Making Some Sense
Posted: April 3rd, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 127 Comments »I was a bit surprised last week when we found out the Eagles were bringing Jamal Adams to Philly for a visit. He is the top Safety prospect in the upcoming draft and could go as high as the Top 5. Why were the Eagles looking at him?
Over the weekend I re-watched some of his games to see if there were any clues. And there were.
Notice how much and how well he plays in the slot?
Then I remembered this.
Double-checked with a source and I was wrong from yesterday:#Eagles evaluating Obi Melifonwu as a cornerback, too.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) March 31, 2017
The Eagles love versatile DBs. Adams could play SS, FS or in the slot.
Melfionwu is a notch below him. He is a better athlete than player. With his size and speed, he could make a really good CB. He is 6-4, 224. That’s okay size for a WLB. Melifonwu runs 4.40 and had a 44-inch vertical leap. He is a rare athlete.
The Eagles were also checking out Penn State DB Malik Golden. He began his career as a WR and then spent the last 3 years on defense. PSU mainly used him playing a lot of Cover 2, but they did have him in the slot at times. Golden is 6-0, 200. He ran 4.50 at his Pro Day and tested well. He’s down a couple of notches from the other two, but has the skill set the Eagles like. Golden can play in the box or deep. He can cover in the slot.
There are a couple of other Safeties who have similar abilities. John Johnson from Boston College and Justin Evans from Texas A&M would both make some sense with their CB/S background and versatile skill sets. We haven’t heard anything about the Eagles having interest…yet. Maybe we’ll find something out.
This is a loaded CB class, but it would seem the Eagles also have interest in finding someone who could play the slot at a high level. Not all CBs can play the slot.
Back to Adams for a second. The Eagles may be trying to decide what to do if he falls. They also could be trying to decide if he’s worth trading up for. One of the reasons to bring him in is to “get him on the whiteboard”. That is coachspeak for having him go to the board and breakdown the X’s and O’s of a play. It helps the coaches to see how smart a player is. That’s critical for someone playing Safety or in the slot.
This is all conjecture on my part, but if you connect the dots, it does seem to make sense. We’ll find out more in a few weeks.
_
If this signals a move towards a 3-safety nickel replacing a 3-LB set as the base defense, I think I like that idea.
I actually like that idea as well it fits with the development in the NFL, passing league and all.
We obviously have 2 LBs who are very good in coverage and 2 safeties who can cover the deep field and Jenkins can still do a job in man coverage better than a lot of safeties. Adding a safety with a big body to play the hybrid role of a Deone Buccannon is intriguing.
I dont know if Adams is that guy, but very interesting to have a Landon Collins type play lining up around Hicks and Bradham with Jenkins and McLeod deep. If only we had some cornerbacks.
For Jamal Adams I would. I wouldn’t try to force that concept in just because.
Agreed, but since we really only have two LBs that we want to see on the field anyway, it would be a good time to make the move.
The problem is for that to work one of them has to be a honey badger type who can tackle in the run game and stick slots (Jenkins can but I’m not sure making him play that much corner is the best use of his abilities). Adams is more of a guy who would seem to be best fit for one of the Under schemes. Let him play robber and run alleys. He’s more of a Keanu Neal or Kam.
If you wanted to commit to a 42 base, I think Desmond King probably is the best way to go. If you just wanted to play a ton of nickel I think a guy like Corn Elder is the best use of resources.
You had me at Corn Elder (which was way at the end, but still…)
What about the other guy in whom they showed interest – Obi?
He’s more of George Illoka with freakish athleticism. Teams want to try him at corner because of HWS. He doesn’t really work in the slot though (DRC found life difficult because of his length, Melenfonwu is 6’4)
And I am guessing not this guy either…
https://twitter.com/LedyardNFLDraft/status/848729430411313152
FWIW – To me that looks Dax-standing-off-to-the-side-while-everyone-else-fights levels of embarrassing.
HE’S A SPECIAL TALENT! WE HAVE TO TAKE HIM AND PLAY HIM AT LINEBACKER!
HOW MANY GUYS CAN YOU GET TO RUN BACKWARDS FROM BLOCKERS!
your caps are on..(I’m funny sometimes)
Ha!
Wasn’t DRC was good last year from the slot?
How much time did they spend in base v nickel last year? Seems as though they’ve already moved to that, just not in name.
Ron Brook and Jaylen Watkins combined for 61.04% of the snaps. They had some other nickel looks but this would be minimum, it’s probably a couple percent higher.
Can we get Jaylen Watkins down to 0.0% of the plays?
How much of that was choice and how much was personnel, though?
My exact initial reaction. And obviously has implications for Kendricks not remaining and any pressure to find a high level LB replacement. Why expend resources on 1 LB & 1slot CB in the draft when there may be 1 S who can fulfill both roles while not having to be replaced whether a running or passing play is expected.
Especially if that includes Kendricks being traded!
Would it be a shock if the Eagles moved up in the draft?
Yes (at least more than 2 or 3 picks)
We’ve got alot of needs and wants. Our only real excess draft capital is an extra 4 this year and a couple of extra 4s next year.
Plus I don’t know that there’s anyone who is such a homerun pick that you could justify it. Solomon Thomas maybe, but even then he didn’t play off the edge in college and could take a year or two to really hit his stride.
If we go up in Round 1, we have to get in front of the Saints and the Browns (11 and 12, respectively). Which means we have to get to 10 (Bills)– from our spot, historically it would take our 3rd this year. Maybe we could squeeze a 6th or 7th back from them, but it would cost us
Assuming the Browns took a QB at 1 and not Myles Garret?
Nope- I’m assuming they will take Garret. Browns can select anyone- BPA, position they want, Qb; Saints have similar needs as we do, so I can see a snag from our perspective at that point.
Thanks. was asking because of that article saying the eagles need to consider trading up for Lattimore.
Does that trade up come with some replacement hamstrings?
Anybody you’d get jumpy for in order to get to 11 or 12?
No. Thomas will be gone. I’ll keep the picks and not worry about Barnett vs Willaims or Davis
Josh Norris has us PASSING on Foster, Barnett, Mike Williams, and Jonathan Allen. Also, Jamal Adams comes within 1 pick lol
http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/71013/344/mock-draft-iv?pg=2
That was a waste of 2 minutes. Guess you have to get page clicks somehow, and I went for it 🙁
Not the biggest Conley fan in the world but I can make a pretty reasonable case for passing on all of them.
Allen- Where do you play him in this defense? He’s not a wide 9 DE. You could play him as an Aaron Donald 3 tech but now you have a $20mil NT.
Williams- A Williams and Alshon pairing is kind of redundant.
Barnett- Not explosive. Doesn’t have any counters. I think he’ll be good to very good, but I don’t think he’s a have to have him kind of guy or someone that changes the complexion of a defense. I’ve comped him to Brian Orakpo. It’s a solid B+ pick at 14 that I would be totally ok with (Conley is kind of in the same range for me) but won’t be disappointed if we don’t get him.
Foster- I’m with Tommy on Foster. I think he’s being oversold. He’s far more Stephone Anthony than Luke Kuehcly. I don’t think he’s as instincitve as people say. I think he guesses alot and when he’s right it’s a big play because he’s physically gifted, and when he’s wrong he’s athletic enough to cover it up (in college). Put on the Arkansas tape. Lots of wasted movement. Gets his ass kicked by OL.
The Giants showed the value of inside dominance, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they also matched up well with Dallas. The league still very much supports Johnson’s “strong up the middle” philosophy. Allen and Cox could very well justify the resources if they got consistent pressure up the middle and stuffed the run.
Ok so you’re paying 20 million dollars for a 1 tech.
23 mill for both tackles. 😉
Cox can move around, but in pass rushing situations Cox, Allen, Curry, and Graham seems ideal to me. It’s a lot, but I think it can pay off. You are correct though, it’s a lot for the position. But there are worse on field results from going BPA.
Hi Fletcher, please get double teamed on 100% of your snaps.
Hi Howie, Fuck you trade me.
He’s a team player, has made his money, and is used to get double teamed. Also, there are at least 5 guys rotating on the line regularly. Beau can play the 1 on running downs, and on passing you put the offense in a “pick your poison” situation. Do you really think the team should factor in his salary in making this decision, or are you just saying it would be a waste of his talent?
As a counterpoint, if you are suggesting that a DE fits the team better, doesn’t that mean taking Curry and his salary off the field? Maybe not a big deal considering his production last year, but it’s not unreasonable to expect more from him this year. I would say Allen and Curry on the field produces more pressure than Beau and Thomas.
It’s a waste of his ability. It’s also garbage allocation of resources. This would be like the Falcons drafting John Ross and making Julio Jones play H-back.
Allen is most valuable to teams that run those under fronts where you can line him up at the three and then kick him to the 5 and suddenly he’s the standup weakside edge and then he’s a 1 tech on 3rd and 20.
He pretty much would have to be Aaron Donald or JJ Watt to be worth the scheme headache.
Fair enough, though I think it’s more like drafting Ross and no longer playing Julio in the slot. You limit his effectiveness, but overall your receiving corps is better.
You may be right, some coaches seem to look at scheme versatility as a pro, but Schwartz seems more like the headache type. I’d love to see more flexibility from him in year 2. Didn’t we just move on from an offensive coach married to his scheme?
There’s multiplicity and lacking identity.
Blitzing doesn’t equal superior either.
We probably blitzed more under Davis than we did Schwartz. Last years defense was much better.
The Seahawks pretty much line up the same way all game. Works for them.
Everybody wants super complicated defenses, but when Schwartz left Buffalo the defense got worse under Ryan.
Definitely agree that complex isn’t necessarily better. Sort of the Occam’s Razor of coaching is my preference. You still have to adapt to your talent and opponents, but the simplest adjustment is the best. I think the team may have benefited from more blitzing last year, given personnel. But I freely admit that’s from a birds eye view.
I like Schwartz. My brother in law started next to him at safety in HS, still talks to him some. I’m not trying to put him down. But I hope to see the def grow this year, from some combo of players understanding their roles better, better talent fits, and coaching adjustments.
It’s very much and imput-output defense. It’s not going to turn Temple into a squad that can stop the Eagles offense (insert WR joke here). But if we can establish good CB play and ramp up the DL talent it can become a self fulfilling prophecy. That’s when it becomes a nightmare.
That’s why I’m not too worried about LB. If you’ve got one in this scheme you’re ok.
Agreed. Would you prefer Humphrey to Allen at 14? I’m really just curious and jonesing for football, not trying to grill you.
Short of Solomon Thomas, Humphrey is my guy at 14.
Allen is kind of like Jason Verrett in 2014. Good player but just wasn’t going to be a scheme fit in the range he was going to be drafted. You mentally wish them well, hope they don’t get drafted and then file them away under persona non grata
Today, my favorite 2 “realistic” choices are Humphrey and Davis. The Eagles are clearly doing the right thing with all the due diligence and preparation for alternate scenarios. Lots of moving parts where they are drafting.
Something else just occurred to me. If they don’t draft DL high, they may very well have Cox, Curry, Graham, and Long out there in obvious passing situations. Which would still put Cox over the center.
Cox draws plenty of double teams on passing downs. The thing you want to avoid is having him getting doubled in the run game on first and 10 all game long
I think the team wanted to put an end to our discussion. I’d be surprised to see a first round DL pick at this point. Allen isn’t dropping, anyway.
Really hope it’s Davis or Humphrey.
For a 1st, and 2nd and 2nd for next year as well ..
You don’t think Allen can play the 1 in this defense?
At 280lbs?
He’s got the frame to carry more, and I wouldn’t count on him to start initially. We’ve got Allen for that, and for early down run stuffing dominance. He would be disruptive as a 1 at that weight on passing downs, or as a 3 depending on the variation of our front.
I like the guy- to me he looks like a much more athletic Mike Patterson with an actual pass rush ability.
For him to be a 1tech you’re talking about putting 30lbs on him. if you really want an attacking nose give me Wormley or Brantley in round 2. Way less projection.
I like Brantley as well- he’s stout but aggressive. Have not studied Wormley. As always, thanks for the feedback
Why bother? Beau in running situations, Cox in passing.
So Allen is redundant with Cox? Good to know. You’re quite the asset to this site D3.
He’s somewhere between a poor man’s Aaron Donald and a slightly heavier Michael Bennett.
We’re looking more for a Bennie Logan or Mike Patterson. The more pass rush they want from the spot the higher they have to pick one.
If they want a Mike Martin or Beau Allen type they can spend a day 3 pick for one. If they want a Bennie, then Dalvin Tomlinson in round 3 is the way to go. If they want a real penetrator who can bring some pass rush (5-6sack a season guy) but still hold up against double teams then it’s probably Caleb Brantley or Chris Wormley at 43.
BTW, can Allen play DE? He’s not much heavier than Solomon thomas
“If they want a Bennie, then Dalvin Tomlinson in round 3 is the way to go.”
You don’t say…………..
That can’t get said enough times.
“Williams- A Williams and Alshon pairing is kind of redundant.”
Wouldn’t there be distinct advantages to that, though? For running backs, yes, I see it. If both guys are small and quick there is no one to get the tough yards. For WRs, though, there would be a cumulative benefit to having multiple big, fast leapers that can catch the ball.
You put our big corner or Jeffrey and your safety on Ertz, and a bigger slot corner on Matthews, and who is left to cover the 6’4″ guy? Oh, this Corn Elder guy we moved up to steal from the Eagles.
Now if you are telling me we would be better off sliding McCaffery out of the backfield to line up split out, mirroring Ertz on the other side, I can be convinced…
Alshon already had this type of pairing in Chicago with Marshall, I have some fairly vivid memories of the Eagles DBs totally shutting those guys down.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=331222021
Well, Cary and Fletcher kinda did. How in the hell did that happen?
I think I’d rather have Davis than Williams.
So I assume, from reading below, that we took Conley? He’d feel like a reach at 14.
Dam, just when I was getting bored with draft talk. Top scenario for me is somehow acquiring Allen or Adams. Adams is a difference maker, playing the slot until S opens up works out great for the team.
Thomas, Allen, Adams are all on my “hope they slide” wish list.
Staying put, I’m hoping for either Davis or Humphrey (Barnett being a close third).
If for some reason all of those options are gone, trade back to accumulate more assets for the other parts of the draft.
Pretty much agree with all that, though I’d be fine with staying at 14 and taking BPA. The others would be my preference, though.
That’s my concern with 14- I know Mock Drafts aren’t always realistic, but if you run enough simulations you begin to see certain patterns and similarities. Obviously the draft will be different, but my concern is that none of the QB’s get taken and our BPA looks like a 3rd level tier in the first round.
I’d be ok with White at 14, worst case.
Does trading back even work? Seems to me the Eagles aren’t good enough to get tricky. Just take the best player and let the chips fall where they may.
I don’t know. Historically, we’ve been better while staying put or trading up. I don’t know how Douglas evaluates and assigns value. It’ll be up to Howie to figure it all out value-wise
I think most teams want to trade back if they can. Drives the price down unfortunately to where its not worth it unless a team has a specific player in mind and willing to give up a decent pick. Unlikely IMO
The Eagles claim to operate in tiers. So in the first round they have maybe 1 generational talent, 5-10 guys who are special prospects that they would love to have roughly equally, and 20 or so great prospects. If there is a special prospect left on the board at 12, good chance they go get him. If the last special player just got picked and they have 20 guys who are roughly equal in their mind, they will gladly trade back 10 spots, and get what they think is an equal quality player then.
Hope not. That didn’t work so well with Smith.
I’m not sure that applies to Smith. If I remember correctly they wanted out of that pick and couldn’t get out of it. So they took a guy from a tier that mostly resided in the 2nd round.
And it works great for the Patriots. I don’t think the problem is that scouts don’t know how to tell you what kind of Diamond is in the rough. We just have garbage diamond cutters. I’m largely of the opinion that the prospects really are close together in tiers and there is no gut instinct that can tell you this prospect will succeed and this one will fail, it’s just a matter of going to the right situation. Getting the right coach to get you to the next level, being used correctly and so on.
I would be more comfortable with that logical system if they showed they were any good at it.
Trading down really works best when another team needs to leapfrog someone. Not sure you can really plan on it.
Kempski had a great article about not trading back too far.
Another + for Adams, as you note, that he can be long term answer at S.
Adams would be a really fun addition.
Sad to hear this about Charlie Garner.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/charlie-garner-cte-concussions-brain-disease-nfl-career-raiders-49ers-eagles-buccaneers/1rffdra72ph0k1e3fmmftqte0j?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
That is crushing news. Thanks for posting it.
That is really sad. Garner tearing up the Niners in 94 is one of my all time favorite Eagles game.
I remember an interview with Charlie that season where he said something to the lineman in the huddle along the lines of “just give me a crack to get my shoulder pads through and I’ll make a big run”. I thought he was going to be huge until injuries derailed his Philly career, along with the arrival of Duce.
I would have much preferred a Garner / Watters combo over Duce.
“For who? for what?”. Duce had to have the shortest stride of any running back in Philly history.
If one of the top two safeties fall, I would be glad to take one as BPA and never see Jaylen Watkins on the field again on defense.
This is kinda sad. https://twitter.com/FO_ScottKacsmar/status/848917597064237057
I’m willing to go out on a limb and suggest that there might be a correlation between this and our lack of Super Bowl titles…
You are probably right, but I think the correlation may go both ways. For example, if the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2004, there is a chance that Reid and Mcnabb get in. Also great players like Seth Joyner and Eric Allen get no consideration probably due to lack of team success.
100%
Good observation.
How about Dawk?
SB in ’04 would make him 1st ballot HOF.
I was operating under the assumption that Dawk (and TO) will get in even without the SB win.
Reid yes especially if he keeps wracking up counting stats (wins). McNabb, no.
McNabb let himself get out of shape & age caught up with him. If he had productive through his mid-30s, he would have been a HOF.
Just was done at in ’09 at 33 with the Eagles have perfect timing in trading him.
I agree with both. I do think that Mcnabb would have had a chance (still not definite) if he won a SB.
Correct. HOF voters use a team accomplishment as a poor reason to enshrine too many players from teams that have won titles.
This is especially true of multiple Steelers.
Actually, look at the top of the list for 94-2011. Not that many Super Bowl wins there and plenty of teams without one, ever.
The two HOF seasons from 1994-2011:
Art Monk (1995) and Richard Dent (1997).
HOF is a very subjective vote and very political
Yep. But when you are near the bottom of the pile for 50 years, you can’t dismiss all of it as subjective politics.
That list will change quite a bit next year when Dawkins and TO finally gets in and later when Peters, Cox, Wentz and Nick FOles gets in
The Eagles will draft McCaffrey if he’s still available. That’s what I’m hearing from my guys at Novacare.
Sounds more like you’ve been talking to GE’s guys at Novocaine.
HA!
Yeah from the HR Dept. They need a power hitter for their softball team and he’ll fill that need.
……………………at 43
LOL!
14 is too rich for my blood with that dude.
Yeah I have to agree with you. The draft can’t get here fast enough for me.
Would love him at 43. Ross and McCaffrey would be a pretty great duo.
Off topic, but funny:
https://twitter.com/OnionSports/status/848925962314149889
Painful and funny.
Eagles re-signed restricted free agent TE Trey Burton to a one-year, $2.8 million contract.
Burton’s passing-game role will shrink with the additions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, but the Eagles made sure to keep their athletic reserve tight end after Burton’s mini-breakout 2016 campaign. Not yet 26 years old, Burton posted a 37-321-1 receiving line on 60 targets last season. A onetime college quarterback, Burton will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
His role could very well increase with the creeping ineptitude of Celek.
I hope so, and I hope he has a productive season for us!
I like Burton and I hope they can keep him here on a manageable deal.
Y’all asked for Jamal Adams………………………….
Your score is: 13648 (GRADE: A)
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 14: Jamal Adams, SS, LSU (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: TreDavious White, CB, LSU (A)
Round 3 Pick 10: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina (A+)
Round 4 Pick 12: Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama (A+)
Round 4 Pick 32 (COMP): Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma (A+)
Round 5 Pick 11: Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M (B+)
Round 6 Pick 10: Matthew Dayes, RB, NC State (A)
Round 7 Pick 12: Jeremy Cutrer, CB, Middle Tennessee (B)
What is your angle for doubling up on RBs all the time now? Its grinding my gears.
Let me guess, you hate Smallwood now in place of your loverman Barner.
No, I like Smallwood as a rotation guy. But when Pederson said “no fullback” it made me think we’ll need 4 RBs on the 53. I want two guys in the mix to go with Sproles and Smallwood for the year and then settle into a top 3 after Sproles retires.
I missed that. When did Pederson say “no fullback”? I thought he wanted one if he could find the right one.
I thought he basically said that last week at the league meetings.
Yeah i agree that he essentially said that, with an assist from philly beat writer tea leaf interpretation.
Ah. I think they like Marshall though. And don’t forget Jamal Charles
By the measure of his delusions, Chase Daniel would seem to have a bright future in politics after his NFL career is over.
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/234944/chase-daniel-id-be-crazy-not-to-think-about-replacing-drew-brees-one-day
Phillies are unbeaten in 2017.
So are the Eagles. Bet the Phils lose first.