Some DL Talk

Posted: June 24th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 53 Comments »

When you think of Eagles defense, you can’t help but think of great defensive linemen. From Reggie, Clyde and Jerome to Hugh Douglas to Jevon Kearse to Trent Cole and Fletcher Cox. The 2017 Eagles have a DL loaded with potential.

I watched this clip and got fired up for the season.

This group can be special.

Can is the key word, obviously. The talent is there. They are now in Year 2 under Chris Wilson and Jim Schwartz so they know the scheme and their roles. I also think it is important that Schwartz and Wilson are tough coaches who aren’t going to settle for “pretty good”. They aren’t going to be happy until the Eagles are winning a lot of games and the DL is doing their part.

PE.com has posted a 10-minute interview with Wilson. He says some really interesting things.

Wilson talked about Vinny Curry needing to work on body control so that he can stay off the ground and finish more plays. The Eagles studied him in the offseason and thought that was an area he could address to help him play better this year. Wilson seems pleased with what he’s seen so far.

Wilson made the point that watching cut-ups this year is better because they are from last season. The players are watching themselves play in the scheme. Last summer they watched clips from the Lions and Bills to learn the defense. You are going to learn more watching yourself and teammates than players from other teams in previous years.

Someone asked about Fletcher Cox. Wilson explained that the coaches have talked to him about what he needs to do better. Cox is the best player on the Eagles, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get better. The sky is the limit for him. He can still take his game to another level so I’m glad the coaches are pushing him. Wilson said one thing the coaches want to do this year is move him out to end more often. Cox is a gifted athlete so putting him in space is smart. When you have a player as talented as him, be creative and take advantage of his skills.

Cox in NFL’s Top 100

These guys are not just pass rushers. They can play the run as well.

There were times when things really clicked and the DL looked good in 2016.

Add in Derek Barnett, Tim Jernigan, Chris Long and Elijah Qualls and you have one deep, talented group. I’m really looking forward to seeing this group in action this season.
_

53 Comments on “Some DL Talk”

  1. 1 Aran said at 8:04 PM on June 24th, 2017:

    Any word on how Destiny and Elijah have looked so far in these OTAs/MC?

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 9:38 PM on June 24th, 2017:

    Not much on Vaeao. Was injured a bit I think.

    Elijah could only be in the minicamp. Dumb rules kept him from OTAs. Did some good things at minicamp. Showed athleticism and Jimmy was impressed with the way he used his hands. That’s a critical skill for DL/OL play.

  3. 3 daveH said at 10:48 PM on June 24th, 2017:

    Glad to bore you to tears over a few beers on a rooftop if you’re ever in nyc ..you da man.

  4. 4 TommyLawlor said at 12:31 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Haven’t been that way in a long time. Would love to drink some beers on a rooftop. I’ll let you know if I ever get up there.

  5. 5 Media Mike said at 5:46 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    That good to hear on Elijah.

  6. 6 ColorSgt said at 8:30 PM on June 24th, 2017:

    I love the potential to rotate guys (good guys) in and keep the starters fresh throughout the game and season. The opposing offense can’t expect to get a break. The d-line can attack every single play and not worry about pace. They can set the pace all game long.

  7. 7 增达网 said at 10:04 PM on June 24th, 2017:

    看看你的博客，也是一种娱乐！

  8. 8 Media Mike said at 5:45 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    “From Reggie, Clyde and Jerome to Hugh Douglas to Jevon Kearse to Trent Cole and Fletcher Cox.”

    Which one of these things is not like the others…………………..

    Kearse got us 22 sacks for 8 years / $66 million. That isn’t exactly worthy of inclusion with the performers on the rest of the list.

  9. 9 SuPaFrO said at 10:45 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    8 years!?!? Damn could have sworn it was 4.. maybe 5 years..

  10. 10 Media Mike said at 11:00 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    He didn’t play all 8, but that was a HUGE contract for non-huge production. If Kearse would have come to play vs. blah level OTs in the Super Bowl, we might have won.

  11. 11 teltschikfakeout88 said at 11:54 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Media Mike with the gift of hyperbole…sort of…LOL..he only earned about $30M of that contract and was in Philly for 4 seasons…signing bonus was about $16M which was a significant amount in 2004 FA period when he signed… 22 sacks for 4 years and $30M is a bit of a different story but we signed him to get to the QB…2006 seemed to be his year starting off with 3.5 sacks in the first 2 games…but he had that bad knee injury that some thought was a career ender and missed the rest of the year…2007 was definitely a year you might call him stealing his paychecks but that knee injury was the end for the freak…he was cut the following season right before 2008 FA…during his time here he played on 14,15,2 and 14 games each season…other than the year with the knee injury he seemed to be pretty available…wished he had balled out more in the SB but then again the advantage that TB due to spygate will never be known either…its kinda hard to get sacks if Tom is getting the ball out quick…

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 12:17 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    I don’t care how you cut the numbers; the dude didn’t do the job he was signed to do.

  13. 13 Gary Barnes said at 12:21 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    The one who regularly is forgotten is Simon who had 32 sacks over 5 seasons, good for 12th all-time on the Eagles. He was a big part of our early success under Reid.

  14. 14 Media Mike said at 12:24 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    Too true! Simon was really really good until he let his ignorant impression of his contractual worth get ahead of his work ethic. It was amazing how he totally fell off of a cliff when we went to Indy.

  15. 15 Jernst said at 6:03 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Dude straight up ate himself out of the league

  16. 16 Stephen E. said at 2:44 PM on June 26th, 2017:

    He was definitely a BIG part.

  17. 17 FairOaks said at 5:13 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    He was worth every penny in 2004. Not as much in 2005. He looked awesome in 2006 preseason and first two games of the season. He got injured in a completely unnecessary overtime of that second game (game was well in hand and bad playcalls and bad plays botched it). Kearse was never the same when he came back the next year.

  18. 18 P_P_K said at 5:29 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    Wasn’t he notorious for partying with women on his boat during the offseason, rather than working out?

  19. 19 teltschikfakeout88 said at 8:30 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    He was partying like a rockstar during his rehab year…he played for us one more year and then was cut…

  20. 20 FairOaks said at 10:44 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    2007 yes. May have been more than the injury that was never the same. I don’t recall issues like that pre-injury. His stats in 2005 were respectable but it didn’t seem the same. Granted that was the TO feud year and it all went south that year.

  21. 21 Media Mike said at 6:58 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    I’d content that 7.5 sacks in 2004 wasn’t worth top of the league DE money because it wasn’t top of the league productions. Kearse being invisible, along with the rest of the pass rush, should be up at the top of reasons why that game was lost. And being injured in 2006 to miss time still makes a player not worth the money invested in him. What what Kesrse was signed to do, he was not worth it.

  22. 22 FairOaks said at 1:29 AM on June 27th, 2017:

    He got all the attention from opposing OL in 2004. Eagles defense got a ton better in 2004 and he was the big change. I know you blame guys for getting injured, but it doesn’t work that way — freak injuries happen, and he was injured on the job, not doing something dumb away from the team. That is always a risk with any signing. He wasn’t injury-prone in general — he missed most of 2002 and 2006 seasons, but otherwise he was there for almost every game during his career. It was worse because that overtime should never have happened. And it cut short a season where the DL looked dominant and Kearse in particular looked great. He played well for us longer than TO did.

    Not having a great super bowl is a legitimate point, although there is still the suspicion that the Patriots knew the defensive calls, especially in the second half. That won’t give your DL nearly as much of a chance.

  23. 23 greenblood0118 said at 7:13 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    I remember that game…I was so pissed lol

  24. 24 Media Mike said at 5:54 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Great article. Any improvement from the DL would be huge this year. Graham, Curry, and Long all providing appropriate sack totals from the DE position allows Barnett time to grow into his role rather than asking him to put up big numbers as a rookie.

  25. 25 Insomniac said at 6:05 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-to-tell-judge-it-was-their-idea-for-michael-floyd-to-drink-kombucha-tea/

    Leading candidate for most bizarre story of the offseason so far.

  26. 26 ColorSgt said at 8:49 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Yeah a few strange things with that. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of the team defense. Either way the Eagles should keep Lane away from this stuff.

  27. 27 A_T_G said at 6:27 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    I am predicting this is BS. He stayed up until the early morning watching a movie and drinking iced tea at at friend’s house, but hadn’t eaten anything since noon? Who goes 14 hours without eating, then goes to sleep?

  28. 28 Insomniac said at 12:42 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Of course it’s BS. It’s just bizarre that the Vikings are sticking up for him.

  29. 29 Media Mike said at 6:44 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Lies. Guilty. Arrest. Imprisonment. Suspension.

  30. 30 Insomniac said at 6:13 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    I can’t think of a better DT pairing in the league right now better than Cox and Jernigan. Two powerful and explosive DTs that can man handle guards + centers? Yes please.

  31. 31 Media Mike said at 6:20 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    On pass downs for sure. It think they’re confident that their DEs are so stout against the run that you could slide DT2 as more of a pass rusher than Logan. Given the gaping holes teams in our division have at 5 of the 6 starting guard spots, I think this will pay off.

    Washington – Shaun Lauvao – WHO? and Brandon Scherff – beaten like a rented mule by Cox on multiple occasions already.

    Dallas – Chaz Green – ha

    Giants – Justine Puke – still waiting for a 2nd date with Barwin after being abused non-stop. People claim Puke is good, but I don’t think she’s ever had a good game vs. the Eagles and John Jerry – seriously?

  32. 32 Insomniac said at 5:54 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    https://media.giphy.com/media/10yLLpvxglVySs/giphy.gif

    Dude also knocked out Case Keenum and laid down the foundation for the Jared Goff era. You know he’s going to kick some ass out there.

    http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/keenum1.gif

  33. 33 Ryan Rambo said at 5:23 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Now he can knockout Dak and lay the foundation for the Romo era!! LEGGO!!

  34. 34 Media Mike said at 6:44 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    And Eli and Cousins and Cam and Rivers and………..

  35. 35 A_T_G said at 6:19 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    If Justin wants a second date after being abused last time, he should seek counseling. End the cycle, Justin.

  36. 36 D3FB said at 7:46 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    The only ones that are probably close is

    Rams: Brockers/Donald
    Panthers: Short/Star
    Bucs: Baker/McCoy

  37. 37 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 6:21 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    They havent played a single snap together yet

  38. 38 Insomniac said at 9:58 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    You shut your mouth you negadelphian!

  39. 39 Seth S. Scott said at 10:43 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Great note about watching cut ups of yourself instead of other teams. I definitely agree that year two, knowing their roles and having a few more guys to slot in, is going to make a big difference. Its really gonna be special to see the Eagles with one of the best (possible) Offense & Defenses coming into a season in a handful of years.

  40. 40 ChoTime said at 10:45 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    This article should have been titled, “On the DL.”

  41. 41 Bert's Bells said at 11:50 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    In honor of Pride Day.

  42. 42 ChoTime said at 9:55 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    I played a gig for Phoenix Pride on Saturday at the Phoenix Art Museum. A few years ago, I played for NFL players there. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2350bc7f6820a81b606370a01a3047b2f887f88dc0bc4b9c41cfc749b67cdd30.jpg

  43. 43 P_P_K said at 9:20 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Very cool.

  44. 44 Bert's Bells said at 9:30 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    Right on!

  45. 45 Seth S. Scott said at 10:45 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    Also realized this glimmer of hope….only Eagles QB’s in last 30 years to play all 16 games in a season:

    -Jaworski
    -Cunningham
    -McNabb
    -Wentz

    Not many teams have to go back 8 years since they had a QB finish an entire season…..well, maybe a couple.

  46. 46 Media Mike said at 10:59 AM on June 25th, 2017:

    I find myself wanting to vomit every time I realize that scumbag piece of trash Eli passed Jaws’s games played number. I didn’t mind Favre and Peyton doing it, but Eli is garbage. I hope Eli’s unworthy streak is ended via a hit from an Eagle blowing by Justine Puke.

  47. 47 ColorSgt said at 12:05 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    I don’t like to root for anyone to get hurt, but I will hope for chronic Eli face.

  48. 48 Media Mike said at 12:47 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19638357/oral-history-10-years-nfl-europe-demise-alumni-such-kurt-warner-remember-developmental-league-fondly

    Shame this kind of died out. I wish the NFL continued to have a developmental league in Europe. I’d further wish one of the teams belonged to the Eagles and I could attend their full slate of games and a beer ambassador for the club in each an every city.

  49. 49 SteveH said at 2:56 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    You forgot Marcus Smith Tommy, you’re selling them short!

  50. 50 ColorSgt said at 5:15 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    Addition by subtraction.

  51. 51 P_P_K said at 5:27 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    D line better be strong because otherwise the weakness of the secondary will continue to be exploited.

  52. 52 ChoTime said at 9:52 PM on June 25th, 2017:

    The secondary better improve or else the D line will continue to be avoided.

  53. 53 Rob Jarratt said at 6:42 AM on June 26th, 2017:

    The offense better improve, or the defense will be exposed. And so on. Oops, forgot about the linebacking corps.