Howie Speaks

Posted: January 4th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 223 Comments »

The offseason is officially here. Howie Roseman came out of the shadows to meet with the media and share his thoughts on the 2016 season, the state of the team and the future. He spoke for about 30 minutes. While Howie didn’t say anything mind-blowing, he did offer some interesting comments and gave us some hints about what to expect.

PE.com has the video here.

My biggest takeaway is that Howie is trying to build something. He admitted that in recent years the Eagles got too much into trying to find “band-aids” to help get the team back to the playoffs. As he said, “10-6 isn’t good enough.”

Howie made it a priority last year for the Eagles to find a long term answer at QB. He didn’t get into specifics, but you can look at recent years and see where the Eagles had the wrong thinking. Michael Vick had a good stretch in 2010, but that proved to be lightning in a bottle. Nick Foles just wasn’t talented enough to be a guy you build a franchise around. Sam Bradford was more talented than Foles, but still not good enough. There was more hope than proof when it came to those players.

That isn’t to say Carson Wentz is guaranteed to pan out, but he fits the bill when you think about everything you want in a QB. If you are going to take a chance on a player (which all picks/signings are), you want it to be someone you believe in on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom and at home. Wentz was that guy so the Eagles moved up to get him and now plan to build the team around him.

Howie brought up the position of CB as a spot where the team had tried to find too many stop-gap solutions. I won’t get into discussing the position at length (that’s a post of its own), but the Eagles haven’t had good long term vision there for a while. It sounds like CB is going to be a position that will be addressed this offseason in a way to try and solidify it for multiple years and not just 2017.

I liked the fact Howie had some moments of honesty. It is one thing for a coach or GM to admit mistakes in a general way, but it feels a lot better when they offer a specific example. That helps you to understand they aren’t just saying things for the sake of good PR.

Reporters did try to get Howie to talk about positions that need to be improved. He wouldn’t say anything. Howie didn’t want to broadcast his intentions to the rest of the league. The other 31 teams can look at the Eagles and see some of what needs to be done. So can you and I. Still, I don’t blame Howie. When you say something, you can try to make a bland, general statement and still say more than you want. Better to say nothing at all and just assume everyone with a pulse knows WRs and CBs are needed.

Obviously any discussion of CB brings up the question of why Eric Rowe was dealt so early in his career. Howie said that after talking to the coaches and evaluating the situation, the Eagles didn’t see him as a long term answer. They didn’t anticipate giving him a contract extension. Rather than just keeping him around, they decided to get something for him so they could use that resource to try and find a player who could be a long term fit.

I liked Rowe a lot as a prospect. I thought he showed good promise in 2015. Rowe did not handle the coaching/scheme change well. He really struggled to fit into the scheme and had a bad spring and summer. Rowe was drafted for one system. He didn’t fit into the new system. You can question how the coaches and personnel people could see that. Good football people can sometimes see things very quickly.

I remember a scout once telling me that a really gifted prospect (DL Jeremy Staat) was going to be a bust. I asked the guy to explain. Staat was terrific at Arizona State and I thought he was a stud. The scout said he could just see Staat was going to fail. He couldn’t put it into words. Size, strength, speed and all the physical tools appeared to be there, but something was missing. I thought the scout was nuts and told him I still thought highly of Staat. The scout was right. Staat, taken 41st overall,  played 29 games and had 20 tackles in his career. He was a major bust.

Patience is a virtue, but there are times when you can just see something isn’t going to work. Rather than wasting time, you move on. The point here isn’t that Rowe can’t play at all. He wasn’t going to play well for Jim Schwartz and in the Eagles current system. Trust me when I tell you this wasn’t a casual decision. Schwartz doesn’t get rid of players he thinks can help him. He would not have told the Eagles to move on if he didn’t believe very strongly that the situation couldn’t work.

Disagree with the move all you want, but history is filled with good coaches who got rid of guys who didn’t fit their system. Buddy Ryan cut Mike Zordich, who then came to the Eagles and started for 3 years. Bill Parcells rebuilt the Dallas defense from undersized and speedy to big and physical because that’s what he wanted. They were #1 in the league in 2003 and he overhauled the group in 2005. Jon Gruden got rid of Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams because he wanted physical WRs. The Eagles signed Irving Fryar and he was great for a couple of years. Coaches must have players they believe in and they must have the right kind of guys to make their systems work well.

Howie talked about Joe Douglas. Paul Domowitch wrote a good piece on that.

“The first thing he did was bring in Andy to have someone who spoke the same (scouting) language,” Roseman said. “They’ve both got tremendous presence.

“Joe’s got a way of looking and evaluating players that is different than what we’ve done in the past. And quite frankly, we needed that. He has full rein to set the draft board. He’s involved in every discussion we have about building this team. And I think we’ll start seeing dividends.”

I asked Roseman to be a little bit more specific about the difference in the way the Eagles have evaluated players in the past and the way Douglas evaluates them. His answer, though, didn’t really address the question.

“I think when we look at the success the Ravens had – and certainly they’ve won two world championships (in 2000 and 2012) since the start of the century – what they’re looking for and the trades they’re looking for in particular positions fits the way that this city is built, too,” he said.

Douglas is worthy of a post of his own, but I think the kind of players he will bring in to Philly are going to be big, strong, physical guys that are ultra-competitive. The Ravens aren’t always the most talented team, but there is a mental, physical and emotional toughness to that group. They play hard, often with an edge. They want to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Douglas is here to evaluate players. He will grade them and work with the scouts to set the Eagles draft board. Actual picks will be more of a collective decision, with Howie, Douglas and coaches/scouts involved. Howie has final say, but he will lean on Douglas in a big way.

Some critics will think this is all a bunch of bull. “Here’s another new guy to save the day. Blah, blah, blah.” I get that. It is easy to read the situation that way. I think this is different. Howie has to work well with Douglas. They have to get along. Howie has his share of critics in/around the league, but no team has made a move to hire Louis Riddick since he was pushed out. Jason Licht is now the GM in Tampa, but he’s had some issues with other teams. Chip Kelly’s credibility isn’t sky high right now.

Douglas is someone that is universally liked and respected. He worked with Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta for years. If Douglas gets the shaft in Philly, that could do huge damage to Howie’s reputation. The Eagles would struggle to hire good scouts and/or personnel guys. I also think Jeffrey Lurie is sincere when he says Howie is going to be held accountable for what happens. Lurie has been very patient with Howie, but this feels different. You can hear that in some of Howie’s comments.

“It will be a collaborative effort when we talk about who we are picking,” Roseman said Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, the responsibility is mine.”

The guessing game of who to blame is over. This is on Howie, whether good, bad or in the middle.

I liked the fact that Howie was generally positive, but also realistic. Doug Pederson over-praised his team and players during the season and I think that sent a bad message, whether intended or not. Howie talked about some of the good aspects of the team, but wouldn’t buy into the mantra that the Eagles are close. He wouldn’t talk about when this team will be ready to be a Super Bowl contender.

Howie is trying to build the Eagles. He wants this team to be a perennial contender. That’s the right mindset. He admitted there could be some short term deals if they make sense, but the offseason is going to be about the future as much as the present. The Eagles are going to look for ascending players. This team isn’t one acquisition away from the Super Bowl. They need talented guys that are young or in their prime.

Whether you love, hate or just tolerate Howie, I think you should come away from his press conference feeling the team is headed in the right direction and they have the right outlook.

Now they just have to go find the right players.

We’ll find out how good Douglas is at player evaluation and how much Howie has truly learned from past mistakes.

_


223 Comments on “Howie Speaks”

  1. 1 Charlie Kelly said at 12:17 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    We need CBs. Not a band aid. But if howie signs a top FA CB wouldnt it just be talked about like Nnmadi? and then of course Byron Maxwell will get brought up, Carey Williams…

    just a thought that popped into my head

  2. 2 laeagle said at 1:44 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    That’s up there with the same logic that would say, “we’ve drafted bust WRs in the first round the past few years. No way we’re picking Calvin Johnson!”

  3. 3 Anders said at 2:47 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    If all Howie do is signing a guy like Gilmore, then its only a band aid, but if he also ads a top CB in the draft and a depth guy, then Im all for it

  4. 4 bubqr said at 5:37 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Gilmore looked outstanding early in his career. I would not be against this move at all.

  5. 5 Tumtum said at 7:00 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Nnamdi and Byron are nothing like Carey. Carey is the epitome of a band aide. Baind aides are fine by the way.. as long as the wound heals.

  6. 6 Greg Tulino said at 12:24 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Tell me one thing. If Douglas was so good why did Chicago let him go after one season?? It is not like the Bears ( who have stunk) couldn’t have used his skills to find the right QB and players to get their storied franchise back to glory. He will have to earn my respect by getting the right players. Eagles fans will give him a chance to prove his worth, but if Douglas/Roseman do not get it right then I could see Mr. Lurie getting rid of both of them and starting over in the front office w/in the next 2 years.

  7. 7 Tumtum said at 7:02 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Scary thought. I need this team to find success in this version. I can’t handle another 2 year blow up.

  8. 8 Ryan Rambo said at 10:34 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Pretty good read here…..

    http://sportsmockery.com/2015/05/new-bears-hire-joe-douglas-will-impress-the-hell-out-of-you/

  9. 9 Stephen E. said at 12:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    They had a good draft. Their top 2 picks started immediately and excelled, and the next two are top backups.

  10. 10 Greg Tulino said at 12:47 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    I appreciate the link to this piece which certainly describes the hire of Douglas as a smart one ( for Chicago at the time). And it appears the lone draft he worked on in Chicago has looked good so far. Yet my initial concern is still that he only lasted one year in Chicago and outstanding executives are not usually let go after one year. SO why did Chicago let him walk? That is a question or article I would like to read to get that answer.

  11. 11 Ryan Rambo said at 10:11 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    I took this job to be a promotion from the one he previously held in Chicago. Can the Bears block him from that move??

  12. 12 laeagle said at 12:33 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Everyone loves to get down on the front office (any front office) for deals like Rowe. And if he does well next year with the Pats, it will be a further indictment of how shitty a GM Howie is.

    But everyone also has a terribly short memory about this sort of thing, which happens ALL THE TIME in the league. “One man’s trash is another person’s treasure” is a reality of the NFL because of the differences in schemes, management, coaching styles, and personalities. Sure, we’ve had guys leave who have done well (remarkably few during the Reid/Banner years, considering how many guys they let go). And Rowe may yet be another. But we’ve also benefited from this sort of thing. Hugh Douglas was a perfect example. He was our top rusher for years, one of the top DEs in the league. And we got him at a fire sale. Who was the terrible, shitty GM/coach who let him go? Bill Parcells.

    Sometimes, guys just don’t work out in one scheme or team, and it’s not the end of the world, and it doesn’t mean that the team that let them go is a bunch of idiots. And good for those players for finding a place that fits better, and using their opportunity to show what they can really do.

    Sports, as with life, and often politics, is not always a zero sum game.

  13. 13 Baloophi said at 3:15 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think it’s not just short-term memory issues, but also basic, human behavioral psychology. I’m reminded of something called “loss aversion” that I saw on some Science channel show I put on when I couldn’t sleep. According to Wikipedia, the gist is that losses are twice as impactful than equivalent gains. In other words, we tend to remember the negatives more than the positives… which any Eagles fan can understand.

  14. 14 Tumtum said at 7:06 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    “Which any Eagles fan can understand”.

    You are a man of great faith, sir.

  15. 15 RobNE said at 9:47 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    this is why I don’t gamble much in casinos anymore.

  16. 16 midnitemud said at 12:33 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’m torn between whether they should try to sign an established young CB in FA instead of using an early draft pick on one, or if they should do the same with the WR position. I like the idea of trying to sign Gilmore or even AJ Bouye if the Texans let him test the market (unlikely), and taking another later in the draft (rounds 2-7). I’m against signing Jeffrey in FA because his price would not allow for much else, and Desean will probably cost much less by comparison. I think they concentrate on WR/RB in round one, and use most of their available cap money on CB in FA.

  17. 17 laeagle said at 12:37 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I am fully in agreement on this. If you’re spending money in this FA market, I’d rather do it at CB. Better players are available, and it’s a more important position overall in team construction.

    That doesn’t necessarily mean I’d target WR over CB in the first round; I’d still go BPA. But it means you _can_ address WR early if there’s a guy worth picking. I much prefer the combo of high priced FA CB and top rookie WR over high priced FA WR and top rookie CB. I think the results will be better, I think that there are no high priced WRs on the market worth that price, and I don’t know of too many cases where a high priced WR is really worth all that money, unless he’s home grown.

  18. 18 Insomniac said at 1:14 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’d take a gamble on Gilmore but I’m not willing to overpay him. Bills fans call him inconsistent/overrated all the time but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure right?

  19. 19 Anders said at 2:30 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I double dip, go after Gilmore in FA and hope the right CB (or two) is there early

  20. 20 PacificPurl said at 3:54 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    They have signed young established corners in FA for years. Hasn’t worked.

  21. 21 Insomniac said at 1:49 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Lets hypothetically say that the BPA is Leonard Fournette. Fournette isn’t the most nimble guy and will most likely need an OL to make sure he isn’t touched in the backfield. Nor is he the best blocker or pass catcher right now. I would like to believe that Kelce would get axed since he can’t move guys on his own and Seumalo will have competition at C. Barbre might have competition as well at LG due to his age. Do you really build around Fournette even if he does eventually become a stud? We have 3 possible third down RBs in Barner, Marshall, and Smallwood after Sproles retires. So there’s no rush in pushing his development to become a complete back. Would you still pull the trigger?

  22. 22 Anders said at 2:29 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    “Lets hypothetically say that the BPA is Leonard Fournette. Fournette isn’t the most nimble guy and will most likely need an OL to make sure he isn’t touched in the backfield. Nor is he the best blocker or pass catcher right now.”

    Fournette is first BPA for the Eagles in like the 3rd round because of his flaws and how Doug wants to run his offensive system

  23. 23 Insomniac said at 3:56 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I highly doubt that the system excuse works. Fournette isn’t the square peg like Demarco Murray was in Chip’s offense. Doug has shown that he isn’t shy about using guys for less than ideal situations (Sproles running on short yardage situations?). Fournette can do what Mathews can and then some. He’ll probably stay more healthy too but who knows.

  24. 24 Anders said at 4:02 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    the size of a RB has zero to do with effectiveness, so not a parallel.

    I really doubt the Eagles would use a high draft pick on a less than ideal fit at RB (I also think Fournette is grossly overrated by most).

  25. 25 Insomniac said at 4:06 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    It’s not even size? It’s ability. Mathews is no Dalvin Cook or Sproles as a receiver.

    Ideal fit is stupid for one. You’re not getting ideal guys for a system that is still in the works.

  26. 26 Anders said at 4:13 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    There is nothing magic about Dougs system. Its pretty much a carbon copy of the same scheme Reid used here and has been used since Bill Walsh invented it. The RBs 100% needs to be able to catch a pass and pass protect.

  27. 27 Insomniac said at 4:38 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yes it’s still a WCO, but even Doug and Andy has his own variation. Doug is in his first year still trying to figure out what works and doesn’t. There are going to be concepts that he will try again with different players and etc. Well maybe he will.

    Fournette has to polish his pass protection and route running. He’s not incapable of catching, he just wasn’t asked to do it much. Zeke has 17 more catches than Fournette has in 6 more games but Fournette has more yards. All of those areas can be worked on.

  28. 28 Anders said at 4:44 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    But those things mean I wouldnt touch him for the Eagles in the 1st round. Maybe 3rd round was hyperbole, but at around 15, there is far better fits than Fournette

  29. 29 Insomniac said at 4:53 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yea I know but I’m just playing devil’s advocate for this hypothetical. I think Fournette can answer some of those questions at the combine/pro day but right now I also prefer some guys over him. Fournette is still a weapon that we could use and I wouldn’t be too mad if we got him.

  30. 30 Anders said at 5:03 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    If we was drafting closer to 30 than 10, I would take him in an instant.

  31. 31 laeagle said at 11:13 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    This is incorrect. Andy’s system had some major differences from Walsh’s, and Doug’s is very different from Andy’s. sure, there are some similar core concepts, but they are more different than you are stating.

  32. 32 Anders said at 3:53 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Not at what they look for in a rb

  33. 33 Buge Halls said at 9:10 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    If that’s the case, and Fournette isn’t the best fit, I’d hope they’d evaluate who else is on the board, what teams are picking after them and their needs, and then maybe make a trade down and get an extra pick. I really don’t want to reach for a player who won’t work in our scheme (Murray anybody) and basically waste a 1st round pick.

  34. 34 Mac said at 10:42 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I highly doubt that any RB is BPA at 14. Based on comparative value of other positions on the team I would look elsewhere without hesitation.

  35. 35 Dan said at 3:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I highly doubt that your statement is accurate. San Diego was abysmal once they lost Gordon. Dallas doesn’t make the playoffs without Elliot. You can see the affects of not having a ground game by watching any Vikings game, which is compounded since you have the checkdown king at QB there. Point is, there are definitely RB that are BPA at 14. The key for a RB is getting into a system that fits their style. Then there are some that just transcend that, which Elliot was and Cook and Fournette are. Also, though a pass catching RB would be ideal, this doesn’t mean Fournette can’t catch and it also doesn’t mean we don’t have other RB’s that can.

  36. 36 Mac said at 3:20 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’m so happy Dallas spent their pick on Elliot.

    Why?

    Because their defense would be so much better with Jalen Ramsey. They could have had Derrick Henry in round 2 or even Kenyan Drake in round 3 and gotten almost the same level of production.

    Comparative value. Raw talent on defense is more important than talent at most positions on offense. And defensive backs are far more valuable to a team than a running back. Especially on a team with the best run blocking oline in the NFL.

    But what do I care? I’m glad the Cowpokes screwed it up.

  37. 37 Dan said at 5:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’m lost, you are happy the Cowboys got the one player that allowed them to go 13-3 for the season? Prescott did well, but you swap out a healthy Romo for Prescott and there is little difference. You would rather them have Ramsey, who only impacts a particular part of the game instead of the leading rusher in the league who had 16 TDs and almost 2000 all purpose yards in just 15 games??? And Cowboys screwed up by doing this? I mean ok, if you want to try to argue that RBs aren’t usually worth a 1st round pick, which to be honest is silly, I can see if you want to try to make that argument – I wouldn’t agree but ok . But to say the Cowboys screwed up, that defensive talent is more important than offensive talent, that the Cowboys would have been the same with Derrick Henry or Kenyan Drake is just bewildering and makes all credibility lost.

  38. 38 Jamie Parker said at 9:56 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I don’t know. Derrick Henry behind that O-line would make him better. Not as good obviously as Zeke, but would still be very good. Now swap out Jaylon Smith, who didn’t play, for Ramsey, who did play and played well, and the argument for the Cowboys being better is there.

  39. 39 Insomniac said at 6:29 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think you’re stretching it here. Zeke is better than both of those guys combined.

  40. 40 Jamie Parker said at 9:52 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Excellent point! Doesn’t make me happy though. As a Michigan fan, I thought I was finally going to be able to root for #15, but then the Cowboys drafted him. Now I’ll never be able to root for him.

    I’m sure they’d love to have Jalen Ramsey instead of Jaylon Smith. lol

  41. 41 Insomniac said at 6:28 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    CB is supposedly very deep this year. OL is weak. WR isn’t as strong as CB and might only have one stud in Mike Williams. What are we drafting then? DL? S?

  42. 42 Sb2bowl said at 7:03 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    CB looks like a position of strength, WR has some options but not many “wow” players. All seem to have their niche but there doesn’t seem to be that “must have” guy near the top.

    Based on opinion, though

  43. 43 Insomniac said at 7:20 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yup. I would double dip for CBs if we don’t sign any in FA but I’m not Howie. The WRs have too many questions that aren’t answered yet. The combine and Senior Bowl will answer some questions that need to be addressed. Like Mike Williams’s speed, John Ross’s hands and Corey Davis’s lack of good competition.

  44. 44 Ryan Rambo said at 10:45 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MKKnCz8OSc

  45. 45 D3FB said at 11:29 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    No.

    No RB Round 1. Sure as hell no RB Round 1 that forces you to make your entire offense I-formation.

  46. 46 bill said at 1:12 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Meh. Know next to nothing about Fournette, but if a RB is a playmaker, I have no problem taking him in the first. Their first round pick needs to be a playmaker, wherever he ends up playing. And I know RB is a position that is devalued in today’s NFL, but I think it’s reach a point of a market flaw. A playmaking RB can certainly make a difference for a young QB.

    I’m not crazy about a 1st round CB – that seems like a complete crapshoot, and I’m not sure Schwartz wants to prioritize the position, resource-wise. And I’m not a fan of the idea that the team *needs* a stud receiver – can’t think of too many recent SB winners that were built around stud receivers. A couple of good receivers is enough, so I’m not rooting for a WR at 14, though I won’t be devastated, either (also, what I’ve read says that the WR class is thin). Sounds like a bad draft for OL. They don’t need a DT there (unless they decide to move on from Logan, but if they do that, it would seem like they’re de-prioritizing the position). Obviously no on QB or S. That leaves DE, RB, TE (which would seem to be a dumb pick at 14, but I’d love to see a 5th spent on a blocking/possession receiver TE monster as a project to replace Celek) or LB (which would probably disappoint me on the level of a WR).

    If a good DE is there, that seems best. But if there is a stud RB available at 14, I’ll be fine with it.

  47. 47 D3FB said at 8:06 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    I could live with Cook. Fournette just dictates too much of what you have to do offensively for me to be in to it.

  48. 48 Insomniac said at 5:58 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    We’re going to have to replace Kelce and Barbre eventually right?

  49. 49 D3FB said at 8:05 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    DE or CB.

  50. 50 Sb2bowl said at 7:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Who’s the kid from Toledo- Kareem Hunt? Seems like some interesting options in rounds 3-4 (kid from OK seems like a possibility as well).

    The more I look at this draft, the more it seems like linemen will be over drafted (both OL and DL). RB, CB, and WR will all have options further down the board. LB and EDGE rushers (3-4 OLD and 4-3 END) have deep potential as well.

  51. 51 PacificPurl said at 3:52 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Big strong physical guys. Big people beat up little people. What’s the difference? Also, are you saying there has been more than 1 head coach who traded away good players in order to strengthen or rebuild an NFL team? Absolutely astonishing!!

  52. 52 Media Mike said at 5:29 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’m looking forward to seeing how this off-season goes.

    For the draft – I’m hopeful that Douglas will ID the best prospects to draft and Howie will go about acquiring them with the appropriate valuation attached to the pick.

    For free agency – I hope they can upgrade a starter or two while also improving the back end of this roster as well. We needs guys a lot more talented than Watkins or Barner coming in to play when our real players miss time.

  53. 53 Dragon_Eagle said at 6:38 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    While its natural to focus on fixing the holes at the starter positions (CB, WR, OL), a large part of our issues this past season was lack of depth. We have very little depth across the board, which makes us like the Washington teams of 5-10 years ago. Start well, suffer a few injuries and then things fall apart around mid-season.

    We need to acquire depth at a number of positions in addition to plugging holes. Thus, the evaluation of this upcoming offseason should look at how we do with our picks in rounds 4 through 7. We have 5 picks there including an extra 5th. If Howie, Doug & Joe find us a bunch of backups/contributors from that group – they did a good job. Plus of course we hope the don’t bust on the 1st rounder and get us some decent players with the two 3rd rounders, but we need to hit on more than just two of our top 3 picks. We need depth.

  54. 54 Tumtum said at 6:57 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    The thing that infuriates me most about Chip’s time here is his inability to work with Howie, and Howie’s players. Sure the new regime couldn’t work with Rowe, some casualties can be expected (as sad and surprised we all were it was Rowe). Chip moved away from guys that actually WORKED very well in his system.

    In the wake of the dream team, that Andy was ultimately responsible for, Howie had begun a very solid rebuild of the roster. He seemingly tracked down the right players for Chip in 2013, and had a pretty solid draft. Chip’s influence just continued to grow and the mark on the roster was clear.

    Now that we are heading into the 2nd season of Howie control, I really am left wondering where this roster would be without a 2 year layoff. Even if you give 14′ a 50/50 split between Howie and Chip, you must admit the moves would of been different were Howie’s call absolute.

    I know many of you hate Howie and have no faith in him. He is the one guy I really do have faith in within the org at this point. Wentz withstanding of course :). Speaking of which, at this point, even if Wentz fails I think it is pretty clear that the beautiful dance of trading done in order to get that guy, the evaluation done of the guy, and the ability to recover from the cost, are about the best bit of GMing I have ever seen. Sure Wentz could fail, no one ever said that wasn’t possible. I would think most evaluators think even more highly of Wentz now than they did in April.

  55. 55 Fufina said at 8:25 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think Howie is a decent GM. He hasn’t shown any greatness (but there are not many Schneider’s/Newsome’s in the NFL). He is a great deal maker both in making trades and getting contracts and free agents signed. He has batted for average in the draft (fans/media understanding of draft hit rate in the NFL is bonkers – no team consistently gets 3-4 starters every year) and arguably has done the same in free agency.

    He has failed to deliver a franchise QB until now (hopefully) and in my opinion has been too short sited in some moves looking for instant success rather than longer term building.

    The only area where i have significant concern is his ability to lead the organisation – there has been far to much conflict and smoke while he has been around the team in senior roles and that has to stop if we are going to build long term success.

  56. 56 Tumtum said at 8:39 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Good stuff. Can’t fault you for your concerns, while I do not share them.

    Just curious which moves your thought were short sited?

  57. 57 Fufina said at 8:56 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Rather than a specific moves, its more a theme where his focus has tended to be each offseason has been to come in and fill every hole on the roster so we can compete, rather than just trying to get the best long term talent – take 2016 free agency.

    I really liked the 2016 big money free agent signings with McLeod and Brooks – young 1st contract players who had good production but had room to grow and you did not have to pay elite player premiums.

    But i would have preferred for Howie to not splurge as much on bringing the raft of ageing lower tier roster filler he did last year. McKelvin/Brooks/Bradham (who has been good)/Tulloch/Carrol etc were not going to be the solution on a long term contending team due to their age and limited skills.

    I would have spent that money on a better 2nd contract corner, and left the rest of the roster spots to be filled by young players. Results might have been worse in the short term – but there is a chance one of those younger guys thrived and is a piece for the future and we would not be looking to be filling 2 outside corner spots for the 2nd year running in 2017.

  58. 58 Tumtum said at 10:13 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Well you already know my question. Which 2nd contract corner? Were there good options available to us?

  59. 59 Fufina said at 10:41 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    The easy answer is Jenkins (but he ended up getting paid way more than i expected), but Casey Heyward was a steal for the chargers and has been really good. Stirling Moore and Claiborne where youngerprojects who got smaller contracts who are younger and with higher upside as well.

  60. 60 Bert's Bells said at 10:53 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    A lot of those older guys are players Schwartz wanted. A GM has to give his coaches those, especially when installing a new scheme.

  61. 61 kajomo said at 9:31 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I wonder how many of those short sighted moves were influenced by the owner. If he expect to comepete in a given year and you have holes then you get some stop gaps. It seems like the entire organization is in build mode now and willing to be a little more patient.

  62. 62 meteorologist said at 9:39 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    “he hasn’t shown any greatness…”
    Next sentence: “he is a great deal maker”

  63. 63 Fufina said at 9:54 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    He has not been great as the entire package – he hasn’t built a winning playoff roster nor had any monster drafts.

    He is a great deal maker but that in of itself does not make him a great GM if that makes sense.

  64. 64 Mac said at 10:34 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I disagree. His deal making ability is elite. Say what you want about his ability to scout talent… (an aspect of being a GM that he should have the most help with). But I think landing the 2nd pick in the draft and recouping us a 1st rounder this year is pretty phenomenal.

  65. 65 RobNE said at 11:02 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I like him because in the recent past in Phila, we have seen some really bad managements (Sixers, Phillies, I know less about Flyers but I think them too). So looking around the leagues, I truly think a fair amount of GM’s are fair to bad. So sure I want Belicheck or Ozzie, but having someone who does a (trades?) really well, and another aspect kind of well, and could use better help and/or luck in drafting (though some years hard to tell who was making the picks), and understands cap management (looking at you Chip), when I add all that up I think we are pretty lucky. Because there is more downside to where I put Howie on the spectrum of GM’s. I mean, with the Sixers and Phillies recently I actively tried to NOT follow them until changes were made, that’s how frustrated and hopeless I had become.

  66. 66 daveH said at 7:56 AM on January 5th, 2017:

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  67. 67 Dave said at 8:28 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    This website sucks on mobile with no add blockers.

  68. 68 Tumtum said at 10:46 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    If you have on add blocker I hope you donate regularly!

  69. 69 daveH said at 10:51 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Laffing out loud !

  70. 70 A Roy said at 8:30 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    But how does honey boo boo look today? Is it jaw dropping?

  71. 71 daveH said at 10:52 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    How did those 2 asian girls disrupt the industry? ? Way too scared to click on that

  72. 72 A Roy said at 11:13 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think that disruption was the shocking cause of Angelina and Brad’s divorce, too.

  73. 73 Fufina said at 9:20 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Stay or Go game – Position Coach Edition – Offence

    Senior coaches are all seemingly staying outside of any HC/OC offers that they get, but normally there is some turn over with position coaches after 1 year – so lets play the Stay or Go game.

    These are my opinions

    John DeFilippo – Quarterbacks Coach – Stay – Wentz has been great for a rookie in his situation and development, lets keep the whisper team together.

    Justin Peelle -Tight Ends Coach – Stay – Most of Ertz’s issues were really Wentz issues early.

    Duce Staley – Running Backs Coach – Stay – Young RB’s improved, would like to see him work with some premium young talent.

    Jeff Stoutland – Offensive Line Coach – Stay – Young draft picks improved game by game and team held together while shuffling OL every week mid season – good coach.

    Greg Lewis – Wide Receivers Coach – GO! – No where near enough coaching experience, and has seen a group of young high draft picks Agholor/DGB/Matthews/Huff show no improvement. Maybe its all the players but i am not willing to take that risk – find someone who is let go in all the coaching staff firings with a proven track record of developing young WR’s.

  74. 74 RobNE said at 9:43 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    And part of Ags problems with being too far off the line are ultimately the position coaches’ fault too.

  75. 75 Fufina said at 9:57 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I had beached that from my mind – I cannot remember a more frustrating position group in my Eagles fandom than our 2016 WR. At least under Andy we knew our LB’s would suck because we never invested in the position, same with our CB’s recently. Maybe the ‘Dream Team’ CB group was frustratingly awful for their talent level as well, but they had some good moments still… this WR group not so much.

  76. 76 Tumtum said at 10:42 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    The 2016 DL was more frustrating for me than the WR. No one expected a good WR group.

  77. 77 RobNE said at 10:56 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I can stomach physical mistakes (could just be lack of talent) more easily than being behind the line BS. I saw Greg screaming at him afterwards but the time to emphasize it is before the mistake. Or after the same mistake last year.

    Not that this means he necessarily should be gone.

  78. 78 eagleyankfan said at 1:26 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Amen to Greg Lewis. Shouldn’t someone, somewhere be responsible for all those offensive penalties all season long?

  79. 79 Fufina said at 9:33 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Stay or Go game – Defence Position Coach Edition:

    Tim Hauck – Safeties Coach – Stay – Had an elite Safety pair with Jenkins/McLeod and developed Watkins enough that we could play Jenkins as the slot CB most of the 2nd half of the year.

    Ken Flajole – Linebackers Coach – on the fence – Hicks continued to develop but struggled to get Kendricks ready to be on the field. If Schwartz like him stay – otherwise go.

    Cory Undlin – Defensive Backs Coach – on the fence – Kept his job partially for developing Rowe, but then couldn’t get him to work in this scheme at all, developed Mills, but unit was really poor and got worse during the year even if given marginal talent. Eagles are going to invest $$ and draft picks at CB this offseason… I would have his position under the microscope.

    Chris Wilson – Defensive Line Coach – GO! – DL got worse during the year, could not get anything out of Curry or Barwin both who have proven NFL production. Has never coached at the NFL level before and with the importance of the position and the resources the Eagles have there – go find a better DL coach.

  80. 80 Gary Barnes said at 10:20 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Good stuff. I think the most likely to go is Reich if he gets offered a HC job.

  81. 81 Iskar36 said at 10:49 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Honestly, with all due respect, while I understand as a fan this is the most accessible way to judge position coaches, I find it fairly useless. Judging coaches based on the production level of their players is an incredibly indirect way to judge them. It relies on scouts rating players correctly, GMs picking the right talent, the head coach and coordinators picking the right schemes, and the players executing what a coach is asking for.

    As an example, David Culley was a WR coach that fans used to absolutely hate. He was given high draft picks at WR that never developed, then all of a sudden DeSean and Maclin became quality WRs and the complaints stopped. Meanwhile, around the league, he was well respected, often running WR drills at the NFL combine, which to me suggests he was viewed as a good coach. I’m not sure if one view was right and one view was wrong, but to me, it seems like the coaches themselves have way more information to judge a positional coach than we do as fans.

    I think some of these position coaches may very well be over or under rated, but using the success of the players in one single season seems to me like a very indirect way of measuring that.

    Cory Undlin is one example in this group that I would lean (again, with limited information) to wanting to keep given that he was a coach specifically held over from the CK years. Seems to me the coaches view him very favorably, therefore a single season of poor production from the players, especially given the fact that we knew the talent was marginal, doesn’t seem to be a valuable data point.

  82. 82 A_T_G said at 10:56 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Very true…but it is a long offseason. I think working from the premise that our opinions do not, and should not, factor into the actual decisions it is a pretty harmless exercise.

  83. 83 Iskar36 said at 10:58 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Oh sure. I’m not arguing that it can’t be discussed. I’m simply adding my own discussion points.

  84. 84 Bert's Bells said at 11:12 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    So you’re saying fire all the scouts, the GM and the coordinators.

  85. 85 Fufina said at 11:14 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I don’t disagree – its really hard to come to firm conclusions without being in the room. I think we have to upgrade at WR and DL coaching wise – both guys lack NFL experience and their units layed eggs in year 1. Outside of that i think you evaluate what they are doing internally and make a choice from there. Cory Undlin has a good record in Denver and has done good things here, so i would be willing to give him a chance for sure.

  86. 86 A_T_G said at 11:04 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Similar to what Iskar said, rookie development in a single year is a pretty tough metric because you don’t have a baseline of what he would have done. Veteran growth or regression seem to be more reliable, especially when multiple veterans move the same way.

    Using that thinking,
    Wilson should be on the outside looking in, just like he was on Home Improvement.
    Undlin I can live with, guys have surprised us with their competence, or turned out to be who we thought they were. Rowe seems like there was something else going on.
    Flajole is good in my book. Hicks is a stud, Bradham was a nice surprise. Goode is a solid backup and Kendricks is still Kendricking.
    Hauck is the star of the group, giving us some of the best safeties in the league.

  87. 87 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:01 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    A)the more coaching stability the Better a year after a coaching overhaul

    B) how ćan fans judge position coaches?

  88. 88 ACViking said at 1:05 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    “how ćan fans judge position coaches?”
    ______________

    If you’re suggesting fans don’t know jack about Ass’t Coaches . . .

    Then that’s just too funny.

    You spent two years on this blog demanding the Eagles fire WR Coach Bob Bicknell.

  89. 89 Gary Barnes said at 10:17 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    My skepticism about Roseman is well known, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he does (instead of what he says). I wish him all the best and sincerely hope he, Douglas, Pederson et al. have an effective plan to turn us into a sustainable contender.

  90. 90 Dave said at 11:43 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    One thing not mentioned with the Joe Douglas influence is Baltimore’s long history of cashing in on compensatory picks. Howie is the antithesis of this thinking.

    Theoretically, Bennie alone could fetch the Eagles a 3rd round pick in 2018.

  91. 91 Fufina said at 11:59 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    If we signed no one… which is unlikely. need 3-4 good draft classes in a row so you are letting 2nd tier players walk in FA and be spending your $$ on resigning your own guys before you can start farming comp picks.

  92. 92 Dave said at 12:18 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    My understanding are that comp picks are determined based on contract value and # of players lost/signed.

  93. 93 Fufina said at 12:26 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    So first thing is number of players lost/signed (does not include cuts). If you sign 2 guys for $2mil and 2 people leave in free agency for $15mil each you get no comp picks.

    If you loose more players than you gain in free agency, they try and match salaries as closely as possible and the remaining unmatched players get awarded comp picks on the basis of the size of contracts signed by the opposition.

    Generally to generate comp picks the most important thing is developing lots of roll players during their first contracts, who then go get signed by other teams giving you 2-3 players leaving each year. Eagles actually have some guys like that longer term for 2018 and onwards like Beau Allen, Tolbin, Marcus Smith who could well actually award us some comp picks that year.

  94. 94 anon said at 12:34 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Player development is something we haven’t been great at

  95. 95 Dave said at 3:09 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    If anyone is interested, Over the Cap has a nice writeup on the formula:

    http://overthecap.com/the-basics-and-methodology-of-projecting-the-nfls-compensatory-draft-picks/

  96. 96 Sb2bowl said at 6:56 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yes, correct.

    This is quite a long piece, but it’s pretty exhaustive in scope regarding NFL compensatory selections.

    http://overthecap.com/the-basics-and-methodology-of-projecting-the-nfls-compensatory-draft-picks/

    Never mind- just saw someone posted below. Sorry for the redundancy redundancy

  97. 97 Dave said at 7:12 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Lol, I posted it.

  98. 98 Sb2bowl said at 7:41 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I know. Couldn’t figure out how to delete the comment so I left it alone to look like an idiot.

  99. 99 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:01 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yeah but Roseman has been such a cap wizard that we have never had to lose any of the quality players we drafted.
    .
    Then again, one could argue that maybe we haven’t drafted well enough to find ourselves in a position where we couldn’t retain the studs we drafted and developed.
    .
    It’s probably a little bit of both. But I don’t see Us losing Bennie logan yet. I look around and I don’t see a roster pvercrowded with so much high end talent that we have to make hard decisons like losing Bennie. I just don’t see it, he is one of Howies best pivks and extremely valuable. HOWIE hasnt even started his cap gynamistics yet. He will find the money, I think we are also lucky that Logan isn’t really known as one of the pass rushing DT’s which shpuld keep him from getting even close to Fletcher Cox type money
    ..
    But i sure hope that one day we will have drafted so well. Stacking up so much talent that we have to lose quality talemt like Logan. Hopefully Douglas is the man that will get us there, but we aren’t there yet

  100. 100 Fufina said at 12:18 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Thing with Logan is we will have no problem squeezing him under the cap, and honestly who do we have to sign from the 2014 class outside of extending Matthews (who should be a mid tier contract)?

    After that by 2018 we will be in a different situation cap wise – Peters is probably retiring, Celek is probably done by then, as is Sproles. Curry either improves or is cut as is Kendricks, as well as maybe moving on from Kelce and Chase Daniels. We could easily have $50+ mil in space in 2018 making any Logan extension really not a problem at all, as well as 1-2 free agent signings in 2017.

  101. 101 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:39 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yeah man, I dont think we need to worry about losing one of our best DL which is the strength we plan on building our Defense around. There are like 40 players we would get rid of before losing logan
    ..
    You don’t even have to breakdown the cap, just look at the roster. Does this look like a roster with so much talent that we have to lose one of our best young defenders? Of course not. Just look at Seatle. They can pay Wilson 100mil, pay Bennett, Avril, Sherman, Kam, Earl, KJ, Wagz, Jimmy smith, Baldwin… And we can’t pay Logan?
    ..
    HOWIE made it crystal clear he is building for the future. He would cut 5 veterans before he lets one of our best young players get away.

  102. 102 Gian GEAGLE said at 11:52 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think Roseman is smart enough to learn from mistakes and im sure he realizes that his entire NFL future hangs in the balance of the job he does with the Eagles the next couple of years, if he doesn’t build a contender he may never work in the NFL again, certainly not as a GM.
    .
    With that said, roseman is in charge of everything. He Is responsible for the success/failure of this team. he is welcome to listen to Joe Douglas, or he can ignore his advice but all that matters is will roseman get the job done or not. If we,fail because Douglas gave Roseman bad advice, that falls on Roseman, and if we succeed because he listened to Douglas. Roseman will also share in the credit.
    .
    A Major part of Howie’s job is to know when to delegate to his employees, knowing when to listen To their advice, when to ignore their advice. He got to hire his staff, he can listen to them, he can ignore them, I don’t really care. He is responsible for the results, how we get there is trivial.
    ..
    Poïnt blank HOWIE hasn’t done a good enough job. Fortunately no one is the same person they were 10 years ago. HOWIE has had a ton of experience to learn and grow from. He has had some real strengths as a GM like his mastering of the cap. Wizard with contracts, One of the best At getting trades done. This is his chance to prove that he has learned and grew in the areas where he is weak to finally put it all together and get the job done
    .
    It’s howie responsibly to improve on his weakness, or to recognize them and hire someone you can trust that can compensate for those weaknesses. Joe Douglas sure looks qualified, hopefully he proves to be the missing ingredient for Hpwie to get this job done!

  103. 103 jeff said at 11:53 AM on January 5th, 2017:

    Hi Tommy, when was the last time the Eagles beat 4 11 win teams in one year? Has any losing team ever done this?

  104. 104 anon said at 12:31 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Ironic we get credit for beating the Sanchez led cowboys

  105. 105 MattE said at 1:32 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    3.5 lol

  106. 106 Jamie Parker said at 10:18 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    A win is a win and they won 13 games.

  107. 107 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:19 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Think our cap troubles are exaggerated. It’s one of the few things our GM is exceptional at. He hasn’t even started any of his cap gymnastics yet. Between restructuring contracts, cutting players, trades, I think we will be just fine once roseman rolls up his sleeves and goes to work on our cap
    .
    This is a very exciting time, we have two young franchise cornerstones (cox/Wentz) to build around. We have a salary Cap Wizard and we are handing him the most valuable asset there is from a roster building/cap management stand point, aka the ultimate salary cap advantage….. A Franchise QB on a rookie contract for the next 3 or 4 years, we have a nice window to try and contend before we have to pay Wentz. Finding a franchise QB is amazing enough, but to find one with years left on a rookie contracts is the holy grail in the salary cap era
    .
    Very excited to see what Roseman will do this offseason, he has a lot of work to do but there are a nice amount of players he can cut, trade or restructure.
    ..
    I think worrying about losing Logan is crazy talk. We Do Not have a roster that has so much talent that we can’t retain one of our best young players, like Roseman said, we need to add talent, we aren’t in a positipn to.lose talemt
    ..
    Also seems like the New HOWIE, or Roseman 2.0 has made an effort to be honest when he can, and I think he has made it clear that he wants Logan and Jason Peters back with the team next year, and I expect Roseman to get it done and retain Logan….. We NEED to add talent to our DL rotation, subtracting from it would be crazy, especially when there are some DEs we can get rid of before losing Logan

  108. 108 Fufina said at 12:31 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    We are a little squeezed in the short term in 2017 because we still have a 3-4 players on good salaries heading towards the end of their careers. But we will loose Peters/Celek/Sproles over the next 2 years, as well as moving on from people like Mathews/Barwin/McKelvin, and maybe Kelce/Curry/Kendricks.

    Could easily make moves to have $50+mil in caps space in 2018 meaning there really are no problems keeping and signing whoever we want in 2017 within reason.

  109. 109 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:54 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Howie made it clear we are building for the future around Wentz and Cox. We would cut 10 veterans before losing a young building block like Logan, Hicks or mathews.
    .
    Kendricks
    Tulloch
    Wis
    Barbie doll
    Leodis
    Ryan Mathews
    Celek
    Kelce
    Peters
    Sproles
    Nolan
    Chase Daniel
    Barwin

    We will cut half the roster before we łet Logan walk

  110. 110 anon said at 1:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Howie’s done a total 180 from his press conferences at the beginning of the season. Maybe he stays employed bc he does what the owner says he should do.

  111. 111 P_P_K said at 12:57 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Props, Tommy, very well written piece.

  112. 112 anon said at 1:00 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    “Redskins fired DC Joe Barry. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports the Redskins have also parted ways with the “entire defensive staff.” Roto. Could be an opportunity to pick off a couple of Skins defenders.

  113. 113 eagleyankfan said at 1:16 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Contracts are still in place. Redskins will still want to field a defense next year. Going out on a limb but I’d imagine they would want to evaluate what they have, figure out who are/aren’t scheme fit and look at potential free agents. Just like any other team, every year. how is there potential to “pick off Skins defenders”?

  114. 114 A Roy said at 1:20 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Some may not fit scheme of new staff…

  115. 115 eagleyankfan said at 1:28 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    so basically — status quo for any defensive team that makes changes(which happens every single year)

  116. 116 A Roy said at 1:36 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Maybe a couple more than most available, given that 2/3+ of the league retains the same scheme from year to year. Fire sale if they go from the 3-4 Under to a 4-3, although they expect at this time to go to 1-gapping 3-4.

  117. 117 A_T_G said at 2:03 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I agree that instability and change may shake loose a few quality players (there have been a few examples of that around here recently), but if they have a fire sale on 3-4 defenders, I don’t think we should be buying.

  118. 118 Mac said at 2:42 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Unless it’s Ryan Kerrigan.

  119. 119 Sb2bowl said at 6:53 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I liked Barry for a while; not sure what happened to him over the years but he was a solid hire for a while.

  120. 120 Corry said at 1:26 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles denied the Jets permission to interview DeFilippo for the open OC spot.

  121. 121 Bert's Bells said at 1:39 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Looks like someone will be getting a big raise from Lurie.

  122. 122 Corry said at 1:51 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Fufina makes a good point above. The Eagles may be denying permission because Flip wasn’t interested anyways. I’m not sure that’s a situation I’d want to jump into even if I was looking to move up (which I think most position coaches are).

  123. 123 Fufina said at 1:40 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I always wonder with this if sometimes the team takes one for the coach. Jets OC is not a great position to have in 2017 – you need to make the playoffs next year or the staff is getting fired in a division with the Patriots, no QB solution and bunch of QB projects you are expected to magically fix, with little other special play makers on the offensive side.

    If i was a QB coach with Wentz i would be tempted to wait and see if he can take a step forward next year and then i could have the pick of the OC or maybe a HC coach as a “QB whisperer”.

  124. 124 Nailed It! said at 1:59 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Absolutely they do. I bet DeFillipo was uninterested in the Jets job and the Eagles just said they would block the Jets from the interview. Amy Trask just said the same thing on twitter, it happened allot with the Raiders when she was working for them.

  125. 125 laeagle said at 2:27 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Amy Trask, former GM of the Raiders, said that this is exactly what happens.

    https://twitter.com/amytrask/status/817076365178466306

  126. 126 Mac said at 2:40 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Who wouldn’t want to gamble their life’s work with an organization like the J-E-T-S Jest Jest Jest.

  127. 127 A Roy said at 1:40 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    My guess is he’s insurance in case Reich goes to Buffalo (or other.)

  128. 128 Ryan Rambo said at 1:41 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Good!

  129. 129 scratcherk said at 1:42 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Isnt it a upgrade from QB coach to OC? I thought teams arent allowed to deny those?

  130. 130 kajomo said at 2:44 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Can’t block a HC interview. Anything below that can be blocked.

    Selfishly Is glad they blocked it, but its kind of a douche move in my book

  131. 131 Ryan Rambo said at 4:05 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yes. Like someone mentioned, I’m sure Lurie made it ok with $$$$$.

  132. 132 eagleyankfan said at 1:32 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    what a great article. Scout explaining about that(eventual bust) player is like me trying to explaining my thoughts about Pederson. Gut feeling. But hope I’m wrong. Glad the word “building” was thrown around. Wish he would have said that in the spring — would have saved a lot of “we’re not rebuilding, we’re contending this year” stuff. Direction seems clear. Keep ship pointed in the right direction. Year or so down the road we should see the positive results. Exciting times for sure.

  133. 133 Bert's Bells said at 1:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    The rest of the NFC East was more responsible for lack-of-contention than anything Pederson did or didn’t do.

    9 months ago everyone thought the Eagles had a slugger’s chance in a weak division. Why not aim to win it?

  134. 134 Mac said at 2:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    In my head, I upped the odds with Romo’s early injury… That didn’t work out.

  135. 135 eagleyankfan said at 9:54 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    you don’t aim to win it because then you incorporate 2 goals that go against each other. You can’t say “our plan is to rebuild” then say — oh we won a few games “now, let’s try and compete”…you just lost your focus of building.
    ….
    When you rebuild, you rebuild. If you win some games, that’s a bonus and builds character(etc) but you don’t switch gears and say “let’s go for it”. Fans fell into that trap — the front office didn’t(thank goodness). Weak or strong division — focus has to be maintained…
    ….
    9 months ago fans were saying — Dallas/Giants/Wash are all weak. Almost all 3 made the playoffs. Sounds like everyone was wrong on that account…

  136. 136 Bert's Bells said at 11:01 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    They’re not mutually exclusive. Teams can compete in weak division while rebuilding their roster.

    What, you want Lurie and Roseman to come out and say “we’re just phoning it in this year to develop talent”?

  137. 137 Rellihcs said at 6:21 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Verdict – don’t listen to coach or GM media speak… ever…

  138. 138 scratcherk said at 1:41 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Is there a chance Fournette slips to 14/15 given his issues this past year?

  139. 139 Fufina said at 1:49 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Absolutely, think there is a good chance Cook is there as well due to off field things and injury history. Fournette is going to not be to the taste of a lot of teams/coaches due to his style of running. He is a physical freak but it is rare to see a physical runner go top 10 in the modern NFL.

  140. 140 Mac said at 2:36 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’ve had my fill of injury history RBs with the current stint with Mathews.

  141. 141 kajomo said at 2:43 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Difference is Cook plays through his injuries. He struggled with a hamstring injury most of 2015 and he still dominated. Matthews who have missed a bunch of games. Kendricks would have retired

  142. 142 Mac said at 2:47 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    +1 for the Kendricks joke.

    I was excited about Jack Ikegwuonu and Cornelious Ingram, but that was due to their talent level and mid round draft status. Those risks I liked.

    Andre Johnson is no joke, he lost a few seasons to hamstring injuries. When that muscle talks, it can be hard to ignore.

  143. 143 daveH said at 5:05 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Ingram one of the saddest ill say tragic situation ever … gave it all to his college and no knee left for but a meager whif of the nfl

  144. 144 daveH said at 5:06 PM on January 5th, 2017:

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  145. 145 ACViking said at 2:08 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I don’t like Fournette or Cook in the first half of Rd 1 for one reason.

    While they have power and speed . . .

    they’re not nifty runners in the hole.
    _______________

    When Jimmy Johnson was asked why he drafted Emmitt Smith, who’d run a poor 40 (4.6+), Johnson responded in substance:

    He’s very nifty hitting the hole and all I ever saw was the back of his jersey, because he was breaking long runs.
    _______________

    So who’s nifty?

    LeSean McCoy is extremely nifty.

    Ezekiel Elliott is damned nifty.

    APeterson has nift.
    ________________

    Doesn’t mean Fournette and Cook won’t be great.
    Both are fast. Quick. Powerful (w/ Fournette more so).

    And I’ll be the first to admit I’m no football scout.

    But if the Eagles are gonna take a RB with a high pick, I’d like them to draft a runner with nift.

  146. 146 Fufina said at 2:25 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    While i agree Fournette is not a ‘nifty’ back… Cook i am not sure how you could come to the conclusion he is isnt. While he does not have the sudden cuts of a McCoy (but then who does), he is a very agile runner easily equal to Elliott.

  147. 147 Dave said at 4:15 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Fournette reminds me of Trent Richardson when I rewatch his Alabama highlights. Runs hard through the hole and runs through people more so than making people miss.

  148. 148 Rellihcs said at 6:19 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yeah, and great NFL career for trent..

  149. 149 Insomniac said at 6:33 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Ceiling – Adrian Peterson
    Floor – Trent Richardson

    Terrifies you both ways doesn’t it?

  150. 150 laeagle said at 6:50 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    But does he have a punishment room like AP?

  151. 151 Insomniac said at 7:07 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I hope not.

  152. 152 kajomo said at 2:41 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Give Fournette a top OL and he is Bo jackson. He needs to head of steam to get going.

    I could no disagree more about Cook. He creates for himself. He is patient, sets up blocks, and has good vision. Cook is everything people pretend Mcaffery is. If Cook is there when we pick he is likely far and away the BPA.

  153. 153 scratcherk said at 3:27 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I dunno, for a guy his size he sure seems to have pretty good “nift”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MKKnCz8OSc&t=272s

  154. 154 laeagle said at 5:15 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Wow. That’s the first I’ve seen of his highlights. That guy is no joke. Speed and power. REALLY great speed. Violent with defenders.

    Sad that based on 3 passes in that reel, he, like Cook, would become our best receiver.

    I would not at all be sad if Fournette is the pick. Just as much of a difference maker as Cook, just in a different way. I know that we all talk about how Pederson needs his Westbrook, and that passing is so important for one of his RBs, but I’m not sure if that’s relevant. If you look at the guys in KC, and you look at who we had here, it’s sort of important, but the only guy we had remotely close to Westbrook was Sproles, who is more of a situational, classic 3rd down back in this offense (he was starting mainly because of injuries). Mathews wasn’t an elite passing weapon by any stretch. I think if you really look at the way this running game is designed, and look at what happened in KC, Fournette may actually fit better than Cook. I think we might be getting too caught up in the “Pederson is 2000s Andy” thing and not looking at what’s actually in front of us.

    There are going to be some good damn players available to us when we pick, that’s for sure.

  155. 155 Insomniac said at 6:07 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    To add to your point

    Jamaal Charles – speedy, can catch, not the best blocker
    Spencer Ware – power runner, not the best catcher, used to be a FB
    Chancellor West – pretty much their version of Smallwood

  156. 156 daveH said at 5:01 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Was Mathews nifty..
    And was DeMasrco Murray ?

  157. 157 daveH said at 5:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Was Ryan Mathews nifty..
    And was Demarco Murray nifty ?
    I like the idea of nift ..

  158. 158 A_T_G said at 5:11 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think they need to add a branch to the spider chart for nift.

  159. 159 daveH said at 7:55 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Was Casey Matthews nifty ??

  160. 160 Rellihcs said at 6:18 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    To me Fournette has zero nift, but Cook, has nift to spare… just sayin…

  161. 161 Insomniac said at 6:23 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Fournette doesn’t have much nift in the backfield but I think he’s on the same level as AP. Cook has plenty of nift.

    Looking at the playoff teams right now, there’s not many speedy and nifty RBs starting for them. In fact most of them are N-S runners that are pretty big.

    N-S runners

    Chiefs – Spencer Ware
    Patriots – Legarette Blount
    Raiders – Latavius Murray
    Dolphins – Jay Ajayi
    Lions – Zach Zenner
    Giants – Rashad Jennings

    All-around guys

    Steelers – Leveon Bell
    Texans – Lamar Miller
    Falcons – Devonta Freeman

    Packers? They have RBs?

  162. 162 jshort said at 9:11 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Then I hope they pick the OJ and not the Keyes.

  163. 163 Jamie Parker said at 11:17 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Do you take a chance on Joe Mixon, who I’m sure will drop a few rounds?

  164. 164 scratcherk said at 3:31 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I do think there will be a Zeke effect this year and RBs go higher than they should.

  165. 165 Mac said at 3:40 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    That’d be great.

  166. 166 Iskar36 said at 3:57 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Why? We are part of the group that will likely want a RB. If they get over valued, we will have to spend an earlier pick.

  167. 167 A_T_G said at 4:54 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I was wondering the same thing. The rational side of me says no, these guys do so much research they can’t possibly be swayed by one successful outlier.

    But I would bet on yes.

  168. 168 anon said at 5:52 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    It’s really annoying to have to find running backs every year, i think. Lots of late round guys are only good for a year or two. Then you have guys like Zeke and the dude in pitts that look to be good year in year out.

  169. 169 Nailed It! said at 4:57 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    NFL announces: Cowboys DE Randy Gregory suspended at least one year for violating its drug policy.— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) January 5, 2017

  170. 170 Corry said at 5:11 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    That was quick. Must have celebrated his return with a joint.

  171. 171 Bert's Bells said at 5:12 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    He tested positive before his re-instatement. Was able to suit up for two weeks because of appeals.

  172. 172 Corry said at 5:37 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    That somehow makes it worse. Dude was suspended for drug use so he does it AGAIN while suspended??

  173. 173 Bert's Bells said at 5:53 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Smart though, he won’t have to worry about CTE when he’s out of the league in two years.

  174. 174 Bert's Bells said at 5:11 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Dallas has had enough good luck in the past two drafts, there has to be a little karma back at them.

  175. 175 laeagle said at 5:16 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    When he comes back in 2018, it will be like getting another first round pick. And since getting him in the 2nd was considered like getting a free first rounder by Dallas fans, that means Gregory was like getting two first round picks for one 2nd rounder. That’s bargain drafting.

  176. 176 Nailed It! said at 5:19 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’ve done the math and this checks out. 10/10 would draft again.

  177. 177 Greg Richards said at 5:18 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Jason LaCanfora reporting that Eagles are likely to make a few changes at the assistant coach level on both sides of ball. I think the most likely changes would be at WR coach, DL coach, and DBs coach. With LA firing its HCs and reportedly telling their assistants that they’re free to accept employment elsewhere, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Schwartz to push for bringing some of LA’s defensive guys aboard. He has past coaching history with Gregg Williams, Chuck Cecil, and Dave McGinnis,

  178. 178 Dave said at 5:32 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    You think Undlin is likely to get fired? I thought he was considered a good coach (based upon Malcolm Jenkins quotes last year).

  179. 179 Greg Richards said at 5:47 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    It’s really hard to tell how good a coach is from the outside. Based off his unit’s performance, he’s been a disappointment but the talent at CB is seriously lacking. While he seemed to have a good reputation in Denver, it was noteworthy that he did not go to Chicago with Fox or to Oakland with Jack Del Rio. I don’t know if that was because Fox/Del Rio didn’t want him or he saw a better opportunity(or more $) in Philly.

  180. 180 Sb2bowl said at 6:50 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think Lewis is safe as our WR coach going into next year; the higher draft pick guys didn’t perform well, but he got some usage out of Turner. I think they give him another year or two to get things right.

    I don’t think Undlin is going anywhere either, as he was a hold over from the last regime.

  181. 181 holeplug said at 7:17 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    couple things point to Lewis prob being a bad coach even with bad talent
    -DGB didn’t know the blocking rules when asked by reporters despite getting flagged for it multiple times this year.
    -it doesn’t look like they practice a scramble drill
    -Agholor somehow got worse

  182. 182 anon said at 7:37 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    All WRs regressed from CK’s time here

  183. 183 Sb2bowl said at 7:41 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    DGB (and forgive me for saying this) seems like the type of kid that you can tell the same thing to 10 times and they still won’t get it- now what that says about coaching, I don’t know.

    What’s a scramble drill? Lol. They practice it- all of the WR’s run together to assess whether this is a scramble scenario or not. Of course, by the time they come to this decision, Carson has already thrown the ball away.

    Yeah, I’m not sure about Ags. Seems like his head will keep him from ever becoming what he could be…….. good upbringing, intelligent, humble (perhaps this is his downfall?), hard worker. Just doesn’t have the “it” factor. Think Odell is going to admit that he’s lost confidence in himself? Nope! Those type of players thrive on adversity and the innate belief that no matter what, they will overcome. Ags doesn’t seem to have that trait.

    Perhaps when the Eagles need some former players to volunteer to build playgrounds and hang out with kids Ags will show his true potential. I want to like the guy, and I do, just not as a WR in the NFL at this point.

  184. 184 daveH said at 7:59 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    If DGB really is that stooooopit .. id like to build a talkshow around him …. call me

  185. 185 Sb2bowl said at 10:23 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    He certainly has potential; I’m starting to see why Tennessee was so willing to let him go

  186. 186 daveH said at 7:55 PM on January 6th, 2017:

    Im willing to tske the frustrating risk on him. … not Ags

  187. 187 Sb2bowl said at 10:35 AM on January 7th, 2017:

    Too bad we can’t make a hybrid DGAgsB clone. Ags work ethic and route running, DGB’s physical make up. We would have a decent WR.

    Problem is, both of them have a hard time catching the ball.

  188. 188 Dave said at 5:35 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I just logged on the site with my tablet. Discus is now putting ads in the middle of the comments section between posts. What’s next, constant pop-ups?

  189. 189 Corry said at 5:37 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I’m on my laptop and it’s doing the same for me.

  190. 190 daveH said at 7:57 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Who cares .. just tell me why brad & Angelina broke up

  191. 191 Rellihcs said at 6:15 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    No, next is ads remotely implanted into our retinas. God damn free market extremism.

  192. 192 Sean Stott said at 5:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Man, it’s really hard to judge a college RB. The best ones are so much better than 99% of their competition that they all just look good. Remember how amazing Reggie Bush looked?

  193. 193 Dave said at 5:42 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    In his defense, he just couldn’t stay healthy.

  194. 194 Rellihcs said at 6:14 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Or away from Sheldon Brown:)

  195. 195 Dave said at 6:20 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    “It was like running through a cardboard box. Seriously. Cardboard box.”

    https://31.media.tumblr.com/2fea5f5c714d71cee123ccdbfd46d112/tumblr_mxuwop4PDj1qhkbk8o1_400.gif

  196. 196 Rellihcs said at 6:22 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Thanks – I had a serious chuckle even though I already had brought it up. Nothing beats that visual. I might just sit here all night

  197. 197 Corry said at 6:40 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I still have the Sports Illustrated with that hit on the cover.

  198. 198 daveH said at 7:50 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    After that hit i thought we’d win … thats the only drawback ftom that

  199. 199 Corry said at 9:38 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Yeah Brown really set the tone for the defense…Unfortunately the defense didn’t get the message. That game was painful to watch from then on.

  200. 200 Sb2bowl said at 7:43 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I think that’s a football move, should have been a fumble and our ball.

  201. 201 SteveH said at 7:51 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I still can’t believe he came back in the game after that hit. He may have been a moderate bust as a player but I’ll never doubt his toughness.

  202. 202 daveH said at 7:53 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    100 x .. thanks that was nice

  203. 203 ChoTime said at 9:10 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    They both lost 3 IQ points from that hit.

  204. 204 Insomniac said at 6:00 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Great college players don’t pan out sometimes but that’s the chance you take for guys that could be transcendental.

  205. 205 daveH said at 7:51 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    USC guy right …

  206. 206 Bert's Bells said at 6:48 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Seeing Garcia lobby for the Niners gig, if there is a shake up in offensive coaching tree, I wouldn’t mind him added to the Eagles’ camp.

  207. 207 Dave said at 7:25 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    “Like my boy tells me: If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.”

    Terrell Owens, 2004

    Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much of an asshole TO was.

  208. 208 SteveH said at 7:49 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    If he is gay, having a playboy playmate as a girlfriend was major overcompensation. Maybe TO was just jealous lol.

  209. 209 Bert's Bells said at 10:05 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    I suspect TO is in the closet. He would have been an even greater player if the NFL wasn’t homophobic and he could live as a gay man.

  210. 210 D3FB said at 8:00 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    Garcia has publicly begged for alot of jobs. It’s weird and unbecoming. Go pay your dues, you’re a fairly big-name former player, you won’t be grinding for long.

  211. 211 Bert's Bells said at 11:02 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    Dude’s FIERY!

  212. 212 anon said at 7:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Redskins signed S Earl Wolff to a reserve/future contract.

  213. 213 Sb2bowl said at 7:42 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    The Eagles fan base will be howling over this……….

  214. 214 daveH said at 7:54 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Id love belichek to hire Chip and regret it by October and watch the pain. ..

  215. 215 Jamie Parker said at 11:02 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Brady would show him how to run an offense.

  216. 216 daveH said at 11:50 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    In the sense that Brady would squash it from the outset & say “i can run it … but i aint running that stuff”

  217. 217 Rellihcs said at 8:35 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    How much does Vaeo’s progress and impression on coaches impact the Logan approach?

  218. 218 Fufina said at 9:29 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    You need to be 4 deep at DT and Destiny while an interesting project with upside is far from the finished product and not a difference maker at this point. If Vaeao does break out over the next 2 years its not going to be a problem for the Eagles nor an issue to get him serious snaps.

    In the end why not keep both while Vaeao is on a cheap contract.

  219. 219 三五营销 said at 8:44 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    需要向博主学习的地方还有很多,很多,很多……

  220. 220 anon said at 10:16 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Will the skins try to get Wade Philips? I sure hope not.

  221. 221 Insomniac said at 10:57 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    Quick takes on PSU WR Chris Godwin who declared earlier. Watched his only available breakdowns (Michigan, Indiana, and Michigan State)

    Doesn’t have strong hands. He cannot complete difficult or contested catches with any consistency.
    Doesn’t get much separation.
    Blocking is very sloppy.
    Decent route runner
    Physical when the ball is in his hands.

    First impression? Probably a late round guy.

  222. 222 BobSmith77 said at 11:01 PM on January 5th, 2017:

    The people who were upset that Roseman didn’t say much of substance in the press conference are largely people who will find fault with whatever he does.

    I don’t expect him to say anything detailed at that press conference about what their specific perceived needs were. He answered the questions.

    The only thing that annoyed me was citing some of the offensive limitations on Kelly’s player moves (e.g., McCoy, Jackson). Even after Kelly got fired, he needled Kelly and threw barbs at him including last offseason. Beneath him especially given how things turned out & he won.

  223. 223 BobSmith77 said at 12:34 AM on January 6th, 2017:

    Had this debate with a friend tonight – If the Eagles had signed Boldin instead of the stiffs they did do the Eagles make the playoffs this year?

    Boldin is pedestrian at this point but still has solid hands & would have desperately given this team a 3rd down WR along with a legit red zone threat. Exactly the kind of WR that Wentz lacked the ability to lean on all year.

    I argued ‘yes’ and that this team would have finished 9-7 and been in the playoffs instead of the Lions.