carson the weapons he needs
How about this for some additions?
23: R1P23 OT CAM ROBINSON ALABAMA
47: R2P15 DL DAVON GODCHAUX LSU
79: R3P15 LB PETER KALAMBAYI STANFORD
118: R4P15 RB TAREAN FOLSTON NOTRE DAME
137: R4P34 WR ARTAVIS SCOTT CLEMSON
157: R5P15 G ZACH BANNER USC
194: R6P15 CB DES LAWRENCE NORTH CAROLINA
233: R7P15 CB JALEN MYRICK MINNESOTA
Hey, don’t forget Alshon.
Plot twist: Patriots still sign Jamie Collins at Von Miller money after the season and bank the picks. Heard it here first, folks.
That would be balls.
Bryce Treggs Footwork
https://youtu.be/1JEMzzk25jA
https://youtu.be/GhsaPXXco6I
What a route runner. He isnt just a go guy. Nice to know. Really not someone i know much about.
Could James Connor become another Duuuce?!
Chris Didn’t Blew Itt!
I’m in the totally obsess on OL camp. All the impact skill players on offense can’t do squat if the front line isn’t good. Wentz needs bodyguards, the next Jon Runyan. We need at least one new guard, a tackle for the future, a big 325+ lb center who can move piles, and depth.
I think they should go after guys like Robert Woods, Markus Wheaton, Michael Floyd, and Pierre Garcon. I’m not a big fan on spending Calvin Johnson money for Alshon Jeffery.
OL is a bigger concern. Peters maybe has another year, Kelce and Barbre need to be replaced, I’m not a big fan of Brooks and Lane Johnson not trustworthy at this point. Seamalu would be a starter now if he was any good. My guess is that Roseman wants him to be the starting C next year.
Guys that aren’t better than Jordan Matthews? No thanks but I’d take Garcon at the right price.
How old is he?
30
Somehow I’d prefer Desean. Who will probably cost the same money.
Me too because he is a home grown talent and he changes they way defenses attack us on EVERY play
Kendall Wright
Same here but I would like someone who can catch the ball too.
Why do they have to be “better” than Jordan Matthews? I’d take another JMatt on this team over what we have. Obviously we need a #1 still, but with Wentz on rookie salary we should have a bit of flexibility once we trim the fat.
Because even Matthews is below-average to average? I get the homerism but you can stop pretending that Matthews is some sort of stud.
Kendall Wright!
Wright and another rookie would be my ideal scenario if Treggs becomes something.
Floyd had the same issues all our guys have.
I’d like to call him Rueben Randle of the west but I don’t know anything about him.
As a Philly fan who lives in Georgia, we really need this one. Can’t deal with these Atlanta fans…
When did Luke Kuechly sign with the Cowboys?
I thought the same exact thing. Sean Lee is good, but Kuechky is a far superior player. Typical Dallas hyperbole
Quiet around here. Everyone worn out from winning the Superbowl or something?
I’ve started to dread Eagles games rather than looking forward to them. Just wondering how long this one is going to take to recover from.
We’re going to kick their ass!
I am the sane way. This season is not fun anymore
Im here and excited for the game. I really think we win this one.
We’re due.
Heading to the game today. Any of you lot gonna be there?
Go Eagles!!