More on Finding Talent
Posted: February 1st, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 159 Comments »Are the Eagles trying to put the best possible team on the field in 2017?
Yes. And no.
You always want a balance of youth and experience. This isn’t baseball, where a collection of free agents can come together quickly and play at a high level. Football is the ultimate team sport. Team chemistry is a real thing, and it is critical to winning. You must draft and develop talent so you have a core of players at the heart of your team. You can then add outside talent.
The need for the mixture of young and old talent means you won’t always have the best team on the field. You have to take a chance on young players. There is also the reality of the salary cap. You can’t pay big money to everyone.
I mentioned in the piece on WRs that the Eagles would prefer to add young talent. Some of you said the Eagles should forget about age and just sign the best players. I think the Eagles would be wise to focus on youth. The point in having a talented young QB is to build around him. You want Carson Wentz to spend several seasons playing with his receivers.
The Saints signed Drew Brees in 2006. He had third year WR Devery Henderson to stretch the field and 7th round rookie Marques Colston as his workhorse. Veteran Joe Horn was part of the mix, as well as third year player Terrance Copper. Rookie Lance Moore barely played. That was Horn’s last season with the Saints. Henderson, Colston, Moore and Copper were there for a few years. The Saints mixed in cheap veterans as role players when needed.
Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison from Day One. The Colts drafted Jerome Pathon that year as well. The next season they added Terrence Wilkins. In 2001 they drafted some guy named Reggie Wayne and Manning finally had a dynamic set of WRs. Pathon and Wilkins weren’t great, but they were effective role players. Harrison and Wayne were huge stars.
Seattle drafted Russell Wilson in 2012. Doug Baldwin was in his second year. The team signed UDFA Jermaine Kearse that season. Seattle spent a 2nd round pick on Paul Richardson in 2014 and a 3rd round pick on Tyler Lockett in 2015. They have now given Wilson a good corps of WRs.
The Eagles could try to draft and develop WRs this year, but it feels like the organization wants to add young players with some experience. That means going into free agency, but being choosy shoppers. Don’t go for names or reputations. Find young players that can help Wentz right away, but also can grow with him over the course of the next 3 to 4 years. Don’t fall into the trap of obsessing on 2017. Think big picture.
Some of you will go running for the hills, screaming about 5-year plans. No one is trying to put things off into the distant future. Jeffrey Lurie wants to win. Doug Pederson wants to win. Carson Wentz wants to win. Are the 2017 Eagles going to win the Super Bowl? It doesn’t seem likely. Hopefully they will move another step closer, but young QBs tend to need a few years to develop.
There is nothing wrong with adding an older player, but you don’t want to spend much money on that guy. Make him a role player, someone that can help the young QB develop. I always thought the presence of Antonio Freeman in 2002 helped Donovan McNabb become a better QB. He suddenly had a slot receiver that knew how to work the middle of the field and get open.
I would love to see the Eagles add a pair of free agent receivers and then draft one in the middle rounds as well. This isn’t about one guy, but rather building a WR corps. You already have a solid player in Jordan Matthews. You have to look at the rest of the current group as JAGs (just a guy) until they prove otherwise. Add in a couple of free agents and a solid rookie and you suddenly have a group with some potential.
Try to bring in young talent so Wentz can play with them for a while and build the kind of WR-QB chemistry that makes good offenses so tough to stop.
*****
While we look at free agents and draft prospects, we always have to remember that your own roster can be a big help in the team getting better from one year to the next. With that in mind, I wrote a piece for PE.com on the players on the current team who could make the Pro Bowl in the future.
Spoiler alert…Nelson Agholor isn’t on the list.
*****
Back to free agency for a minute. Jimmy Bama put together a list of some possible FA targets. He didn’t just go with WRs, but mentioned several positions.
Patrick DiMarco, FB, Falcons (6’1, 234)
During the 2016 season, Doug Pederson made it clear that he wants a fullback on his roster.
“Down the road, as we go, if we can develop a fullback at some point, we will do that,” he said. “We’re constantly looking at that position, not only around the National Football League, but on our roster.”
Last time around, we profiled Ravens FB Kyle Juszczyk. DiMarco isn’t the receiving threat that Juszczyk is. Over the last two seasons, Juszczyk has 78 catches for 587 yards and 4 TDs. DiMarco has just 20 receptions for 162 yards and 3 TDs over that same span. However, DiMarco is good run blocker, opening up holes for Davonte Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who combined to average 4.63 rushing yards this season.
DiMarco will be 28 in April.
Jimmy really thinks Pederson wants a FB. I think he would love that, but in the same sense that I would love to date a woman who appreciates the music of Jan Hammer. It is way, way, way down the list in terms of priorities.
My guess at Doug’s list:
QB
OL
WR
TE
RB
DL
CB
S
LB
STs
Jan Hammer CDs
Goofy blue shirts
Paul Turner football cards
Going for it on 4th downs
FB
Just a guess though…
_
[…] Tommy Lawlor Are the Eagles trying to put the best possible team on the field in 2017? Yes. And no. You always […]
Call me crazy, but Terrelle Pryor plus a mid-level free agent (Woods?) and a higher round WR would fix our receiving situation for the foreseeable future.
Okay. You’re crazy. But I concur, depending on Pryor’s mind-set and potential chemistry with CW.
You’re crazy. I don’t like Pryor at all.
I feel like the short track record of performance, his age (28 this summer), and the general feeling that he’s a dick will keep his price down. And god how many good WR’s are good people? Marvin Harrison killed a guy.
Harrison not being in jail is had to fathom.
Hey T-Law ive seen you say Football is the ultimate team sport a few times now. Just wondering if thats only in America you mean?
If you look up who the most successful team in the world is its not a Football team. That team that is no.1 is been dominating the world scene n setting the standard for years now too.
I think the time that Chip Kelly came on board Laurie actually had Graham Henry in for im guessing pick his brain. Professionalism, Winning as a habit, Culture, its all something eeryone grows up with. I mean pro players are as young as 17. So when people call the guys in the NFL age 20+ as still just kids i have to laugh.
Are you talking about hunting a hobo?
So, what sport are you talking about that’s more of a team sport than football? If you’re talking soccer, I’d say that isn’t close to being as much a team sport as football. Half the team (or more) is just standing around most of the time while the action is taking place at the other end of the field.
Women’s college basketball?
I think it’s team table tennis.
Context clues guys, come on.
Outside of the US and the most teamy sport? Curling.
Did you ever see the shooting guard sweeping the court clear in front of the point guard dribbling? Doubt it.
Haha mens BBall close. Its Rugby.
who doesn’t enjoy an exhilarating layup competition?
Soccer lol Nope they are top 10 though. Its Rugby.
Example of teamwork in rugby: you hold him, I hit him.
Its just hyperbole for explaining that every position and guy is rrally important. Wouldnt get too carried away.
ANOTHER quarterback? First?
In order of importance to Doug. Not draft order.
又是一年，祝博主要啥有啥想啥来啥总之不缺啥！
“The Saints signed Drew Brees in 2006. He had third year WR Devery Henderson to stretch the field and 7th round rookie Marques Colston as his workhorse. Veteran Joe Horn was part of the mix, as well as third year player Terrance Copper. Rookie Lance Moore barely played. That was Horn’s last season with the Saints. Henderson, Colston, Moore and Copper were there for a few years. The Saints mixed in cheap veterans as role players when needed.”
Ah, the 2006 Saints. Regular season game that ended turd Michael Lewis’s Eagles career for all intents in purposes. I’ve never seen such terrible safety “help” except for Nate Allen / Patrick Chung / Jaylin Watkins.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200610150nor.htm
Still not sure what happen to the Michael Lewis from 2003
Yeah, he totally lost his ability to diagnose plays. He was out of position constantly. That Saints game in 2006 was soooooooooooooo bad.
It was always interesting to create a defensive player in Madden (especially in the secondary) with an ‘awareness’ rating of <10.
More often that not, they would kind of just stand there and run around in circles.
Lewis had a rough end here but was really good for a time.
It was a shame. We chose 3 DBs in the first two rounds of 2002, and seemed to hit on all of them. You don’t expect a safety to wear down like a RB in 5 seasons.
Yeah, it was very odd how he dropped off.
Lewis was always a big hitting safety, that was his one elite attribute. He was always a bit stiff in coverage. Once they changed the rules and basically made the one thing he did exceptionally well illegal it was all down hill from there. That being said, I remember him just falling apart in coverage towards the end. Seemed like he didn’t even know what his responsibility was in coverage once he stopped being a heat seeking missile that decapitated WRs in the middle of the field. It was definitely weird. But, I really think it had to do with the shift in rules and him having to take on a different role that he wasn’t suited for.
Well if you want to add talent………………..
Round 1 Pick 20 (DEN): Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama (A-)
Round 2 Pick 11: Ethan Pocic, C/OG, LSU (A-)
Round 2 Pick 19 (DEN): Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State (A)
Round 3 Pick 10: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina (B+)
Round 4 Pick 12: Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida (A)
Round 4 Pick 33: Jarron Jones, DT, Notre Dame (A)
Round 5 Pick 11: Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas (A-)
Round 6 Pick 10: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, OLB, Tennessee (B-)
Round 7 Pick 12: Tashawn Bower, OLB, LSU (B+)
What I think I have here….
2 CBs to put into the mix as possible starters for 2018. I wouldn’t expect CBs to be plug and play.
A possible starter, along with Sem along the O-line.
Day 1 starter at WR
Day 1 starter at RB
Depth DT
In-line blocking TE for part time work this year and full time work in 2018 when Celek is gone
Depth WIL
Depth SAM
I don’t know if they pick up another #2 by moving back 4 or 5 spots, but I’d certainly take it.
I’d settle for a 3, or a 4 and 6. Depending on how this draft goes, we could stock our needs very well.
I think we will struggle to sign 2 quality CB’s in free agency (and it would be questionable to do so with a draft this deep at the position), so we will need to project to start either a draft pick or Mills at one of the CB spots.
My FA plan would be to sign a quality WR (Pryor/Britt/DeSean/Garcon), a quality CB (Bouye/Johnson/Ryan/Gilmore maybe Claiborne) and Benny Logan, Then shop smart for 1-2 upside guys who can either be good depth or solid starters.
That leaves you needing a RB and a CB in the draft as absolute needs, with WR,OL,DL,ILB as all longer term needs that will need to be addressed in the next 2 drafts.
People are obsessed with WR’s this off season, but a line up of DeSean/Matthews/Ertz/Sproles(or another RB) is pretty solid group of pass catchers and should give you enough production to not tank your offense. If we can get production from our existing WR’s or new draft picks.
Fixing the CB position is far more important, since we have no quality at the position at all, and it is the difference between a decent defence and a top 5 one for this team.
Wanted to tell you, I did a draft last night (fan speak all around) and somehow Johnathon Allen fell to me at 14. Needless to say, we drafted him.
Nice!
So Treggs and DGB loved partied over improving on the field yet they both got considerably more PT than Turner.
“Now consider that two of their young, potentially promising receivers —
Green-Beckham and speedster, rookie free agent Bryce Treggs – are far
from locks to be on the 53-man roster when the 2017 season begins. Both
made sporadic contributions in 2016 as one-dimensional weapons.
According to team sources, both prioritized getting acquainted with the
Philly nightlife over outworking their teammates, in practice.
Amazingly, not even the advice of franchise icon Brian Dawkins, who’s been
involved in player development since being hired last summer, sunk in
for these young receivers. Had they shown to be coachable, or more
interested in self-improvement, they each could have made a difference
this past season playing alongside strong-armed, rookie quarterback
Carson Wentz.”
http://www.4phillysports.com/single-post/2017/01/30/Eagles-Must-Overhaul-WR-Corps-In-Free-Agency-The-Draft
If I was playing on this team or in the locker room that sends the wrong
message to me. Reminds me previous year when Austin still stayed on this
roster because of his perceived talent despite his lack of effort at the
end of the Dolphins’ game & his comments afterwards. Kelly should have cut him right after that game & made in clear in Monday morning film review that wouldn’t be tolerated.
Can’t imagine DGB or Treggs surprises all year on a roster if Belicheck or other more disciplinarian type coaches was in charge of things with the lack of production they had.
People keep forgetting that PT is a one dimensional player. He’s slow and can only play the slot. So he’s not necessarily behind DGB and Treggs on the depth chart, he’s behind Matthews. It’s really unfortunate to hear when someone gives you a great opportunity that you’d rather party than put in the work.
Agreed with your assessment that “he’s slow” but he looked a helluva lot better with the ball in his hands than Treggs did. At least Turner got the ball. Hell, he was more dynamic after the catch than Matthews was……….
Our WR corpse sucks. God this feels like 2002 again, not including a dynamic running back duo and a superb defense with a shut down secondary
I know Paul Turner isn’t fast compared to a lot of star WRs, but I don’t know why people keep insisting that he’s slooooowwwww. As if he’s not even capable of being functional at his level of speed. Dude ran a 4.55 forty. Fast? No. Too slow to be an effective WR…also no. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=119942&draftyear=2016&genpos=WR
Is that so unbelievably slow? To put it in perspective, if a guy who runs a 4.45 forty (a time I think most people would agree is a perfectly good forty time for a WR) were to race Paul Turner in the 40 yard dash, Paul would trail him by 2 feet 7 inches after 40 yards. That’s something, but how damaging is that really in keeping someone from being competitive.
To flip that on you, most DBs run approximately the same 40s, if not a tick faster than most WRs…So for every route Paul Turner runs, the DB is that much faster than him which makes it virtually impossible for him to succeed (on the outside) without some other physical characteristic that is above average? Is he a big dude that will out muscle guys? No. Does he have tremendous height to catch jump balls? No. Does he have great long speed? No. Once CBs realize he can’t get deep on him, what else about his game is going to shine? I mean…He’s a good story and all and clearly has the best hands of our WRs but he’s simply just not that special a player. For example, Jordan Matthews is bigger, faster, and more explosive than PT and he 2 coaching regimes have decided he can’t play on the outside. It’s just not that easy especially when you don’t have a lot going for you physically.
Seriously….
DGB did. Treggs played less than Turner.
Snap Count from here: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/2016-snap-counts.htm
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a567236dbe9994650ef1052217f8fc43802e0211f284f0475cf3e97f48ded9e1.png
not sure what this means. don’t you go to bars at night? i never heard anything about them being late or not showing for practice. I guess they should all by try hards like matthews and ags?
On a completely offtopic note, I hope none of the young Philly sport stars end up being a whiny turd like LeBron.
I just happy that we don’t have a passive-aggressive franchise QB.
Maybe find a GOAT star who wins multiple championships and worry about his personality later?
I always find the Lebron and even the Kobe hate funny.
Especially Lebron. As far as I know, he’s never, well, you know.
I find the LeBron and Kobe hate fully justifiable. LeBron even more so since what he’s done wouldn’t fly here in Philly really well if he didn’t win a championship here.
The Cavs would be a lottery team without him and Kobe was one of the greatest to ever play
And? Doesn’t make him less of a whiny baby that keeps wanting teams like the All Star competition so he can have an easy path.
Wait, girls don’t like Jan Hammer!? How come no one told me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQDU-2qMre0
why such a small gun?
So you don’t ruin the lines of that amazing 80s fashion. Come on, man!
Can’t show up the star:
https://williamfrazier2015.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/11396807074_bae2563388_b.jpg
The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot reports the Browns will “try to trade for” Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
The Browns hold the Nos. 1 and 12 picks in the first round of the draft, giving them ammo over other teams that may be interested in acquiring Garoppolo. It’s highly unlikely Cleveland would give up the top pick, but the 12th pick and a third- or fourth-rounder would probably get the deal done. This isn’t the first time the Browns have been linked to Garoppolo and likely won’t be the last. Coach Hue Jackson has said finding a quarterback of the future is his main goa
It really isn’t fair. There should be a rule against the Browns trading with competent organizations.
Kind of like when you would play games as a kid and everyone knew to occasionally let the one little brother feel included and then start playing competitive again.
Jimmy Garappolo has attempted 67 passes in his NFL career. This would be more stunning than the Eagles getting DRC and a 2nd for Kolb after he only had 315 attempts.
I guess the Browns think Jimmy G will become the next Favre.
Because of that stupid lockout- we would have gotten the Cards #6 pick of that draft which was Peterson for him. Read about it a while ago
You mean like how the Eagles stole the Browns franchise QB?
Shhh! That was BEFORE the new rule suggestion so it doesn’t count. I mean from now on…
Big people beat up little people.
(That’s why we replaced Chipper with Doug)
Wait!! What?? So we’re competent now??? YASS!!!
We’re the nickel standard.
if only they had some other way to obtain a QB, like a really high draft pick rather than trade with Belicheck for a QB with 70 career passes. Call me crazy, but maybe I don’t know, maybe I’d just draft one with the #1 pick.
There are no elite QBs in this draft.
If only they had sucked a year earlier and had been in position to draft Carson Wentz…
God, Cleveland is such a bunch of hapless clowns…
If I am looking for a QB, I sure wouldn’t want one the Patriots are willing to part with right now. Tom sure ain’t no spring chicken.
FOX Sports 910’s Mike Jurecki reports Carson Palmer pulled his kids out of school, put his home up for sale, and moved his family out of Arizona.
This could be nothing just as easily as it could be something. Palmer has refused to commit to playing in 2017 and seems to be seriously considering retirement after taking the second-most sacks of his career (40) behind an injury-riddled offensive line this past season. Palmer has two years left on his deal. If Palmer hangs up his cleats, quarterback would become Arizona’s 1A and 1B need.
Maybe we can entice them to chase Daniels.
That would be on Howie’s greatest hits if he somehow managed that one.
it would only make up for wasting $12m a year on him
We did it with Bradford…………
Yeah, Bradford would be on the list, too. The Vikes are actually doing okay there if Bridgewater doesn’t come back. I mean… it didn’t work out with the playoffs and all, but Sam’s probably an average QB and those don’t grow on trees.
Steep price to pay for Bradford, but they really didn’t have much of a choice. It seemed like they lost all confidence as the season wore on- they were tough for the first 1/3 of the season.
QB play isn’t cheap in the NFL- in terms of money and draft pick investment.
I LoLed because it sounds funny but its so true.
If QBs like Sam did grow on trees, the trees would struggle because they would grow lots of short branches even when the situation called for them to stretch towards the sun.
ICWYDT…
With his injury history i would retire honestly. Same thing with Romo, when you are taking hits, getting seriously injured and you already have $100mil in the bank i walk away while i am healthy. Think it could be very possible.
Personally i think Big Ben is bluffing – but if he isn’t then there will be a frenzy to just find a competent QB… since there are not 32 of them in the NFL currently.
If I were Romo I’d be happy riding the pine in Dallas, running the scout team and collecting my bajillion dolla checks from Jerruh.
A lot of the money owed to him is signing bonus stretched out through repeated renogiations. How much does he actually lose by retiring? More importantly, how much cap would it give back to Dallas?
Yeah, I don’t know the exact numbers -obviously his cap hit is huge. That’s mostly through re-structuring and signing bonuses like you said.
Could be wrong on this, but a retiring player has to give back pro-rated bonuses, right? It’d be a big chunk of dough. 8 digits probably.
If I was either one of them I would be trying to get my ring. That is just me though.
I’ve never heard of Carson Palmer retiring, and then going to play on another team before…
https://twitter.com/CardsMarkD/status/826821517719773184
Damn, Dave, you’re on a roll bringing evidence and shit into it all.
Pshaw. I prefer Ryan’s alternative facts.
I’m not real motivated at work today.
In an era were the notion of observable proof is being challenged at the highest levels, your contribution is heroic.
Nevermind, Dave linked stuff n such.
Thinking about our receivers, it became apparent this year, many of them are a downright liability. Ags, DGB, and Treggs allowed several INTs by have zero awareness as to where the ball was, why the DBs had no problem tracking it for the INT. When you add in the drops, our receiving core really hindered Wentz.
The Eagles receivers had 25 drops this year, most in the NFL. They had 4 players with 4 or more drops, most in the NFL.
For comparison, the 2 teams in the Super Bowl had 11 or less drops for the team (ATL 10, NE 11), and only 1 player on both teams had more than 3 drops (Edelmen with 5 on a whopping 159 attempts).
can’t tell if it’s the coaching or the players. none of the players had drop issues before coming to philly.
i also don’t think dgb should get all the blame, when they run the same play and you get the same poorly thrown ball every time your on the field it’s not the receiver.
why people pretended that treggs was the next djax i dont know. it takes time to get chemistry with someone, antonio brown now is way different than antonio brown was when he first came into the league.
“can’t tell if it’s the coaching or the players. none of the players had drop issues before coming to philly.”
Huh? Each was noted for drops in college.
Ags:
“Weaknesses: Too many dropped passes”
http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2015nagholor.php#tp6tgBg3AJA5jGc4.99
Ertz:
“seems to have at least one drop each game.”
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/zach-ertz?id=2540158
Mathews:
“is not immune to concentration drops.”
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/jordan-matthews?id=2543500
was thinking DGB and Treggs, new matthews and ertz had drop issues, although ertz seems to have shaken those.
I feel like Ertz is as bad as anyone else with them…though he is better than he was in 15…
Only 1 drop this year and toward the end of the year he made several spectacular catches that nobody else on the team would be capable of doing.
Guess I am having a hard time seeing past all the penalties!
And the frozen feet.
Ertz has really become reliable as a receiver. He only had 1 drop last year and he seems to be the only offensive skill position player on the team that can fairly routinely make a pretty spectacular grab. At least once every other week he seemed to make a really good catch. His one handed fade reception in the opener and his diving TD at the end of the year definitely stand out. As opposed to the rest of the lot who seem to struggle regularly with routine easy catches and have yet in multiple years to ever make a spectacular catch (cough::cough Matthews who I have no recollection of him ever making a wow catch in 3 years).
EDIT: I swear I didn’t read Dave’s comment below first and then just reword it. Great minds, Dave, great minds…
Went’z sure didn’t put it on a dime, but he was putting it on a dollar bill. Thrower wasn’t the issue.
But Dave, Wentz is a bust!
I remember last year several people saying Bradford wasn’t making the receivers better and that maybe the drops had something to do with the way he threw the ball.
I don’t think Bradford was making the receivers better and neither was Wentz.
FWIW, this site has the Eagles at #10 in drops.
https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/team-receiver-drops-percentage/2016/
I find the whole “making receivers better” thing a myth. I think having a good QB can elevate surrounding players motivation and willingness to go all out, but it doesn’t change a players ability.
Good find on the drops chart. That’s the website I used but I had up the page that listed all the receivers and sorted them by teams. Crabtree and Marshall really had a lot of drops for the Raiders and Jets. I must have inadvertently passed over a few teams when scanning the page.
https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2016/
Well, obviously it doesn’t make them more talented, but it does elevate their production. In a simplistic sense, a team with a broke offense just doesn’t generate enough yards to feed everyone on the team stats. A QB who can get the ball to you when you’re not 10 yards open is going to make you look good. Anecdotally, I saw the ball bounce off a lot of hands, even on short passes, when Bradford was here. I suspect he has something to do with that because it happened to him in St. Louis as well. Consider that the offense in STL did just as well with the backups when he went down.
I think you’re right. A bad QB can certainly make a good WR look worse, but no matter how good a QB is he really has no effect on whether or not a WR can get off the jam at the line, run a good crisp route, create separation, track the ball through the air and finally catch it.
Sure a good QB may increase a guys stats. That’s logical. But, make the receivers better, or elevate their play…I just don’t believe that’s the case.
It is a shame there isn’t a program to take a rookie like Treggs, put his football money into a trust, and make him work a 40 hour week for a season. Work out at the local gym and pay for his own health care. Then, bring him back in a year and give him a shot.
I guess in a way there is…you cut the guy.
Like NFL Europe, but more like NFL Kensington.
NFL Kensington would be dark, like the First 48 on A&E.
If you haven’t already, youtube comedian Tom Segura’s bit on The First 48. Pure GOLD
Is that what they do in Cleveland?
This is exactly why I love the Joe Douglas hire. He said several times that Ozzie Newsome looked for players that displayed passion for the game and that’s what he looks for too.
DGB and Treggs don’t seem to share that passion for the game. I can only imagine how each one of those guys would be infinitely better if they possessed an attitude like Celek.
DGB especially as evidenced by his lack of effort on jump balls and taking on CB’s that are 6 inches shorter than he is. If that dude had any kind of internal motivation, he’d be nearly unstoppable.
Please have you seen the guys that the Ravens have drafted as WRs? Can you name a good one?
They havent had any great WRs but they find guys good enough to win with. Im not one of those guys who thinks Joe is going to turn us into a powerhouse but I dont remember the Ravens ever having a WR group as bad as us.
You missed my point. It wasn’t meant to be position-specific.
JM work ethic inside DGB would be cool.
Ags has the JM work ethic and that hasn’t helped him.
Ags had the confidence of Cinderella this year
He needs to room with Jalen Mills in training camp.
Boom.
That way Ags will learn how to wag his finger at defensive backs when they drop an interception.
Who says Cinderella wasn’t confident?. Just saw her at Disney. She was a bit stuck up
She’s just tired of being hit on by middle-aged dads. At least that was the impression I got when I was chatting her up.
It helps the team if he succeeds…..just sayin.
“I think the Eagles would be wise to focus on youth”
Sure youth is a box to check. It is only one box. In the past this team has gotten waaaaaay to caught up on one buzz word. Let’s just focus on what is best for the team.
Brandon Marshall is a guy I never considered until someone mentioned a trade of Barwin for him. Normally I would laugh and say there is no chance in hell. Howie would probably make me look silly if I said that. Perspective has changed.
Not advocating for him, but it is a guy I could get on board with. 2 years left. Has at times been a top 5+ WR in the league. Overcame his fair share of issues: checkered past, hasn’t always focused on the game, used to have BAD hands. He has since risen to his station as an elite WR, face of the NFL type guy.
I could see a short term lease on a guy like that doing wonders for this team. Despite the large physical drop off he has experienced, he would come in as the best WR we have by a country mile (even if we sign a FA not named Jeffery). He has dealt with all of the demons our under preforming WR have dealt with. Even if he were to just lead by example (which I highly doubt is his style), he would offer so much in the way of a learning resource for those guys. Giving Carson the experience of working with a guy like that should not be under valued. Sure he won’t be able to grow with him forever, but when we find the guy for him to grow with this experience could accelerate that process.
Must be the off-season….hypothetical rant /off
I’m on board, for all the reasons you so excellently state! And I like the trade terms, too.
FYI, Brandon Marshall had 8 dropped passes this year and 10 in 2015. With that said, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.
If he drops 8-10 as an Eagle, that would make him the teams most sure-handed receiver.
I agree…I think people discount how much a crappy receiving corps can stunt a QBs growth. Forget about the effect on next years win-loss record (which would obviously be improved with a substantial infusion of talent at WR), Carson needs someone who can step in from day one and be THE GUY in order for him to get the most out of next year developmentally. The last thing you want is for Carson to spend his first three years in the league developing bad habits and lacking the trust in his WRs that is needed for him to develop into an elite QB.
Does anyone have specific links to things about Pryor that scare them away? There’s a lot of chatter about how he’s a jerk and all that, but I haven’t heard anything directly or seen any quotes. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to wade through the steaming vats of shit that I imagine make up the world of Cleveland Browns fandom. I imagine it’s like great big cranberry bogs but filled with feces representing the failures of Browns management, and the guys in the waders are the Cleveland fans.
I’m intrigued by him but curious about the chemistry mix and the character concerns.
Lots of links here:
https://www.google.com/search?client=tablet-android-google&q=terrelle+pryor+bad+teammate&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjykpCT9u_RAhWq6YMKHUKsDjsQvwUIFigA&biw=768&bih=1024
BTW, I’m just goofing as I wanted to use that link for a while now.
On a serious note, he’s gotten lots of bad press lately.
I just don’t he’s that talented.
Vivid imagination! ;~)
This was high enough on my list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7oilg2Satg
If williams and cook are gone by 15..and I think they will be I’m hoping the iggles trade back and double dip at CB in round 1 and 2. In fact I’m hoping that they double dip anyway..Lattimore in the first and white in the second would be tremendous
I think Davis will be better than Williams.
Davis’s soft skipping of the Senior Bowl is really on my nerves. I was hoping to get a better look at him.
But he’s certainly an intriguing talent.
He had a shoulder injury, why ruin your stock if you don’t really have a chance to perform near your best.
That’s fair, but it doesn’t get that observation time back.
not sure he’s being soft considering he just had surgery on his ankle
I wholeheartedly agree
Yes please.
*14
I’m not going to tolerate being screwed over in the coin flip.
I secretly want 14 because I know indy will SCREW me out of lattimore or cook..the 2 guys I want in RD 1. Would love williams but that would mean medical red flags at the combine caused him to drop.
The hype for this Super Bowl just hasn’t been there because of the Falcons even if it should be an entertaining game.
I figured more people would get excited by the Patriots (pro/con) but people seem even worn out from seeing them a bit too.
Nobody outside of New England wants to see Tommy Two-cheats again in the Superbowl.
I know there were a lot of other variables, but I wonder how much of the d-line underperformance was due to losing Azzinaro. Not saying they should or could have kept him, but by all accounts he’s a great position coach. That should never be underrated in a team’s success, but it often is.
Well the brought in F. Cox’s college line coach for obvious reasons. I think reality is that you can’t play 4-3 with only two “good” lineman. Drop Barwin, keep bennie and let some studs come up next year, curry get healthy i think the line should be ok.
Normally I’m indifferent to sports commissioners but there is just something generally loathsome about Goddell when he speaks. Strikes me as some that has little moral or ethical inclinations and would say whatever was required.
Really didn’t learn anything today though in his ‘State of the Union’ address except that NFL football on Thurs nights isn’t going anywhere. As long as its ratings are still better vs its competition, it will stay in place.
No goodwill left with fans. It’s like the girlfriend you’re still with but everything they say gets on your nerves no matter what it is.
Goodells’s dad was both a U.S. Representative and a Senator. He learned how to screw over the masses while looking out for the wealthy few at a young age.
well done
I guess it is a bit more than a twisted ankle. You gotta feel bad for him, getting so close only to have a setback at the 11th hour.
https://twitter.com/zesty_eagles/status/826930413373423618
If not out for rookie camp etc id still use 1st round pick on him. Tape hasnt changed on him.
I thought so but rumor has it he’ll be ready for his pro day.
Good reason for him to be there at 14/15.
surgery? damn
If he checks out and is there at 14/15 I would be for it.