Trade Market

Posted: December 26th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 203 Comments »

The 2017 offseason is going to be interesting, possibly a lot of fun. The Eagles have plenty of draft picks. They should have enough cap room to make a move or two in free agency. And we all know Howie Roseman loves to make trades.

But you need to have something that somebody wants to make a trade work. Who might the Eagles have that could be of interest?

LB Mychal Kendricks – He hasn’t played much this year for the Eagles so why would anyone want him? Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham are the guys on the field the majority of the time and both are playing very well. Kendricks struggled early, but has since played well. The Eagles, like many teams, just don’t play that much base defense anymore. Kendricks is in the prime of his career and he can be a playmaker. You would think the teams at the bottom of the league defensively might be interested. The Browns, Colts and Skins could all make some sense. The tricky part is the contract. Kendricks isn’t cheap. Does a team roll the dice on his contract to get a young, talented player?

C Jason Kelce – It is possible that Doug Pederson wants a bigger, more physical player at C. Pederson has talked about how he loves tough, nasty O-linemen. You don’t have to be big to fit those qualifications, but it can help. Kelce is as smart and athletic as any OL in the league. He has played well in the West Coast Offense, Chip Kelly’s no-huddle attack and Pederson’s offense. Kelce is a declining player, but could be of interest to a team in need of a veteran for the middle of their OL. The Bengals could use C help. The Vikings line has struggled all year.

DE Connor Barwin – There is no question that Barwin has had a disappointing season. He’s also older and not cheap. But Barwin could still interest 3-4 teams. He isn’t explosive off the edge, but he is versatile and has the kind of size 3-4 teams love in an OLB. Barwin is also a very high character guy. Teams needing some leadership for the defense, or whole team, would also love that quality.

T Jason Peters – I just don’t see this happening, but it is possible. Peters is a good LT, but he’s older and pricey. If the Eagles got the right offer, they could deal him and then move Lane Johnson to LT.

Keep a couple of things in mind. First, none of these are players that it feels like other teams are going to aggressively go after. I’m certainly not trying to tell you the Eagles have great trade ammo. That said, Howie Roseman was able to deal players last offseason that the Eagles didn’t want and who had some issues. Roseman is outstanding when it comes to making trades.

A factor that could help the Eagles is that the players dealt away last year generally performed well for their new teams (insert Chip Kelly insult here). At the time, it seemed like Roseman was getting rid of dead weight. That turned out not to be the case. This is actually a good thing. You want teams to want to make deals with you. It helps if the players you send out don’t turn out to be complete busts. In a way, DeMarco Murray and Kiko Alonso did the Eagles a favor by remembering how to play this year.

The Eagles would not be getting anything substantial in return for the players above. If they could land a mid to late-round pick or simply move up in the draft, that would be good return. One of the benefits to dealing these players is to gain some cap relief. Kelce could be back next year, but it isn’t a lock. Barwin and Kendricks seem like locks to be gone. Teams could simply wait for the Eagles to cut these players.

If anyone can find a suitor for these guys, it’s Roseman.

We’ll see what happens.

_


203 Comments on “Trade Market”

  1. 1 daveH said at 11:37 PM on December 26th, 2016:

    Agholar.

  2. 2 Greg said at 12:35 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    3 team trade: Ags to SF, Kelly to Dallas, Zeke to Eagles. No?

  3. 3 Mitchell said at 1:25 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    *Agholor* He’s of African decent not hispanic.

  4. 4 daveH said at 5:32 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    So what part of the city exactly are you saying he lives in ??

  5. 5 bdbd20 said at 7:41 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    This is the interesting one. Howie has shown an incredible ability to dump bad contracts (Maxwell, Murray).

    Maybe a 5th-6th rd pick in return?

    Even if we keep NA, maybe he’s the #4 WR and a ST guy.

  6. 6 Greg said at 7:54 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Even Howie couldn’t trade him for a bag of balls.

  7. 7 D3FB said at 8:10 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Even a trade only frees up $17,000.

    Best case is he’s traded as a throw-in. Something like Barwin and Ags to Pittsburgh for Bud Dupree.

    He’s pretty much going to be back for camp, and only cut if they value back of the roster guy and a 2.5 million cap hit over Ags.

  8. 8 bdbd20 said at 8:30 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Sorry, the point wasn’t the money, just the fact that Howie has been able to do some remarkable things in the past.

    I’m in the camp that he needs a change of environment and a fresh start. Send him to Cleveland and he might contribute. Seems like a very hard worker.

  9. 9 D3FB said at 8:37 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Howie’s had success getting things for people who have some kind of track record.

    Bryce Brown had a handful of monster games
    Kiko was DROY
    Maxwell wasn’t as bad as people say just made 50% more than he should have
    Murray was the leagues leading rusher coming off a down year (and he didn’t really get much other than getting out of a shit contract)

    Getting anything for Ags would be robbery. Let us all hope Chip gets control in SF and is dumber than he is petty…

  10. 10 bdbd20 said at 8:43 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Kiko was actually very movable. Rookie contract and past success.

    The contracts of Murray and Maxwell were ridiculous when compared to their production. While they had past success, Allocating that much % of one’s salary cap to a declining player is an enormous risk.

  11. 11 Sb2bowl said at 12:08 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    His contract and previous play example was the reason I was okay with him being traded for McCoy. Though I loved Shady as a player, I couldn’t see allocating resources like that to a RB.

    Trade for a young, inexpensive possible stud LB for an aging overpriced RB– I was all for it. Just didn’t work out

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 8:45 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    That $2.5 mil net loss on cutting Agholor 99.99% guarantees that he’s not getting cut. And I’d agree with your other comment that it would take something like a conditional 7th and pixie dust to get somebody to take him at this point.

    Is Dupree really available?

  13. 13 D3FB said at 8:47 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    He’s yet to assert himself but flashed in Pittsburgh. They are desperate for edge players.

    I think they would like to keep him but if you gave them more of a sure thing like Barwin plus threw in Ags for them to work their bullshit every Steelers WR is good magic, maybe.

  14. 14 Mitchell said at 9:19 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Dupree’s first step doe!!!! Get him Howard!

  15. 15 unhinged said at 11:44 PM on December 26th, 2016:

    I don’t think Alonso ever forgot how to play. He was perhaps brought back too soon from a major injury, then got injured in the process. And is the team from Landover really among the worst in the league, defensively? In two games our offense put up 1 TD and 5 field goals against them And our DL barely got a glove on Cousins. Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith are no slouches.

  16. 16 Fufina said at 7:05 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    My theory is Alonso needs to be given a free reign to just attack. He seems to lack the ability to play to scheme and be responsible. Put in him in a situation where it is just see ball, attack ball he is an instinctive playmaker. Miami and in his first year in buffalo the scheme allowed him to do this… With SexyRexy, Davis and Schwartz (LB’s need to cover the wide 9’s gaps) schemes not so much.

    Is a classic case of needing to put a player in the right situation to succeed making all the difference.

  17. 17 unhinged said at 11:26 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I don’t disagree with your theory, but I also don’t think that Alonso’s health and readiness for contact were ever where they needed to be while he was here.
    A perennial pro bowl linebacker from the Tom Landry Cowboys, Chuck Howley, was maybe the best pass defending LB of his era. After a phenomenal performance in a losing effort in the 1970 Superbowl, (he was named MVP) he said: “…even when I made mistakes and was out of position, I was in the right place.” Today’s game feels more dogmatic. HC’s and coordinators have little tolerance for improvisation, and more stress seems to be placed on narrowly defined roles. Belichick seems to defy that trend somewhat, so maybe there is hope for the odd ducks who know ow to win.

  18. 18 Greg said at 12:44 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    See Howie, See Howie Trade, Trade Howie, Trade!

  19. 19 Greg said at 12:54 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Hope Peters is back next year. Unless they really need to free up some cap space for some major moves, Peters still is and can be a solid part of the Oline. Trade the rest of them.

  20. 20 wee2424 said at 3:01 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    His contract is also on par with his performance compared to other LTs in this league. Take into account the rising cap next year and his play deserves his pay.

  21. 21 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 1:04 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I’m ok with all of those guys not being here. I’m also ok with Sproles, Celek, Brooks, McKelvin,Mathews and Caroll not being here too.There only player I would caution on is Jason Peters. No need to move on from him until we have a replacement OT to start at LT/RT.

    If we draft Cam Robinson in round 1 then I’d be ok with Peters not being here.

  22. 22 BlindChow said at 7:57 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Sproles is the only playmaker we have right now, even if he is 50 years old. It would be nice if we still had at least one guy on this team that’s fun to watch.

  23. 23 Greg said at 8:01 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Agreed but the hope would be that the Eagles would be getting a playmaker in return that’s a little younger than 50.

  24. 24 D3FB said at 8:14 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Best case: Sproles would net a 7th that conditions to a 6 (meaning there’s a time delay on it)

    He’s pretty pricey, only has one year left and you’re only going to get 125-150 touches out of him between offense and special teams.

    He just doesn’t have much value as a trade chip.

  25. 25 A Roy said at 7:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    We spent a 5th for him. Due to his age, he’s probably only worth a 7th at this point.

  26. 26 BlindChow said at 8:31 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I assume we try to get some of those every year…

    It would just suck to get rid of the one we have, only to replace him with a bunch of “potentials” who flame out.

  27. 27 wee2424 said at 2:39 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I’m ok with those players going minus Peter’s. You have a young 2nd year franchise QB, you need 2 good tackles to assist him.

    Kempski has done some articles on Peters and his play compared to other LTs in this league actually warrants his cap hit, especially when you consider the the rising cap next year.

  28. 28 Greg said at 10:55 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Agree completely.

  29. 29 Sb2bowl said at 12:06 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Peters has always been a silent leader, but it seems like this year he has stepped it up in his actions and voice. The team really seems to look to him for leadership and guidance.

  30. 30 anon said at 12:23 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    longest tenured guy – him and Celek, who isn’t really a starter (ability-wise) anymore

  31. 31 Corry said at 7:37 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I’m fine with moving anyone. We’ve got our franchise QB (in my opinion) and now it’s time to build around him. I’d rather not move on from Peters right now simply because it’s almost as hard to find a LT as it is to find your QB. However, if a team were to blow us away with an offer, then move him.

  32. 32 Media Mike said at 8:43 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    We didn’t see enough reliably good play from any tackle other than Peters this year to really be comfortable doing that just yet.

  33. 33 GordonGekko said at 2:34 PM on December 30th, 2016:

    Agreed with your points.

  34. 34 Dave said at 8:30 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    My hope is that we have several years of coaching continuity on both sides of the ball. It seems every time there is a coaching change, the team loses the value of some good or up-and-coming young players just because a coach just doesn’t like a player, his demeanor, or some other BS non-physical trait. DeSean and Rowe clearly come to mind.

  35. 35 Anders said at 8:34 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Players is lost every time there is coaching changes, but lets not put Rowe and Desean in the same sentence.

    Right now Rowe is not even playing 50% of the NE snaps.

  36. 36 BlindChow said at 8:45 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Rowe is an example of “short term memory syndrome” in NFL fandom.

    Eagles fans see Rowe had an interception last week, while we’re stuck with a guy like Mills who gets beaten regularly. But they forget that Rowe was benched twice this year in NE for bad play, and in the preseason was getting torched by guys who are bagging groceries at gas stations right now.

  37. 37 Dave said at 9:05 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    The definition of “short term memory syndrome” is “in the preseason was getting torched by guys who are bagging groceries at gas stations right now”.

    Plain and simple, he is a full-time starter for the Patriots since week 8.

  38. 38 BlindChow said at 9:13 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s just the last we saw of him here. I also pointed out him getting benched since then.

    See, people remember only the recent (“full time starter!”) and not what happened before that (“forced into action due to injuries!”).

    (It helps when you have Tom Brady on the other side of the ball and get to play against such megastars as Bryce Petty and Trevor Siemian.)

  39. 39 Dave said at 10:36 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    “Rowe was inactive for the first five weeks of the season while rehabbing an ankle injury. The Patriots eased him in against the Bengals in Week 6, playing him for 38 percent of snaps. They liked what they saw enough to play him the entire game against the Steelers and start him against the Bills.”

    “Rowe played 60 percent of the defensive snaps against Buffalo, but drew three penalties, including two 29-yard pass interference flags on drives that led to Bills touchdowns. He was taken out mid-game in favor of Ryan.”

    ““I watched the film and then the coaches, they also told me, you know, those weren’t really PI calls,” he said. “I watch other corners in the league and they do the same thing as me and they don’t get called for it.”

    Since that game, Rowe has been the starter opposite Malcom Butler. Logan Ryan was replaced by Rowe not because of an injury, but because of his play.

    Rowe left the Pats week 12 game due to an injury and then missed the following week.

    So let’s recap, Rowe has been the starter since week 7. He was benched in week 8, and then after the coaches reviewed the game film of week 8, they informed him he played well and he has not been benched since. He was injured in week 12 and then inserted as a starter again when he was healthy in week 14.

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2016/11/11/this-corner-who-eric-rowe-logan-ryan/dWCXfr4fihSXNx4UrxIBnK/story.html

  40. 40 Anders said at 9:16 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I havnt been following Rowe too closely, but it was clear during TC and PS, that Rowe wasnt a fit for what ever Schwartz wanted out of him.

    Im a big Rowe fan, but he is not yet such a good player that a coach changes scheme to fit him in.

    Coaches will change things up for the right talent. Remember Samuel coming here? Everybody thought he couldnt play in JJ’s more man oriented scheme instead of the zone scheme he came from. JJ instead split his defense up, playing Sheldon Brown and Samuel differently to help them to their strengths.

  41. 41 Greg said at 9:50 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s what makes good coaches great. And obviously JJ was a great coach. Having a good system is half the battle. Adjusting it to accommodate the strength of your players is the other part. The patriots know how to do this and compete year in and year out. They take players with talent that don’t work well on other teams and then adjust to their strengths and get the most out of them. It seems like common sense, but there are guys like Kelly that get very selective with the type of player in order to fit the scheme. This comes at the cost of skill. Other players with more talent are passed over in FA and the draft. Throw in the boyscout requirement and you end up with last years Eagle’s roster. Just one more reason chip will never win in the NFL.

  42. 42 P_P_K said at 10:29 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    “Throw in the boyscout requirement…”
    That’s a great way to put it. That can work in College when you have a gazillion kids coming out of high school who will buy into anything a coach demands because their scholarship depends on it. It’s a whole different situation in the pros when a coach is dealing with paid grown men, with short careers and enormous egos.

  43. 43 D3FB said at 11:59 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    wrong

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RoweEr00/fantasy/2016

  44. 44 Dave said at 12:08 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Nice website, I looked at the same one, before I did some actual research on the subject as you can see in my other posts. But why let the facts get in the way.

  45. 45 D3FB said at 12:12 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    The facts are he is not a full time starter.

    Full time starters play 95% of snaps.

    That’s not even semantics.

    He has 4 games over 85% of the snaps.

  46. 46 Dave said at 12:33 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    wrong

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McKeLe99/fantasy/2016/

    He has 4 games over 85% of the snaps.

  47. 47 D3FB said at 12:44 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    McKelvin is part of a rotation, he’s not a full time starter

  48. 48 Dave said at 1:09 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Since when?

  49. 49 Dave said at 8:54 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    “Right now Rowe is not even playing 50% of the NE snaps.”

    Let’s look further into that statement…

    Weeks 1 through 5 – 0% snap counts
    Week 6 – 38.2%
    Week 7 – 100%
    Week 8 – 59.7%
    Week 9 – Bye
    Week 10 – 100%
    Week 11 – 98.2%
    Week 12 – 64.7%
    Week 13 – 0% (injured)
    Week 14 – 77.4%
    Week 15 – 87.5%
    Week 16 – 88%

    So yes, on the season, his cumulative stats show he is playing less than 50% of the snaps.

    Since week 7, he is playing 71% of the snaps. If you remove week 13 when he was injured, he is playing 80% of the snaps.

    He is now a full-time starter on a Superbowl contending team.

  50. 50 P_P_K said at 10:27 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Don’t forget Patrick Chung, who was awful with the Eagles.

  51. 51 BlindChow said at 10:47 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Yeah, that’s the other thing… Seeing a player do well in New England and assuming he would do the same thing here is exactly how we ended up with Patrick Chung.

  52. 52 P_P_K said at 11:07 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Right. Then he goes back to the Pats and resumes where he left off after his vacation in Philly.

  53. 53 Media Mike said at 8:40 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I though Rowe was traded because he physically couldn’t do what Schwartz was asking of DBs.

  54. 54 Dave said at 9:41 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Adam Caplan indicated on Twitter several times that Rowe had a laid-back personality and that did not mesh with Schwartz. He wants guys with “swagger”. This article I saw just this morning is the one of the reasons Rowe is in New England and Mills is getting so much playing time here…”Eagles rookie Jalen Mills is really good – just ask him”.

    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20161227_Eagles_rookie_Jalen_Mills_is_really_good__Just_ask_him.html

  55. 55 Anders said at 9:47 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Rowe wouldnt be the 1st talented player who do not match a coach and therefor need to be traded no matter how talented.

  56. 56 P_P_K said at 10:24 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Mills doesn’t lack cockiness. Let’s hope he develops and can back it up.

  57. 57 Dave said at 10:38 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Unfortunately, you can’t develop speed.

  58. 58 D3FB said at 11:57 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    No but you can be a solid starter

    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/bashaud-breeland?id=2543571

  59. 59 Dave said at 12:30 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Bashaud Breeland – 40 Yard Dash: 4.53
    Jalen Mills – 40 Yard Dash: 4.61

    Not comparable.

  60. 60 D3FB said at 12:43 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/bashaud-breeland?id=2543571

    LOOK AT IT

  61. 61 BlindChow said at 12:45 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    lol

  62. 62 Dave said at 1:06 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Breeland is faster and more agile than Mills but yet you think they are comparable.

  63. 63 D3FB said at 5:28 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    BB
    5’11
    197
    4.62 40
    7.04 3 cone
    4.33 Shuttle

    JM
    6’0
    191
    4.61
    6.86
    4.00

    ON WHAT PLANET?!

  64. 64 Dave said at 6:07 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Breeland ran a 4.53 at the combine. He is not fast, but not necessarily slow either. Mills is slow. It’s been apparent all year.

    http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/4393/

  65. 65 D3FB said at 8:09 AM on December 28th, 2016:

    I LINKED TO THE FUCKING COMBINE WEB PAGE! PISS OFF

    I WATCHED HIM RUN IT LIVE!

  66. 66 Dave said at 6:12 PM on December 28th, 2016:

    I don’t give a flying fuck if you were there or not. You make shit up and then pass it off at fact. Shit, I guess you could run for president with the fake bullshit you put out here.

  67. 67 D3FB said at 6:52 AM on December 29th, 2016:

    I LITERALLY POSTED THE FUCKING LINK YOU DICKHEAD

  68. 68 deshawnbentley said at 7:25 AM on December 29th, 2016:

    Lmao he apparently thinks pro day numbers are the same as combine numbers

  69. 69 Dave said at 9:06 AM on December 29th, 2016:

    Hmm. I checked out the link again on my phone and see the 40 time. When I look at it on my PC, I just see a grayed out 40 time (as well as the other stats). My eyes are not the greatest and everything across the top of the screen looks like there are no results with the light gray font color. I apologize for that as my eyes just don’t track grayed out images. I assume my brain processes anything grayed on a website as a nonfunctionng link and automatically ignores it.

    I always use mockdraftable for all the combine stats and they have a different 40 time but everything else is the same.

    As for my nonsense, this sucks to say, but I take very little you say seriously. You have presented yourself as a scout who is looking to break into the media or scouting world (I’m not sure which one). You presented a scathing review of Jack Conklin last year and when I honestly asked you why other scouts have him so high (because I valued your opinion) your response was that those scouts do not know how to assess offensive lineman but since you played the position, you have more expertise and are more knowledgeable than almost everyone else. You literally dismissed almost every scout in the media as unqualified. In the meantime, Conklin gets picked #8 and has had a Pro Bowl year. It’s easy to show respect for someone who is confident, not so much for someone who comes across as a know-it-all not.

    In the future, I’ll refrain from replying to any of your comments because I honestly have no desire to antagonize or insult anyone on this message board and I found myself doing just that. I wholeheartedly apologize and wish you the best of luck in your career endeavors. I’d be excited for anyone in this forum to fulfill their dream of working in any field related to the NFL.

  70. 70 D3FB said at 7:51 AM on December 30th, 2016:

    Conklins been fine, but they have to babysit his ass with protection, that’s not a guy worth taking high in the first round.

    https://twitter.com/BigDuke50/status/811594385003573249

    And I have a paid media gig

  71. 71 D3FB said at 6:53 AM on December 29th, 2016:

    YOUR THE JAGOFF SPOUTING OFF NONSENSE.

  72. 72 ChoTime said at 11:01 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Even coaches are into that swagger BS, huh?

  73. 73 BobSmith77 said at 11:15 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    More I have heard and seen of Schwartz and the less I have been impressed. His schtick might work as a defensive cordinator but I can’t see it having a shelf life of more than 3-4 years with a team especially if they aren’t successful.

  74. 74 Greg said at 8:45 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Chip did a lot of damage to the team between cutting guys and poor drafts. A lot of equity was lost because of him, and it was not just due to coaching changes. The damage clearly be seen on last years and this years team and record.

  75. 75 D3FB said at 8:48 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Biggest of all was our cap rollover.

  76. 76 Dave said at 8:56 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Chip “I’m not the the GM” was taking orders from Chip the coach.

  77. 77 Media Mike said at 8:42 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I love me some trades! I wonder if some player for player swaps are in the mix. I can’t see this team having money for anything other than some very simplistic player pickups on the FA market.

  78. 78 Media Mike said at 8:52 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Could somebody have traded some dignity and/or effort to Detroit last night? What a dog effort!

  79. 79 bushisamoron said at 8:59 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Kelce needs to go. Kendricks needs to go. Barwin needs to go. McKelvin needs to go. Peters needs to stay. Sproles stays.

  80. 80 Media Mike said at 9:03 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    This issue with Kecle and Kendricks, who folks know I really don’t like, is that the return on cap you’d get from moving on from either in 2017 won’t really leave you with enough cash for adaquate replacements. Now if they draft a starting quality LB and C (or G if you want to start Sem at C) who can step in day one; I’m all-in for moving them.

  81. 81 anon said at 10:18 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    During the off season we should make him grow his hair out and then switch him with his brother before training camp.

  82. 82 Aaron said at 9:10 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    your name is kind of odd, I forgot about kendricks, he’s no good, kinda like obama

  83. 83 Forthebirds said at 9:56 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Time to change your handle to trumpisamoron.

  84. 84 P_P_K said at 10:23 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Funny story. I met an old guy who was a refugee from Eastern Europe after WW2. When he first came over, he was eating in a restaurant and someone went on a rant about Truman being an idiot. The guy grabbed his wife and ran out of the restaurant. He told me he had never lived in a place where one wasn’t in danger for criticizing the leaders of the country. As he put it, “I learned, Eisenhower is an idiot, Kennedy is an idiot, Nixon is an idiot, they are all idiots.”

  85. 85 ChoTime said at 11:00 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    One of my friends is a grandmother and a black lady. She also suffers from Parkinson’s. She said there were about ten spaces and she was slowly and carefully trying to park, when some lady behind her kept honking at her and yelling to hurry up. She said to the person, “Why don’t you just take one of the other spaces?” The lady told her, “Trump’s going to take care of people like you.”

  86. 86 P_P_K said at 11:05 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Awful.

  87. 87 Dave said at 11:17 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    I read this article this morning. We are a nation divided.

    http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html

  88. 88 MattE said at 12:54 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    here’s a good one to think on: If Ray Rice were one of the following would he have gotten another chance? and how quickly?

    a) White RB
    b) Black QB
    c) White QB
    d) Black RB (0% in real life)

    i.e. Vick, Kaep, Big Ben

    Big Ben: Maybe most boneheaded White QB over career off the field.

    Vick: I believe he is literally a changed man.

    Kaep: Biggest oxymoron of both race and professional prowess. The “Most Oppressed Half White QB in the NFL”

  89. 89 ChoTime said at 12:58 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    you forgot a category
    e) Black RB who still is any good

  90. 90 MattE said at 12:59 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    i really thought about this the other day and said to myself, if Kaep was in Rice’s situation he would have gotten another chance no problem.

  91. 91 anon said at 3:14 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I don’t think so, the video situation was real. Although Ray Rice was a choir boy before. Goodell made a decision that he can’t come back for whatever reason.

  92. 92 MattE said at 1:00 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    honestly I have no emotional care for any NFL player. Dime a dozen in my eyes. Pump em full of steroids and rip each others heads off. you are here to entertain me not give me lessons on societal morality.

  93. 93 ChoTime said at 1:10 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    What I meant was, Ray Rice’s career as a productive player was already over. Running backs don’t last long, and they don’t have much an impact on the game. So even though the NFL made a show of kicking him out as if it were because of moral reasons, really he just wasn’t a productive player any more. It wasn’t worth anything.

    Kaep is a quarterback, and one who carried his team to the Superbowl in quite dramatic fashion. He had amazing mobility and a great arm. QBs are much more important to team success than a RB, and so it makes sense to gamble on people who have questionable backgrounds (not sayih Kaep does, but just following through on your thought experiment).

    It’s the same reason Andy took a chance on Vick. If he beat the odds and was an effective player, it would be worth it to the team to take the publicity hit. And, for one season, he did deliver. And Vick does appear to be that very rare person who can change. I don’t think you could ask more from a public figure, and he comported himself with pure class in his second act. I don’t want to presume about his real personality, that’s inaccessible to me.

  94. 94 Media Mike said at 2:00 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    You hit the on the head when it came to what guys teams will cut and what guys teams will tolerate.

  95. 95 anon said at 3:13 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I think Ray Rice could have started over some of the guys starting in this league – look at Ravens backfield since he left.

  96. 96 Blackfoot said at 12:28 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    if trump can stop one old person from holding up a parking lot line, its will all have been worth it

  97. 97 RobNE said at 10:27 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Dark times ahead.

  98. 98 aron said at 10:35 PM on December 28th, 2016:

    you suck manmeat, rosco

  99. 99 GermanEagle said at 9:56 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Why the hell are we playing in Seattle next year again?! NFL is a joke.

  100. 100 Greg said at 10:01 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Who plays who makes perfect sense to me but I don’t know how location is determined at times with games like Seattle.

  101. 101 MattE said at 12:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    it’s called dicksucking happens in every industry.

  102. 102 Mitchell said at 10:03 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Doesnt matter, Eagles will kick the shit out of them next year.

  103. 103 Media Mike said at 11:56 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    The whole thing, with the exception of two games, is done via a scheduling matrix. I like the certainty.

  104. 104 anon said at 10:15 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    It’s so frustrating watching the cowboys be dominant

  105. 105 P_P_K said at 10:33 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    That damn O is strong at every position.

  106. 106 unhinged said at 12:29 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I want DP to present a blueprint to the first playoff opponent of that crew. They MUST NOT win the NFC.

  107. 107 P_P_K said at 2:27 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Maybe the Giants can take them again.

  108. 108 Dave said at 11:06 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Some of the discussions below on Rowe got me thinking. Several ex-Eagles are playing well for other teams, much better than they did in Philly. For example, Patrick Chung, Kurt Coleman, Quintin Demps, King Dunlap, Byron Maxwell, DeMarco Murray, Kiko Alonso, etc.

    It seems most of the good players brought in by the team outside of the draft were brought in and played at similar levels as to their career before the Eagles (Nigel Bradham, Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Donny Jonesm Chris Maragos, ) or were given big contracts and were expected to be a big part of the team (Jason Peters, Connor Barwin, Brandon Brooks, and Rodney McLeod).

    Who have the Eagles picked up in a similar fashion in recent years who have developed that were drafted by other teams. Malcolm Jenkins was a good player before he came to the Eagles and has really elevated his game here. Evan Mathis and Caleb Sturgis are the most-recent examples of players who revived their career in Philly.

    The jury is out on DGB, but it is not looking promising. Nolan Carroll, Ron Brooks, and Leodis McKelvin have not stood out as better players in Philly than their prior teams. Rueben Randle and Chris Givens couldn’t even make the roster. Bryce Treggs is somewhat of an unknown.

    I can actually think of one player on our roster that may not be with the team next year who could absolutely be a breakout player with a new team…Trey Burton. I could see a lot of coaches utilizing his talents instead of relegating him to mostly special teams duty.

  109. 109 daveH said at 11:13 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Agholertz will be better w another team

  110. 110 Sb2bowl said at 11:47 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    You bring up a good point- I can’t think of too many players that have had more success here compared to their previous stops.

    Jenkins (as you pointed out) is a great example; I can’t really think of any other players that have succeeded. We suck

  111. 111 Julescat said at 12:34 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Darren Sproles?

  112. 112 Sb2bowl said at 12:54 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I’d argue that Sproles has been less of a player here than he was in N.O. He’s been good, but not great consistently.

  113. 113 anon said at 12:39 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Barwin prior to this year would go into that category, demeco ryans during the 2 years he wasn’t too old to play. I like guys Schwartz brought in this year – i think on the whole they are playing well.

    Seems like most of the FAs we bring in are in the secondary, which is a hard place to play in philly.

  114. 114 Sb2bowl said at 12:57 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Barwin was a perfect fit- same with Ryans for the 2 years he played before injury, though he wasn’t the same player as he was for the Texans.

    I think a lot has to do with the lack of stability. We are on our 3rd coach/coaching staff/college scouting/GM in the last 4 or so years. That kind of turnover wrecks stability and long range vision.

    We went from a zone blitzing 4-3 to a two gap 3-4 back to a wide 9 variation of the 4-3. From 2012 to now. That’s a huge amount of change, personnel, and schematic variation. And that’s just on the defensive side of the ball.

    For all of those people calling for Doug to be fired after 1 year, this is exactly why it is a bad idea.

  115. 115 anon said at 2:02 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I think people would be ok keeping schwartz in doug’s absence 🙂

  116. 116 Sb2bowl said at 3:09 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    My theory has been that Doug will be here for 2-3 years to develop Wentz, and establish a better culture around the team. At that point, Schwartz will be promoted to head coach with Reich or another offensive-minded coach to run the other side of the ball.

    I like Doug, but it remains to be seen if he is an actual NFL head coach or just a cool story.

  117. 117 anon said at 3:12 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    agree. In game decision making has definitely been up and down this year.

  118. 118 D3FB said at 11:53 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    How would Burton be on another team?

  119. 119 Dave said at 11:57 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    He is a RFA in 2017. It will be interesting to see what kind of tender he gets from the Eagles.

  120. 120 D3FB said at 12:02 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Literally negative infinity chance he leaves as an RFA.

    You can put a second round tender on him for $2.5 million.

  121. 121 Dave said at 12:04 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s kind of my point, they would have to put a second round tender on a guy that barely plays.

  122. 122 anon said at 12:06 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Yeah but what’s the cost of that 2nd round tender to the team?

  123. 123 Sb2bowl said at 1:20 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    About $2.5 million, like he stated above.

  124. 124 D3FB said at 12:06 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    2.5 million for a backup tight end and core special teamer is no biggie. That’s Tulloch money

  125. 125 Dave said at 12:10 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Until 2018.

  126. 126 D3FB said at 12:12 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s how rookie contracts work.

  127. 127 BlindChow said at 12:14 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Depends on if Chip Kelly gets roster control in SF this year I guess…

  128. 128 D3FB said at 12:16 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Somebody wants to give us pick 34 for a backup TE and ST guy? By all means.

  129. 129 BlindChow said at 12:17 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Sounds like Chip Kelly all right…

  130. 130 Insomniac said at 2:23 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I don’t think he’s that dumb enough to trade for a guy he refused to play?

  131. 131 BobSmith77 said at 11:09 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Rosemary got praised a lot the trades he made last offseason but other teams did pretty well in getting value of those assets with Murray, Maxwell, and Alonso all have very good years. Rowe also had become an everydown player.

    I can see them looking to trade these players except Peters. Just can’t see them getting anything higher than a 5th round pick and more like a 6th round pick. Doubt Barwin has any trade value and ditto Kendricks because of his contract.

  132. 132 Mitchell said at 11:26 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    You still doubt Howard’s greatness?

  133. 133 ChoTime said at 11:37 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Are you referring to “Teflon Bob”?

  134. 134 Mitchell said at 11:59 AM on December 27th, 2016:

    Not catching the reference.

  135. 135 ChoTime said at 12:56 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Oh, I botched it…Reagan was nicknamed “The Teflon President”–none of the illegal things that happened under his watch “stuck” to him (or any Presidents since, of course).

    Roseman has an amazing track record of escaping the hatchet even when the teams over which he presides underperform. Three tenures–late Reid, Kelly, and now Pederson–have all had bad results (arguably), but Roseman never bears any blame at all for the bad results. It is always someone else’s fault. Mostly because of Lurie and the way he sets the team up.

    It is remarkable that a GM doesn’t bear any blame for wins and losses.

    Thus “Teflon Howie”–nothing sticks to him.

  136. 136 Tumtum said at 12:19 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Murray was practically refusing to be here. Maxwell was choking under the contrat, JS didn’t want Alonso. Those were good moves.

  137. 137 anon said at 12:22 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Good moves, but not talentless players.

  138. 138 Tumtum said at 9:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Which means maybe the signings weren’t all that bad? 🙂

  139. 139 Insomniac said at 2:35 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Rowe is a part of a CB rotation that shuffles himself and Logan Ryan depending if Belichick had his coffee that day. Kiko is having a good year..that makes 2 good years for him. Maxwell is a #2 CB that wasn’t worth the contract. Murray just didn’t want to be here anymore and now he’s running behind a good OL/proper scheme (thanks Chip Kelly!).

  140. 140 anon said at 3:11 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Maxwell was widly overpaid, but he had to be to come here – remember this is a team that fielded bradley fletcher and sconces for 2 years.

  141. 141 Tumtum said at 12:14 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    An astute poster made note of the cap relief and penalty for cutting a bunch of different guys yesterday. Judging from that they may move Kendricks, but I doubt they would cut him. To be honest he is probably the most appealing from that group to other teams.

    I am in the camp of keep him. He slowed himself down and learned to make the easy plays. Maybe he will take the next step, speed up, and still make the plays. Maybe he stays the same, but we aren’t in a rough cap situation anyway.

  142. 142 Sb2bowl said at 12:17 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I’m not sure where he fits in with the 4-3 version that Schwartz runs– but as you pointed out, we probably can’t find a better LB for the $1.8 we would save by getting rid of him. The only logical candidate would be a rookie LB, and at that point- isn’t it almost better to stay with Kendricks?

    It’ll be interesting to see what happens. Like Kiko, as long as Kendricks can attack- he’s alright. Otherwise he’s a liability.

  143. 143 Tumtum said at 10:51 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Not true. He has been tasked with coverage duties in the past and preformed quite well at them. In fact his best year that netted him this contract he was in nickle.

  144. 144 Sb2bowl said at 10:18 AM on December 28th, 2016:

    He had coverage responsibilities that year in the 3-4 with Davis, which is polar opposite of the defense that Schwartz runs. Since that year he has regressed at a tremendous rate, so much so that even though he is twice the athlete that Bradham is, Schwartz has gone away from him when we only have 2 LB’s on the field.

    Maybe an off-season spent learning the defense will help, but at this point I’m not hopeful.

  145. 145 Tumtum said at 11:28 AM on December 28th, 2016:

    He regressed greatly last year, then was slow to adapt to the system this year. For the majority of the year he has quietly been an asset. The last few games it got to the point that I was really hoping they would run the base because he is clearly one of the best 11.

    Coaches are sometimes very reluctant to make major responsibility changes during the season. Maybe JS thinks that playing in the base with limited responsibility is the only way he can be good. Maybe he has plans to expand his role next season and allow him to grow.

    Either way. I think attacking has been his weak point in the past, as opposed to reading. When he reacts he seems to be in position to make the play. When he attacks he misses tackles and runs of lanes/stadium.

  146. 146 MattE said at 12:48 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    well at least we aren’t Detroit.

  147. 147 P_P_K said at 6:38 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    And Chip is in SF.

  148. 148 ChoTime said at 12:51 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Interesting article where they break down QB’s success at various distances, short, medium, long, and bomb. The charts only go top-5 and bottom-5, and Wentz only shows up once, as the 5th worst QB at bombs (25 yards or more down the field). Weirdly, Sammy Sleeves grades out top-5 there this year.

    http://www.footballoutsiders.com/quick-reads/2016/week-16-quick-reads

  149. 149 MattE said at 12:57 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    If I only had to throw the ball downfield 25+ yards downfield 2 or 3 times a year I would be proficient also lol

  150. 150 ChoTime said at 1:12 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Sammy’s sample size, for the range 16-25 yards was 50.

    Carson’s sample size for 25 yards+ was 28.

    Both are significant.

  151. 151 BlindChow said at 12:59 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    No, Bradford is listed as #5 in passes 16-25 yards. He’s not listed under the bomb category at all.

  152. 152 anon said at 12:57 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Lost of people saying Dak not impressive – including me. I gotta take that back, i watched the game yesterday – he’s pretty good. Yeah he walked into a loaded team, but picking up for Romo in Dallas isn’t easy. You can also see Trevor Semian, that dude in texas, etc. Dak is way outperforming those teams – although i suppose you can say Elliot is a big part of that.

  153. 153 MattE said at 12:58 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Elliot by far and away has been the most impressive rookie this year IMO

  154. 154 MattE said at 1:05 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Well, season coming to a close and gotta say, feeling a little worse about our outlook next year than back in September.

    Looks like I got a Fantasy Dynasty to build (won this year) over the next 2 years cause that’s the only team i care about at the moment and the near future lol, jokes aside, Wentz over the past few weeks hasn’t eased any worries I have. He’s tough, he’s big, but still raw and from NDSU. Se la vie.

  155. 155 P_P_K said at 6:38 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I agree with you about Wentz, but I am more optimistic about him now than I was at the beginning of the season. The dude has the makings of a big-time qb. Let’s get him a stable line, a running game, and at least one real wr.

  156. 156 meteorologist said at 1:10 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I loved Tommy including the Redskins on that list

  157. 157 Media Mike said at 2:20 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    What a nonsensical situation in Buffalo. Ryan absolutely needed to be fired, but why stop there? The GM is also a complete pinhead of a buffoon who stocked that team with far too many untalented players. Buffalo needs to liquidate whatever they can and start over from scratch.

  158. 158 Dave said at 2:54 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I wonder how their fortunes may have been if Marrone wouldn’t have walked out on them. They did have a Schwartz running a pretty good defense at the time.

  159. 159 Media Mike said at 2:56 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Probably the same due to the GM. And I don’t think much of Marrone.

    But point taken on Schwartz.

  160. 160 Dave said at 3:48 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Drafting guys like EJ Manual (and Christian Ponder) make me really happy that Wentz is here.

  161. 161 anon said at 3:19 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Bills GM Doug Whaley will lead the team’s coaching search. That’s unfortunate; especially if they dump TT. Maybe they can get Marron back?

  162. 162 Media Mike said at 3:21 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Dumping Taylor would be a good start to rebuilding. And I’m not sure Marrone is a good coaching option.

  163. 163 anon said at 3:26 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Dumping TT for who? I can’t tell if it’s him or the OC/receivers, he doesn’t turn the ball over.

  164. 164 Media Mike said at 3:30 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    He doesn’t do much as a passer that’s of any use. They’d be better off rebuilding entirely. Greg Cosell was on with Ross Tucker the other morning explaining how Taylor really doesn’t do anything decently as a passer for more than one game at a time. He’s simply too limited.

  165. 165 Insomniac said at 2:41 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I didn’t really want to talk about this but who can realistically take out the Cowgirls if they make it all the way besides the Patriots ?

    Falcons have a high powered offense but not much of a defense.

    Giants are the Giants, you never know if playoff Eli will show up or not.

    Packers are peaking right now but the Cowgirls are a team that can keep Rodgers on the sidelines for a long time.

    Seahawks look way too shaky.

    Lions got destroyed last night.

  166. 166 Dave said at 2:51 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Any given Sunday. Remember when the 18-0 Patriots lost to the 13-6 Giants team that entered the playoffs as a Wild Card.

  167. 167 anon said at 3:10 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Giants have beat cowboys twice, though if they’re our only hope. Traditionally i dind’t like atlanta but have warmed up to them since i had matt ryan in fantasy this year. All that said can’t see the cowboys losing in the NFC. I think if a team had really good pass rush, maybe, but you have to double dez, which means you can’t stack against Elliot and defend the slot / Dak’s running ability.

  168. 168 ChoTime said at 4:53 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Great OL + badass RB + star receiver + competent QBing is a rather nice combo to have in your pocket. But stuff happens.

    See early 90s Eagles.

  169. 169 iceberg584 said at 5:04 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    The early 90s Eagles never even sniffed 13 wins.

  170. 170 ChoTime said at 7:14 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Well… except in 2004? And 12 in ’03 and 12 in ’02?

  171. 171 iceberg584 said at 8:21 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Exactly. The early 00s Eagles were a great time that deserved to win a championship. The early 90s Eagles couldn’t win their own division.

  172. 172 ChoTime said at 8:59 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Oh. dumbass (me) got it mixed up.

  173. 173 teltschikfakeout88 said at 10:29 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Need to revisit history…early 90’s Eagles did not has a badass RB…Herschel Walker was done at thay point…Keith byars was a FB/TE type player…Heath Sherman was inconsistent…Buddy Ryan was terrible at drafting OL and we could never run the ball and that was true under Kotite…Barnett and Williams were good but neither was a star receiver…now the early 90’s Eagles having a elite defense and putrid offense…that is what I remembered…

  174. 174 ChoTime said at 10:57 AM on December 28th, 2016:

    Yes, I was talking about the 2000s. Only off by ten years. I guess this is getting old?

  175. 175 P_P_K said at 6:36 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    My hope is the bright lights and faster play of the playoffs will get to Zak and he’ll choke.

  176. 176 wee2424 said at 7:50 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    If they are going to be beat it will probably be the Falcons. My hope is that they play the Falcons on a day when their O is clicking on all cylinders like they have plenty of times this year. It will be a shootout, but the Falcons have the ability to score more points. Julio will be healthy by then.

    After that the Seahawks, but it is going to take some Wilson magic, a big game by Graham, and that D to get serious pressure on Dak.

  177. 177 Bert's Bells said at 3:32 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Barwin for Carlos Hyde seems like a fair player for player deal. #culture

  178. 178 Media Mike said at 3:33 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    With one knee and one year left on his deal? I’ll pass. I’d rather have a draft pick.

  179. 179 Bert's Bells said at 3:43 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s one more knee than all the Eagles RBs combined.

    Just need him for a year.

  180. 180 Media Mike said at 3:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I see where you’re going with that, but Hyde isn’t really a guy I want.

  181. 181 anon said at 4:34 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I think he’s more a product of CK’s offense — wasn’t anyone his rookie year.

  182. 182 Bert's Bells said at 5:26 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    LOL

  183. 183 teltschikfakeout88 said at 6:10 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    But he has more than one knee….he has an MCL injury that won’t require surgery…now the issue of him being on a one year deal might make me pass…but HYde is a very good back…

  184. 184 wee2424 said at 9:05 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    This draft is absolutely loaded with RB talent, would rather have a younger player without injury issues on the cheap for 4 years.

  185. 185 ACViking said at 4:02 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Looking for ANON . . .

    You asked, on 12/25/16, how Conf Champs have done in recent years in terms of O-line stability during the season.

    With 5 positions and 16 games, that’s 80 total possible man-games. (70 total man-games from 1970-77, with the 14-game schedule).

    So the fewer games missed, the closer to 100% availability for a team’s 5 O-line starters.

    The 2016 Eagles are at 81.25% right now — which seems like it should be lower, given Barbre’s unavailability in two games shortly after kickoff.
    ______________

    From the “pre-historic SB era” of 1970-95, here’re some examples . . .

    In 1972, the 17-0 Dolphins and NFC Champ Washington both had 100% availability on the O-line.

    In 1974, the SB-winning Steelers at 78.75%, the losing Vikings at 95.7%.

    In 1980, the NFC Champ Birds’ starting O-linemen lost only 1 game to injury — a rate of 98.75. The SB winning Raiders were at 97.5 (2 lost games).

    In 1986, the SB-winning Giants had a 100% rate. The losing Broncos 92.5%.

    In the 3 seasons Dallas won SBs in the 1990’s, the 5 starting O-linemen missed a total of only 12 games for a rate of 95%.

    The 4x AFC champion Bills’ overall rate was even better at 96.25.
    _________________

    So in the past 20 years, have the rates changed much for the SB winning team and the runner-up?

    The answer is “yes” — at least in the past 7-8 years.

    The availability percentage seems to be dropping for one or both of the SB teams compared to the “pre-historic era”:

    1996: GB – 100% vs. NE – 95%
    1997: DEN – 92.5% vs. GB – 90%
    1998: DEN – 100% vs. ATL – 100% (first and only time since 1972 SB)
    1999: Rams – 97.5% vs. TN – 95%
    2000: BAL – 92.5% vs. NYG – 95%
    2001: NE – 93.75% vs. Rams – 97.5%
    2002: TB – 93.75% vs. OAK – 91.25%
    2003: NE – 96.25% vs. CAR – 98.75%
    ************
    2004: NE – 92.5% vs. PHI – 78.2% (Shawn Andrews injury alone – 15 games)
    ************
    2005: PIT – 95% vs. SEA – 98.75%
    2006: Colts – 93.75% vs. CHI – 97.5%
    ———–
    2007: NYG – 100% vs. NE – 88.75%
    ———–
    2008: PIT – 88.75% vs. AZ – 100%
    2009: NO – 97.5% vs. Colts – 88.75%
    2010: GB – 93.75% vs. PIT – 83.75%
    2011: NYG – 86.25% vs. NE – 87.5%
    2012: BAL – 97.5% vs. SF – 100%
    2013: SEA – 70.00% vs. DEN – 97.5%
    2014: NE – 83.75% vs. SEA – 83.75%
    2015: DEN – 90% vs. CAR – 95%

  186. 186 Media Mike said at 4:11 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    spectacular

  187. 187 Dave said at 4:38 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s absolutely eye-opening.

  188. 188 anon said at 4:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    That’s amazing. Thanks for putting this together. Despite the “recent” decline it’s a pretty strong verification of the hypothesis that you need O-L continuity to have any shot. Does seem to me that if you’re not at 90+% you historically have a very low change of getting to the big game and if you’re under 90% you have to have a historically good def / RB combo.

  189. 189 Ark87 said at 4:47 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Awesome, mentioned earlier this year that it seems like if your O-line just stays healthy, you have one of the top 5 O-lines by default. Attrition in football is crazy, seems to affect the O-line more than any. Path to having a top O-line in the league? luck.

  190. 190 Tumtum said at 11:01 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Or off the drugs!

  191. 191 P_P_K said at 6:35 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Hall of Fame post.

  192. 192 A Roy said at 7:23 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Outstanding. Thanks.

  193. 193 wee2424 said at 7:23 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Awesome work. Hats off to you sir. I just don’t have the patience to do something like that unless it is for work. In other words if I have to do it.

  194. 194 wee2424 said at 7:34 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    It bears mentioning that the more recent teams that have had a lower level of OL continuity have either had a HOF level QB, a very mobile QB, a very strong running game, a great D to carry them, or a combination of at least 2 of these attributes.

  195. 195 Tumtum said at 10:59 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Great stuff AC, as usual.

    Judging from the totality of the numbers you gathered, it looks like the recent drop should at present be considered outlier numbers. Exceptions to the rule.

    If you wanted to get a little crazy with inferences you might make a case that the recent drop is due to increasing mediocrity of the NFL. I.E there are not currently any great teams.

    Hard to ignore the fact that the teams with the highest %s were generally considered to be offensive juggernauts, where as the lower %s were generally considered defensive teams.

    Man… good stuff AC.

  196. 196 Nick C said at 8:02 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I think that management and our players need to stop speaking about a return of Desean… because if it does happen could result in tampering charges. To be honest, I don’t particularly want him, just making an observation.

  197. 197 kid said at 8:06 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    I didn’t hear management or players say outright that he definitely coming here.

  198. 198 wee2424 said at 8:30 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Brandon Graham outright said he was. He went as far to say that DJAX told him to tell DP to get him.

  199. 199 Tumtum said at 9:46 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    Which still doesn’t implicate tampering.

  200. 200 wee2424 said at 3:02 AM on December 28th, 2016:

    I never said it did. If you see my above comments regarding this subject to another member you will see how I state they are not tampering.

  201. 201 wee2424 said at 8:32 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    The players can say whatever they want. The speculation has been on the media and what DJAX has said to people. The FO is handling this fine.

  202. 202 unhinged said at 11:29 PM on December 27th, 2016:

    So far I count Fisher, Bradley and Ryan. Still waiting on Marvelous Marv.

  203. 203 GordonGekko said at 2:33 PM on December 30th, 2016:

    No one wants Kendricks with his contract. Maybe get a late round pick for Kelce. Barwin will be cut because other 3-4 teams know it, that’s why they won’t trade for him. Peters is interesting, but no way he stays at his $11 mil cap number. Howie will do something about that.