A Fun Thought

Posted: February 16th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 178 Comments »

The Eagles just went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl. As crazy as it may sound, it is possible the 2018 team could be even better.

COACHING

There are going to be changes to the staff, but Doug Pederson has put himself up near the top of the NFL. He showed he can run a team and also produce a brilliant offense. Dave Fipp and Jim Schwartz are back. There is a question of what to do at offensive coordinator and we’ll see how that goes. My guess is that they hire an outsider for that role, but we’ll see. They aren’t going to rush and make a move for the sake of making a move. Pederson is very picky.

OFFENSE

Carson Wentz will be back. He’s coming off an MVP type of season and then got to watch the offense thrive without him. That will make him a driven player, but it also could help that he was able to see things you just can’t when you’re playing. QBs tend to get better as they get more experience so we could have an even better version of Wentz in 2018.

I lean toward Nick Foles returning so that would give the Eagles outstanding depth at QB. If Wentz needs to slow down his comeback or gets banged up in the season, the team can turn to a proven QB that the team knows can win big games.

The O-line should be outstanding, with all five starters returning, plus the likely return of Jason Peters.

There will be plenty of skill player talent. There could be some changes at RB, TE and WR, but the key pieces will all return. And Corey Clement could suddenly become a key role player. The guy in the Super Bowl sure looked like someone you want getting more touches in 2018.

DEFENSE

Most of the DL will be back and that group was outstanding in 2017. Tim Jernigan will be even more comfortable in the system. Derek Barnett could take a big step forward. This group could be improved next year.

There are some questions at LB. Jordan Hicks is coming off injury, but is a terrific player when healthy. The team has to decide if they can afford Nigel Bradham. Mychal Kendricks will be tricky as well. He was a good player in 2017, but would be an expensive backup if Hicks and Bradham are the key guys. Nate Gerry showed some promise late in the year. The Eagles need some young talent to add to the mix.

Safety will be set with the starters. The Eagles could try to bring back Corey Graham if he’ll play cheap. Jaylen Watkins is worth keeping around as a backup.

CB could be improved with Sidney Jones set to take one of the starting spots. Ronald Darby will have a full offseason to master the scheme and lock down the other side. Jalen Mills will be in for a major challenge as he likely will slide inside to replace free agent Patrick Robinson. Rasul Douglas will be in Year 2 to provide good depth on the outside.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This unit was up and down in 2017. Jake Elliott missed too many extra points. That is something he and Fipp will work on.

The Rams blocked a punt and got pressure up the middle. Fipp will want to tighten up the punt protection unit.

The Eagles need more production from their return units. Kenjon Barner had one long punt return vs Arizona, but that was it.

There were a lot of young faces on the field in 2017. Those guys learned a lot and can get better in 2018.

OUTLOOK

The Eagles had great chemistry in 2017 and it is hard to imagine things will be that perfect again, but most of the key players will be the same so I expect a strong locker room and a team that still functions well together. There is leadership with Pederson, his staff and the players. That won’t change.

There are no guarantees the Eagles will be as good next January/February, but the talent is there for this team to be better during the regular season.

2018 could be a lot of fun.

_


178 Comments on “A Fun Thought”

  1. 1 unhinged said at 8:49 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    First of all…

  2. 2 Full_Frontal_Pederson said at 8:54 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    On Second thought

  3. 3 Dragon_Eagle said at 9:56 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Masked Man: 1
    Sean E: 1
    unhinged: 1
    Westpaceagle: 1
    Xeynon: 1
    Everybody Else: 0
    CrackSammich: -1 (Penalty for calling attention to it).
    RobNE: -1
    GENETiC-FREAK: -2 (Penalty for calling attention to it. Second penalty for whining).

  4. 4 unhinged said at 8:59 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Does everyone think that Jim Schwartz was satisfied with the 4 quarters of DL play in the SB? I would like to hear a good subjective perspective that doesn’t discount the impressive run-stopping ability (and pass rush) that the defense exhibited all season. I thought each DC in the SB was intent on targeting quick slants and long, methodical possessions. I don’t think that JS envisioned a 2nd half where his defense could barely get off the field. Time’s yours.

  5. 5 bill said at 9:04 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    After re-watching the game, the DL was fine. DBs were an absolute mess. guys were wide open down the field very quickly. I don’t know enough to figure out what went wrong – I’m waiting for someone to do a breakdown of what happened to the DBs in that game. They weren’t just a step slow or something – they were in a different time zone from the receivers for most of the game.

  6. 6 CrackSammich said at 11:58 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Brady lit up the Jags secondary, too, and they’re arguably the best in the league with a DL that’s at least in the conversation with ours.

  7. 7 or____ said at 12:21 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Stop with those facts and reason. That disrupts the (absurd) narrative that our defense is a problem and our brilliant fans need to fix it for the inept (superbowl winning) defensive coordinator!

  8. 8 CrackSammich said at 12:47 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    More logic:
    Darby in his third year in the league.
    Mills in his second year in the league.

  9. 9 bill said at 1:55 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Yeah, but the throws Brady made in the SB were, in many cases, not hard throws to make (not contesting that he made the reads very quickly, which is another skill of his). His guys were *WIDE* open, 20 yards or more down the field. There often wasn’t a DB within 10 yards of the receiver when he caught it.

    I’m pleading ignorance here – I don’t how it happened. Maybe the Pats schemed them that wide open. Maybe the DBs were physically outmatched. I don’t know. But this was a back end breakdown that we hadn’t seen since early in the season.

  10. 10 Donald Kalinowski said at 10:04 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    His defense is susceptible to the short/quick passing game. There’s not much a DL can do. Which is why I wanted nothing to do with Brees/Kamara.

  11. 11 RobNE said at 11:40 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    and why I wanted the Jags.

  12. 12 RC5000 said at 2:31 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I thought they killed us downfield to WRs and Gronk. The only reception by a back that killed us was Burkhead’s 46 yarder and we were completely fooled on the play. We had Jenkins vs. 3 blockers and Robinson made a huge mistake going to double Dorsett who was a decoy. Bradham got fooled too. He was worried about Dorsett too oddly.

  13. 13 ChoTime said at 11:20 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Who knows what’s going on in his mind, but the defense failed in every statistical category. Maybe the D did prevent easy, short, fast passes and decided to give up easy, fast 25 yard passes instead. While the DL did technically pressure TB at the same rate as during the season, he easily evaded almost all of it, and it didn’t hinder him much. He did have to move around a bit, but he probably does just as much in practice.

  14. 14 unhinged said at 1:43 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Gives me renewed respect for NY when Spags had a physical and hungry DL. The Giants kept the Pats to 14 points, and Brady could not hide his frustration. He was getting no time. Maybe he is faster to read and throw now, 1o years later. Whatever, it is no surprise that oddsmakers are already picking NE to win their division, HFA and represent the AFC in next season’s SB. One wrong hit on TB can change all of that in half a heart-beat.

  15. 15 bill said at 2:15 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    BB changed his scheme and personnel after the 2nd Giants loss.He relies much more on pass catching RBs to counteract good pass rushes.

  16. 16 bill said at 1:57 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Eh, I’m going to disagree that it didn’t hinder him much after watching it again. He just had guys that were so wide open he didn’t need to step in to the throws, or even worry about accuracy much. The DL affected him multiple times during the game. The DBs just weren’t in any position to make it pay off.

  17. 17 Dave said at 2:23 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I’m not sure he evaded it as much as the Pats had a good scheme against the 4-man front.

    From what I have read, they doubled Fletch and chipped the DEs with RBs/WRs/TEs, just enough to slow them down and give Tom enough time to progress through his reads.

    Our DBs just did not cover well.

  18. 18 Guy Media said at 6:26 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    The Patriots held our guys non-stop all game. The refs allowing that to happen certainly has to weighed against any criticism of Schwartz.

  19. 19 ColoradoEaglesFan said at 11:05 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    A la Andy Reid, well done.

  20. 20 bill said at 9:01 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    As far as the OC is concerned, I like the approach. Remember the last years of Reid’s regime, when he was flailing and desperate for assistants? The turmoil that caused? If there’s no one they like as OC, then change the org chart and split the duties among the new positions. Of course, you have to get Lurie to approve of increasing staff size in that case, but it seems to me that Lurie is very receptive to such thinking.

  21. 21 DJH said at 9:28 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Thought: Foles starts next year as Wentz continues to recover from ACL. If Foles is playing lights out, Wentz “needs a little more time to heal” if Foles struggles “Wentz is looking good and ready to go.”

    No QB controversy to see here.

    Of course that would mean retaining Foles and not getting picks/cap for him.

  22. 22 Philadelphian said at 10:44 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    So much depends on Wentz’s time of recovery, what they get get for Foles, and how much they are sold on Sudfeld. If Wentz’s recovery is slow, Foles should stay, but if not a lot will depend on whether they think Sudfeld is a valuable backup.

  23. 23 ChoTime said at 11:11 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Are Eagles fans seriously considering that Foles might be better than Wentz? That seems pretty crazy to me.

  24. 24 RobNE said at 11:40 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    no

  25. 25 DJH said at 12:11 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    No, but the situation with Foles is unique and potentially delicate (thinking media more so than fans). If the FO mishandles Foles, the media will howl. And there are some legit fans who have and continue to favor Foles over Wentz.

    The thinking is you let Foles stay if he wants to. It seems like he wants to, unless it’s a front to potentially get a bigger contract somewhere.

    So he may be here. How to handle that? Let him start the season. But what if he’s playing well? There would be an outcry if you sit him when he’s playing well.

    You say that Wentz isn’t ready. That’s what you say.

    If/when Foles has a flat or off game, it’s a natural time to transition.

    Will it all play out like that? Doubtful. If Wentz is ready to start the season, then you start him. No question. However it’s doubtful he’ll be ready. You don’t want to force him back early.

  26. 26 DJH said at 12:33 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    You can’t let the media dictate what you do but optics as they say are important. Especially when it involves your Star future of the franchise QB and the QB who won the franchises first SB that the fan base has been dying for. Optics will be key.

  27. 27 BrettConnolly said at 1:24 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    my thinking is foles would be motivated by the right fit, a good scheme, a close team and an opportunity to start over a big contract. but maybe not even that starting aspect. maybe he is already happiest where he is.

  28. 28 Forthebirds said at 9:55 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Foles was kind of vague about the future. Saw an interview where he said all the right things, but left the door open. If Wenttz is ready to play and if a team offers something like a second and a 4th round pick (which might allow the eagles to move up to a 3rd) and the situation is good for Foles, he might go. That’s a lot of ifs. It’s going to be a very interesting off season, but the good news is, the Eagles are in the driver’s seat.

  29. 29 Ark87 said at 12:26 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    there will be a few. And the number will fluctuate wildly between. incomplete passes that Wentz throws and every crazy Houdini play he pulls out of his ass. I get the feeling that Wentz will try to come back too soon and that we will not see Nick Foles start for us. Which would mean the bar Nick Foles has set is frozen in the fan’s memories at 7 TD’s, 27-2, Vikings game, Superbowl MVP. And Wentz is going to have to deal with that through rust and possibly not being 100%.

    Boy they say backup QB’s are popular, the world hasn’t seen anything like this though.

  30. 30 DJH said at 1:00 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Exactly. On the one hand, the franchise just won its first SB. That should remove remove some pressure from Wentz. The fan base can sit back and patiently enjoy he and Doug work for SB number two.

    On the other hand, you have SB MVP Foles clearly in the picture for better or worse, as you outline nicely.

    How the FO handles things going forward can go a long way toward determining if it is for better or worse.

  31. 31 ChoTime said at 10:04 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    It is such a bizarre situation. I love Nick but I think he’s a lot closer to Case Keenum than Carson Wentz. But then… Nick really has some pretty amazing performances under a belt–and not just one. I would love to see Nick get a chance with a good team and a good coach to have his own squad. But selfishly, I’d like to keep him here as the backup, too.

    I kept waiting for Wentz to regress a little last year from the heights he had progressed to after a few games, but he was pretty darn consistent.

  32. 32 Ark87 said at 10:46 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I don’t trust him in the cold and wind to be honest. Getting him in mild weather and then indoors really brought out his best. Don’t get me wrong, I’m eternally grateful to Nick Foles and doing what no Eagles QB has ever done, but Wentz is just decisively better in every possible way except possibly durability, if that even really is a thing outside of luck.

  33. 33 Forthebirds said at 10:04 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Wentz will be motivated, but he seems like such a grounded individual that I think he will handle the pressure okay. If Foles stays he will accept his role as backup and I trust Doug to keep his players focused on winning. Whatever controversy or problems exist, it’s in the minds of fans. The Eagles have a great young QB and the best backup in the league. However things unfold, I think it will be good.

  34. 34 Tom33 said at 2:13 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    That’s because it is crazy.

  35. 35 bill said at 9:38 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think if they’re going to go the Ryan Howard route (paying now for past value) with Peters, Foles, and Graham, there’s going to be some surprise moves. Curry. Bradham *and* Kendricks. The DL in particular will have too much money invested. I think they’d move on from McLeod, but I don’t think that saves them much cap this year. I can see them moving quite a bit back with their first round pick and getting multiple thirds or something like that, so that they go cheap and young at TE, LB, RB, and backup DT and DE. Not sure they can draft an OT high with Peters coming back, even though they need the depth, given the injury risk.

  36. 36 Dave said at 10:35 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    “I think they’d move on from McLeod, but I don’t think that saves them much cap this year.”

    It will cost $812,500 more to cut him than keep him and pay his salary.

  37. 37 FairOaks said at 12:23 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Unless they trade him instead, or make it after June 1. But that would complicate future years. Seems likely that he gets another season here.

  38. 38 RC5000 said at 2:20 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    What good is cutting him after June 1st? You then open up a huge hole and there’s not much out there to spend money on. It’s not like we’re going to find a sure starter at safety in the draft or have guys ready. Don’t we have to be under the cap when the league year starts in March?

  39. 39 FairOaks said at 2:25 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    You can designate a player a “June 1 cut” but cut him earlier. It pushes much of the signing bonus dead cap into the next year. In the end, Barnett is going to have to replace either Curry or Graham, most likely. Just too much salary tied up at the position.

  40. 40 bill said at 1:59 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Yeah, and I don’t think they even save much from trading him, which was more to my point (even though I didn’t spell it out enough).

  41. 41 Dave said at 2:15 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    This spells it out for you.

    https://overthecap.com/player/rodney-mcleod/1347

  42. 42 bill said at 2:19 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Thanks. So a post- June 1 trade would clear good money ($6M). Just don’t know if Howie can find a buyer. And you’d want to have that in place before the draft so you can fill the hole pre-emptively.

  43. 43 Dave said at 2:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I guess the big question is, who would actually trade for McLeod? He is due $24M over the next 3 years.

  44. 44 Philadelphian said at 10:40 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Unlike the Ryan Howard situation, the Eagles won’t be locked into any of those players long term, not to mention none of the players listed showed any sign of decline.

    LB is my biggest concern because Bradham is the only durable LB they have. It’s a huge gamble if they decide to go with Hicks and Kendricks as their two top LBS. I’m curious if Gerry has progressed to the point of being a starter.

    TE is another issue, but I think they will find someone valuable in the draft.

    Also, it’s important to understand this defense depends on the DL, which means it’s vital to have quality players to rotate. Therefore, it’s fine that Barnett will be taking more reps, but at the same time if Curry is gone we need someone else to pick up the slack. Maybe that guy is Means.

  45. 45 Ankerstjernen said at 4:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    TEs usually do not contribute in their first year. Or two years. And there aren’t that many good options to go and sign out there. The FA market for veteran LBs always seem to have a few options in different price categories though. So I am really more worried about TE for 2018. Burton and Celek played important roles in these wins.

  46. 46 Masked Man said at 10:46 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    Too early in the year to think about all this?

    The Eagles look like they will win the NFC East again. There’s potential for challenges from NY and DAL. I say the Eagles win it. Deep, balanced team returning.

    Then there’s the best record and #1 seed stuff. Pederson has gained a lot of cool points in my eyes to this point, and I know I’m not alone. He seems like the guy to drive the Eagles to at or near the top of the heap again.

    That would mean we would have to hear a lot of noise at some point about repeat potential. “Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat!” That would be a cool challenge.

    The Eagles could host that NFC Championship game again, or at least get there, with a chance to go to SB LIII! Tommy is right about that. It is fun to think about.

    We look like we’ve got a great chance in next year’s playoffs. We’ll see. Go Eagles!

  47. 47 ChoTime said at 11:10 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    We’d have to be favorites to win the NFC East. But then again, so was Dallas after they won 13 games.

    Now we have to play a first place schedule, which usually does end up quite a bit harder than a last place schedule. Our star QB is on crutches currently. We’ve just experienced an unprecedented brain drain.

    As far as the playoffs, the NFC has more strong teams than the AFC. Repeating seems unlikely to me, but this Pederson-led iteration of the Eagles has exceeded my expectations at every step. I am sure it will be an agonizing off-season and a fascinating season, as always.

  48. 48 laeagle said at 3:30 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    The actual schedule doesn’t look any harder than this year’s schedule. Not at all. It’s not a phantom “first place schedule”; we know who we’re playing.

    Besides, this whole “first place schedule” thing is wildly overblown by most people. We always play our division. And all teams in our division play the same 4 teams in whatever other division we’re slated to go head to head with. There isn’t a whole lot of leeway to make a “first place schedule” wildly more difficult than a “last place schedule”. To wit: we had a last place schedule in 2017 that was no pushover.

  49. 49 Mac said at 4:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    2 games are at stake, so 12% of your schedule.

    In our case, it means playing Vikings and Rams… and it’s not that long ago that the Eagles beat both of those teams, and the one real significant change for any of the three teams in question would be at QB where the Vikings currently have a big ? and the Eagles have an injured guy and a backup QB/Superbowl MVP.

  50. 50 ChoTime said at 9:59 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think the Eagles would consider playing the #2 and #3 seed as part as the regular season as fairly difficult, whether or not they beat them. I think they would consider playing the Patriots as difficult, too. Compare those two games, that 12% to playing the Browns and the Colts or something.

    Yes, it’s harder.

  51. 51 Mac said at 9:32 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    They did have a tough game with the Rams, but basically took the Vikes to school. So, maybe one tough game?

    Would you rather play the Vikings or Packers? I’ll take Vikings
    Would you rather play the Rams or Seahawks? I’ll take the Rams

    So I guess it depends what you’re comparing it to as well… yeah I’d rather the Bears and Cardinals… but I think we match up better vs the champs than the 1st losers in this case.

  52. 52 ChoTime said at 10:36 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Hm, I don’t know. The Packers really weren’t a very good team last year and A-Rod is on the downward phase of his career (and he has been injured a lot).The Rams were better last year than the Seahawks and almost certainly will be next year, too. Wilson is not Superman every game. It is a somewhat funny answer in that all four teams we’re considering could be tough outs.

  53. 53 Dave said at 11:26 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think regardless who is at QB, the offense will score points.

    Special teams were not special this year, at least in the return game. I expect this to be addressed via drafting a return specialist as a returner.

    The defense is what has me concerned. In the games against the Giants (twice), Seahawks, and Patriots, the defensive backfield played poorly. Whether it’s because of scheme, coaching, lack of talent, or a combination of all three needs to be addressed in the offseason.

  54. 54 Ankerstjernen said at 4:28 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Seems like they addressed it last season though didnt it? Sidney Jones could be the solution to this problem. And Douglas looks like a player.

  55. 55 Dave said at 4:34 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Mills, Darby and McLeod all had bad games and all will be an integral part of the defense next year.

  56. 56 Ankerstjernen said at 4:37 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Darby was messed up most of the year though. Mills was solid overall but needs to quit biting the cheese on double moves – he can learn this with practice. The important part is that Jones – if he is better than all of them – will move everyone else down one step on the depth chart. That benefits every single position in the position group and makes for a huge improvement.

  57. 57 Dave said at 4:47 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    In the other games when the pass rush impacted the QBs accuracy and timing, they all looked solid. In the games I named, when the pass rush could not get to the QB, they were not good at all.

  58. 58 RobNE said at 11:39 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    we should put together some IB travel packages to Atlanta now for next Feb.

  59. 59 Guy Media said at 6:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Group visit to the Gold Club?

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nba-star-got-sexual-favors/

  60. 60 bushisamoron said at 10:59 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    I keep Foles period. If Bradham signs, Kendricks goes. Curry goes. Draft a tackle. Move Mills to slot. Draft LB. keep Sudfeld on active roster. Extend Graham two years. Keep Blount if cheap. Cut Tory Smith. And again , keep Foles.

  61. 61 unhinged said at 1:49 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Is that OT or DT?

  62. 62 Masked Man said at 4:56 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I like those calls!

  63. 63 jshort said at 6:47 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    FOLEs could also play TE when running the Philly Special, insurance if Burton leaves. This organization should consider getting a throne for FOLEs, hate to see him on the bench.

  64. 64 eagleyankfan said at 11:10 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    mmm, IMHO, Clement was already an import part of the offense. Pederson – who is no dummy – had Clement in KEY situations during the SB — showed trust in the kid. Even dialed up his number a few times. I do agree though, in the SB, Clement looked quicker – angrier – and king of all stiff arms in the SB :).

  65. 65 Guy Media said at 6:23 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Clement is so sound with his fundamentals. The dude really doesn’t do anything wrong/dumb on the field.

  66. 66 mtn_green said at 7:11 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    he must’ve showed that in practice to be trusted like that.
    I remember being shocked he started season on ST and he looked good doing it.

  67. 67 A_T_G said at 11:56 AM on February 16th, 2018:

    It is possible the 2018 team could be better?

    I don’t want to hear this kind on nonsense. It is expected the 2018 team will be better. This year should be seen in retrospect as the slow start when we just barely squeaked out a Lombardi trophy in comparison to ease with which we win the next five.

  68. 68 Dan in Philly said at 12:41 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Tommy Lawlor for the next OC!!

  69. 69 Ryan Rambo said at 3:24 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Pederson! “Lawlor, why are there always Funyun crumbs on my play sheet!!”

  70. 70 Ankerstjernen said at 4:32 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Next years trick play will be called “Megan Fox”. So when Foles runs to the sideline on 4th and goal he will have to ask the coach “Do you want Megan Fox?” And Tommy will look him in the eyes for a loong second, just like this year, and say “Yes!”

  71. 71 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:05 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    We know Tommy does, but does Doug have the balls to call Megan?

  72. 72 RC5000 said at 2:40 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Hmmmm is this a hint Tommy heard we’re looking outside the organization for an OC or is it really a guess?

  73. 73 iceberg584 said at 2:53 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Well, if they were going in-house, I’d imagine it probably would have already happened by now.

  74. 74 RC5000 said at 4:31 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    There was also the alternative they aren’t doing anything . It’s not like we’ve heard of an interview either.

  75. 75 Ankerstjernen said at 2:45 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I like this way of looking optimistically at things, but I think Tommy is going a bit too far. A few positions will almost certainly be worse. TE is going to be worse this year – even if Celek is back he is an ageing player, and they don’t have anyone to replace him with. He also plays a key role in the run game. If they can’t bring back Bradham (and there is no cap space at all) they definitely will not be as good at LB. And for all intents and purposes, losing Flip and Reich is going to be a step back in terms of coaching acumen, if nothing else then simply because the replacements have to get used to the program.

  76. 76 RC5000 said at 3:39 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Wentz didn’t play in the playoffs. He can’t really outdo Foles winning the Super Bowl in a given season but we’ll be able to compensate for other weaknesses as Wentz keeps getting more experience and gets even better. Hicks and Peters might be back. (Hicks will be but whether he stays injury free who knows.The Eagles will be more experienced.

    The OL is better with Vaitai getting experience.

    Look I like Celek and maybe it will take time but he’s replaceable ultimately. There are a couple really good blocking TEs in the draft – Smythe, Thomas, Schultz. He’ll use an OL too as a blocking TE.

    Agholor could be even better. Hollins will be better. Ajayi could improve with a tc and Clement could be better.

    Sidney could be a big factor.

    They might find a guy or 2 like P-rob & Blount . This will be the destination as the Pats are fading as the place to go.

    I think the position that is declining a little is free safety as Malcolm is slowing a little but he may have a year left.

    There’s many ways to skin a cat.

    Oh and we didn’t lose Joe Douglas who seems really good so he can restock.

    It will still be a long road but there are reasons to be optimistic too.

  77. 77 Ankerstjernen said at 9:41 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Hehe, yea, I mean I am very optimistic about the future. Soem positions could be even better, as you say. The combination of Wentz, Pederson and a FO who seems to have everybody elses number is extremely encouraging. The team overall could be better. All I am saying is that LB and TE very likely will be worse.

  78. 78 Guy Media said at 6:21 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Look at it this way; they’re not ignorant of the issues you highlighted and Howie has a few months to work on them. I think we can revisit all of this in July .

  79. 79 kajomo said at 7:57 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Celek is easily replaceable from a skill perspective. Remember he was a 5th round pick himself. Teams are looking for athletic pass catchers. We have one of the best in the game at that. We need the much more undervalued blocking TE. Day 3 pick or inexpensive FA signing. Burton hurts more than Celek, but he was very underutilized here.

    I think we re-sign Bradham. Our cap situation isn’t as bad as it sounds. He can easily free up money and have 21 of 22 starters already signed.

    It is hard to know exactly how the loses of the cixhes will impact us until the season starts. I am more optimistic since they coached on Doug’s side of the ball.

    Getting Wentz, JP, and Hicks back are all huge improvements. Sydney Jones took a RS year and will be competing for a starting spot. Barnett, Douglas, Clement, and the rest of the young players could improve.

    We can still add some pieces through draft and FA. While we don’t have a ton of extr cash or picks remember guys like PRob cane at the vet minimum and Clement went undrafted. We have the scouting department who will find creative ways to improve this roster.

  80. 80 Ankerstjernen said at 9:43 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    I agree about all of this, except I think you might be underrating Celek. In fact I think people generally are. He is a superb in line TE and he executes in this offense to a perfect degree. TEs are hard to replace with rookies, especially the ones who need to be trusted in the blocking scheme.

  81. 81 kajomo said at 10:46 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    I think you are remembering the Celek of yesteryear. He is no longer a very good blocker. He is merely adequate. I think his biggest strength is his leadership and the respect he commands in the locker room. He is a true Eagle, but the time of him being a good player are behind him. His skill level can be easily replaced. His leadership will be missed.

  82. 82 RC5000 said at 2:53 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Funny Nick anecdote about Eagles fans on Kimmel…

    https://youtu.be/vQsebwXKIBo?t=1m

  83. 83 RC5000 said at 3:00 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Guess Jimmy doesn’t follow football too closely anymore.

  84. 84 Dave said at 3:46 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    The media really lucked out that Nick won the MVP. He’s such a good role model and spokesman for the city, team, NFL, and sports in general.

  85. 85 Ark87 said at 4:21 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    he really upped his PR game on this media tour. He was always a good dude, but suuuuper boring. Turns out he can be charming and fun and interesting. Kudos to Jimmy and Ellen and others, it can be a real challenge to get a fun interview and do it well. It’s kind of an underrated skill.

  86. 86 RC5000 said at 4:40 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Jimmy’s the best and when he came off that man show with Carollo, I never thought he could do it. I just thought he was a fantasy football dork basically. I don’t watch talk shows hardly though. If I do it’s Kimmel or Fallon.

  87. 87 Duracell said at 6:01 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    No love for Colbert?

  88. 88 Mac said at 4:27 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Adult: Hey kid what do you wanna be when you grow up?

    Kid: A backup quarterback!

  89. 89 Ark87 said at 4:39 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Just another reminder…Doug Pederson and Nick Foles delivered us our first superbowl victory… football is just…you know I’m going to stop trying to reason my way through football. I mean in the context of all these years, and all these teams we’ve watched…Doug Pederson and Nick Foles…Weird stuff happens and the is absolutely no way to predict it. Who was here last offseason like, “listen everybody, I know we’ve had a lot of great teams that have let us down in the past, but this year we’re going to lose most of our best players and Doug and Nick Foles will win our first superbowl”.

    It’s stupid, it’s definitely going to put some things in perspective every time I start prognosticating and thinking I’ve got a pretty good grasp on things. It goes something like this: “it’s going to be hard to pay players X, Y, and Z in our cap situation and losing one is going to hurt us, particularly in such and such scenario, but Doug Pederson and Nick Foles beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in a shoot out for our first superbowl victory so, who the hell even knows?”

  90. 90 or____ said at 5:24 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I applaud you but highly doubt that many others will be humble enough to join you in that philosophy.

  91. 91 ChoTime said at 9:54 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    This was definitely the craziest season I’ve seen since following the Eagles, that is, since ’89. Second craziest might have been the Dream Team.

  92. 92 laeagle said at 10:13 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Fascinating mirror image of this team. Everyone who was brought in was high profile, and the team had super high expectations. And went 4-12. Pretty much the anti-2017 team.

  93. 93 ChoTime said at 10:32 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    And for me, I had high hopes for the Dream Team and it went absolutely against my expectations (I guess almost everyone felt that way?). This year, I really thought this team was only average, but they turned out to be extraordinary.

  94. 94 unhinged said at 5:13 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Lane Johnson has me wondering what he is up to. He’s responded to the former players for BB who said they had “fun”( Tedy and Willie and Trey) and said that they “have” to say that. I think LJ sees a future for himself in shock radio.

    https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/16/lane-johnson-on-anti-patriots-comments-i-just-expletive-in-everybodys-cheerios/

    https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/16/lane-johnson-is-bill-belichicks-nightmare/

  95. 95 RC5000 said at 5:23 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I thought Bruschi kinda confirmed what Lane said so the whole thing was settled but that’s just me. :

    “I had a lot of fun,” Bruschi said, via “ESPN First Take.” “There were so many times that we would speak out in meetings, the entire team meeting would erupt in laughter, we’re playing music on the team plane — we had so much fun.”

    Bruschi went on to talk about Bill Belichick the coach. “If you want a relationship, and you want to double date with your coach, I mean go play with those guys,” he said. “Unless you want to learn how to win games and consistently win games throughout your career, you play for Bill Belichick.”

  96. 96 Will Ft. Jimi Hendrix said at 5:40 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    LOL speaking out in meetings and listening to music on the team plane was a blast

  97. 97 laeagle said at 9:49 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    “It’s wonderful, sometimes Father lets us play hoop-the-stick and we laugh and have our lollies. It’s a wondrous time at the orphanage.”

  98. 98 Duracell said at 6:05 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I love how Tedy more or less misinterpreted Lane’s original comment and continues to make himself look pathetic in the aftermath.

  99. 99 Masked Man said at 8:04 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Tedy is whining.

    “But I don’t like it! Make him stop it!”

  100. 100 Will Ft. Jimi Hendrix said at 5:32 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think he just hates the Pats. Which is fine with me. He was talking about them before the SB too.

  101. 101 Masked Man said at 8:03 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    LJ is pulling the plug on their little Super Bowl Dynasty bath party and they don’t like it. There’s 8 or 10 guys been milking that stuff for years.

  102. 102 GermanEagle said at 5:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Here’s a fun thought for you:

    Eagles are fricking Super Bowl Champions.

  103. 103 daveH said at 8:31 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Yep weyerd feeling .. we won. . Still floating

  104. 104 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:17 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    In your dreams! Wait. What???

  105. 105 CTbirdsguy said at 6:09 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Random old thing I ran into…Shoutout to whoever it was that in a 2014 thread wrote:

    “How much farther behind a receiver does Fletcher need to be until – because of the curvature of the planet – he’s actually in front of him?”

    T-5th for 20+ and T-21st for 40+ completions allowed, and it feels so good.

    EDIT: I should add, compared to 32nd for both in 2014

  106. 106 Masked Man said at 8:00 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    (Involuntarily, Masked Man ***shudders*** at the mention of the name Bradley Fletcher, the worst name in man defense since Izell Jenkins…)

  107. 107 Guy Media said at 6:39 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I’d agree with Tommy that this team could certainly get better going into next year.

    Wentz will be in year 3 and I think he’ll be a little better speeding up his internal clock and I’d expect another jump in accuracy.

    Guys like Agholor, Clement, Hollins, Darby, Barnett, Rasul, and Sidney Jones can all be expected to be better. I’d add Mills, but not sure if I’m prepared to deal with a debate with the folks who hate Mills.

    I’m excited to see what they do with a few of the thieves on this roster and what guys they add in FA and the draft. I’m really hopeful we get another Chris Long or Blount type dude or two in here for a run at another title.

    I’m going to plant Derrick Johnson’s name right here.

  108. 108 Masked Man said at 7:57 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Derrick Johnson would be consistent with Howie’s sneaky new “let’s sign some old dudes to fill the roster out” philosophy.

  109. 109 daveH said at 8:29 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Whu are the thieves yo ?

  110. 110 Guy Media said at 8:34 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    As a function of their cap hit; Torrey Smith, Vinny Curry, Brent Celek, and Vinny Curry again. Way too much money in those dudes vs. their production.

  111. 111 daveH said at 8:39 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Y.ok.

  112. 112 Guy Media said at 8:41 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    https://overthecap.com/position/4-3-defensive-end/2018/

    I really can’t have 3 sacks = 7th biggest DE cap hit. If Curry wants to talk salary reduction, he’s all good to to stay.

  113. 113 daveH said at 8:45 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Im ok oif he wants to do situps

  114. 114 daveH said at 8:52 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    In his driveway.. but hope we resign him at a fair lprice

  115. 115 Guy Media said at 8:53 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Ha

  116. 116 Guy Media said at 7:20 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I’m starting to really not like the possible players at #32 vs “we must get an OT at #32.”

    So I looked at this draft as where I could get dudes who would have more value in 2019 and beyond as we cycle some overpaid guys out of here.

    Round 2 Pick 8 (DEN): Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia (A)
    Round 3 Pick 9 (MIA): Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame (A+)
    Round 4 Pick 2 (NYG): Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia (A+)
    Round 4 Pick 31: Folorunso Fatukasi, DT, Connecticut (A)
    Round 4 Pick 32: Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina AT (A+)
    Round 5 Pick 19: Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State (A+)
    Round 5 Pick 32: Trey Marshall, SS, Florida State (A)
    Round 6 Pick 32: Joel Iyiegbuniwe, ILB, Western Kentucky (A+)

  117. 117 Fufina said at 7:45 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I cannot comprehend the obsession people seem to have with drafting a OT in this draft high. We have a pair of elite tackles signed for 2018. We have a young raw developmental tackle who improves every game he plays and had a good playoffs. We are 3 deep at tackle when a 1/3 of the league cannot find a single quality tackle, and most of the rest struggle to find 2.

    Sure Peters is old, he may not come back from this injury properly, or decline significantly in his play. However he was an all-star last year when healthy, a leader, a 1st ballot HoF, who has come back from worse injuries in a shorter time. Even if 2017 was his last good season we have Vaitai as one of the best back ups in the league already, and he has significant upside still to become a good NFL OT.

    Draft another raw project OT on the 3rd day. Let Stoutland go to work and see if we can develop another OT over the next 2 years. If Big V flames out, and Peters breaks down, then come back and address the position with assets (cap or draft pick) in 2019. If a Tackle is BPA take them but it is far from the biggest position of need on the team (LB/Safety/Interior OL/TE)

  118. 118 Guy Media said at 8:25 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think if a guy you love is there at 32 for OT, great. If he isn’t, no biggie. I think Big V has earned another year of faith.

  119. 119 daveH said at 8:28 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    BPA at 32 all day. . No need to reach

  120. 120 Guy Media said at 8:29 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Yup, there aren’t many starting jobs open here at all, so doubly a reason to avoid a reach.

  121. 121 Ankerstjernen said at 10:07 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Looking at the way they won this year, I sort of understand it. The Oline destroyed the pats and Vikings up front and showed just how important it is to have an elite unit in this offense in the playoffs. They have a young franchise QB who takes too many hits and has gotten injured two years in a row. But you just can’t depend on Peters coming back well and even if he does he is not here for long. Vaitai has played admirably, but he is clearly the weakest link on that line and not an above average tackle so far and did allow a fair deal of pressures in the playoffs as well despite getting help on many snaps. Behind him is Seumalo, whom they benched during the season so they could sign freakin Will Beatty. If you consider that it might take a year to get a young rookie tackle up to speed as a starter (especially one who falls to 32), this really is the year to try and find that all important LT or RT of the future.

    That said, no reason at all to reach at 32. You can make the exact same argument for safety, or LB, or TE or maybe something else.

  122. 122 jshort said at 11:05 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Your forgetting about Taylor Hart, he’s back and ready to get better.

  123. 123 Ankerstjernen said at 2:32 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    He was also cut last season in favor of the dude that got benched in favor for Will Beatty, so….

  124. 124 Masked Man said at 7:55 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Those Georgia Boys! RB’s Sonny Michel and Nick Chubb!

  125. 125 Mac said at 8:40 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    In round 4… Great

  126. 126 Guy Media said at 8:42 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Chubb is a fascinating guy to read up on. Opinions on him are all over the place and Sonny Michel took some of the shine off of Chubb in the title game. I full well don’t expect Chubb to last that long however.

  127. 127 Mac said at 8:54 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    It’s gonna be a weird draft. feels like it has a hole in the middle. But I’m very happy with what we got out of the picks we traded away.

  128. 128 Guy Media said at 8:56 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    And you know Howie isn’t going to sit still all night long.

  129. 129 Mac said at 9:05 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Lets make a deal!

  130. 130 Masked Man said at 12:28 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Nick Chubb in round 4 is a steal isn’t he..? Or Michel.

  131. 131 Mac said at 9:43 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    I’m extremely hard to impress with running backs above round 3… and we don’t have a 3rd round pick (yet) so I went with round 4 where he probably won’t be available.

    If he falls to the 3rd round and we have ammo, I’d be excited.

  132. 132 Bert's Bells said at 8:08 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    O noes! Draft game copy and paste.

    It’s the least wonderful time of the year.

  133. 133 D3FB said at 9:59 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    1: Martinas Rankins, T, MSU
    4. Chad Thomas, DE, THE U
    4: Rashaan Gaulden, S, TENN
    5: Keishawn Bierra, LB, WAS
    5: Chase Edmunds, RB, FORDHAM
    6: Justin Watson, WR, UPENN

  134. 134 Guy Media said at 7:02 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    He went at 21 in the draft I posted. I think you need to shut your mouth about Rankins as people are catching on. Hopefully nobody snatches him before we pick.

    Bierra was a guy I was doing some reading other day and liked him. I’d been passing on Thomas (although I’ve had DE on my mind) because of some of the knocks on him for being more of an athlete than a football player, but I’ll look more at him. I’ll peep that safety as well.

    Thanks for sharing and I appreciate your valuations being ahead of the on-line ones, as it helps me know when I’m getting guys later than they’ll really be there.

  135. 135 D3FB said at 2:37 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    Thomas is an interesting guy because he can apparently play like 15 instruments and is a well rounded human being. Between that and his Schwartz style measurements I could see him as the kind of guy that would fit well in the room and some of the vets could take a shine to him and take him under their wing (I’m thinking Long specificially)

  136. 136 Guy Media said at 3:59 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    That’s worth keeping an eye on. Thank you.

  137. 137 DJ007 said at 7:54 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Some names to keep an eye on it DP is looking for an outside candidate as OC
    1) Greg Roman (Ravens Assistant head coach & tight ends coach): was OC for Jim Harbaugh at SF and did an amazin job with Alex Smith and Kaepernick
    2) Rob Chudzinski (FA): QB whisperer for Newton and Luck
    3) Pep Hamilton (Michigan QBC & Passing Game Coord) did a nice job with Luck at Stanford and first 3 seasons in IND, would basically have the same position with the eagles

  138. 138 Guy Media said at 8:27 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    1) Ew, gross. Fuck that whole trash San Fran ran.
    2) Ew, fuck Cam Newton.
    3) Ew, another run around QB type guy.

    I really do appreciate the look at the names for a possible extra coach here in the OC role, but I’d rather not replace a legit NFL system guy like Reich with guy who are know for gimmick play.

  139. 139 Masked Man said at 12:26 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    1. Ew…!

    2. Ew…!
    3. Ew…!

    Heh, heh, heh, heh.
    Reich did set a very high standard for us.

  140. 140 DJ007 said at 5:45 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    To be fair, when Reich was hired, he didnt have the best resume as well (besides being QBC for Peyton) and never had overseen an amazing offensive unit..

  141. 141 DJ007 said at 6:01 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Was Reich a “Legit NFL System Guy” before he was hired here? Cant recall one top offensive unit he was part of as a coach…I think he developed nicely under doug…

    If you look at a “traditional WCO/AirCoryell”, our system was labeled a college like system (remember the player comments after the Broncos game) with Zone Read, RPO etc….

    I think its all about accumulating different ideas and effective gameplanning…Roman has 20yrs experience in the NFL, Chud 13yrs…both are good options, and I wouldnt label them off as “Gimmicky”

  142. 142 Guy Media said at 6:54 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    His stuff in San Diego w/ Rivers was legit and not gimmick like what takes place with Kaep and Newton. I hate those dudes. And Broncos dumb comments aside, Pederson didn’t really do the naughty deep of gimmicky intentional QB runs. Wentz would go when everything else broke down and Foles didn’t go at all.

  143. 143 DJ007 said at 8:25 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    If I recall it correctly Mike McCoy was calling the plays…yes Rivers did have a career year, but their offense was extremely unbalanced with one of the worst running games in the league (31st) leading to a 9-7 record and the fieing of reich (I still think Reich was the Fall guy for McCoy as there were rumours that McCoy gets canned, but to save his head he fired Reich)…but I agree to your argument, the passing concepts were good…and Wentz mostly scrambles as last resort under pressure

  144. 144 Masked Man said at 12:24 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    What’s your thought about Darrell Bevell?

  145. 145 DJ007 said at 6:21 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Thx man, nice suggestion, totally forgot about him…
    1) He was Dougs last QBC in GB from 2003-05, so a connection is there
    2) Comes from a WCO background
    3) Under him Wilson developed nicely
    4) Played QB in Wisconsin for 4 years

    Seems like a good fit, although I still cant forgive him for calling a pass play at the 1 yrd line against NE in the SB…. and the called pass play of the vikes vs the saints in the NFCCG (where Favre threw an INT within FG Range)

    …isnt he known for running the ball? Also after Lynch retired, his units were downright offensive (relied more on wilsons magical playmaking ability….although not having starting quality OLine and RB is the fault of the GM)

    What do you think?

  146. 146 Guy Media said at 6:53 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    That’s an impressive list for Bevell and I’m a bit Wilson fan.

  147. 147 Masked Man said at 8:13 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Nick Foles appeared on a talk show recently and was asked if Tom Brady had talked to him yet. He said, “No, Tom has not called.”

    When I heard that, I was not shocked. And I just want you guys to know that Tom has not talked to me yet either… Not even a voicemail or a text.

    And I’m having some complex feelings about Tom’s whole attitude in this thing!

    “Tommy… I’m having a problem with your attitude here. Be a man and reach out, Tom! Before it starts to get ugly between you, me and Nick!”

    Hahaha. Go Eagles!

  148. 148 SteveH said at 11:45 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    My feelings about Brady are not so complex.

  149. 149 Gary Barnes said at 8:54 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    Agree our punt and kickoff returners have to be improved a lot and the coverage got loose as the season progressed. Elliott did very well considering when he came in and how young/raw he was. Our punter could use competition go get back on track.

    My worries on D are at LB and S. Hicks is injury prone and cannot be relied upon to last 16+ games. Kendrick also is injury prone. We got lucky Kendrick stayed healthy. I like Bradham a lot, but he will likely want a big raise and I think we’ve seen his best. The issue is none of the reserves have shown much. Draft target here. Same with S. If Jenkins or McLeod get injured, we are in big trouble plus McLeod also got exposed in coverage and tackling at times.

    Offense I think we are in good shape.

  150. 150 Guy Media said at 8:58 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    I think there will be a chance to draft a WR or RB who can also be the PR/KR guy as well, but I’d agree they need to upgrade there assuming Sproles is done.

  151. 151 anon said at 4:55 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    need josey back

  152. 152 Dragon_Eagle said at 9:28 PM on February 16th, 2018:

    1-15. We beat the Cowboys resting their starters in the final game of the season 2-0.

  153. 153 Masked Man said at 4:26 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Players Bonuses For Winning The Super Bowl 2018:

    NFL announced that every player in both rosters will receive bonus checks after the Super Bowl 2018. Every Player of the winning team roster will take home as much as $107,000 while losing team players will get $53,000 each.

    Winning Team Player Bonuses:
    Each and every member of 53 man squad of winning team (Patriots) will
    pocket $107,000 regardless of them playing or not playing the game
    itself.

    Runners-up Player Bonuses:
    Every member of losing team roster will get $53,000.

    http://www.totalsportek.com/money/super-bowl-players-bonuses/

  154. 154 Guy Media said at 7:35 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    What would you guys do with Graham’s deal? He’ll be 30 when the season starts, so I’m leery of adding too many years onto it.

    If you take the $7 mil in salary he’s due this year ($8 mil cap hit), convert $6 mil of that to a bonus and add 2 years to his deal. That would start his 2018 cap hit at $4 million. I’d round that off by making the total signing bonus in the new deal at $12 million (so the prorated cap charges would be $4 mil to each of 2018, 19, and 20). Then add in $18 mil in salary over 19 and 20 to round out the deal. Make $8 mil on each year a roster bonus paid in early March to get him his money early and almost in full each year.

    So the new deal would look like.
    Signing bonus $12 million.
    2018 – $1 million salary + $1 million pro rated charge from prior deal + $4 million pro rated charge from new deal = $6 million cap hit
    2019 – $ 1 million salary + $8 million roster bonus due at end of first week of 2019 league year + $ 4 million pro rated charge = $13 million cap hit
    2020 – $1 million salary + $8 million roster bonus due at end of first week of 2020 league year + $4 million pro rated charge = $13 million cap hit.

    So if getting Graham to $13 mil / year through age 32 instead of his current $8 mil isn’t good enough for him, I have to make other plans.

  155. 155 Fufina said at 8:05 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Add $3-5mil to that per year average. Graham has talked all season about not taking a pay cut and getting his final pay day, which is entirely understandable since he didn’t get to max out his previous deal. He will also be looking for pretty much all of 2019 and 2020 to be real guaranteed money so you are probably going to add another 1-2 years to the deal even if they are semi ‘fake’ and more there to spread the signing bonus more and to inflate the players ego. Also you in that proposed deal are only adding $24mil over the 2 years in new money. It would also be rare to structure the entire contract in roster bonus’s as team can save money even if he is fully guaranteed in the case of suspension.

    I would be surprised if Graham resigns with the Eagles. I think what he would get as a free agent in 2019 and what the Eagles could pay him would be hugely different, and i am pretty sure it will end up being a pretty rough contract by 2020 when he is going to be 33.

    Its one of the reasons why i really wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles didn’t add another DE with a decent pick (in the first 4 rounds) and look to do the same again in 2019, when they are probably lose Long as well to retirement/age/free agency.

  156. 156 Fufina said at 8:10 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Olivier Vernon signed a $17mil a year deal in 2016 with the Giants, and there will be twice as much cap space available in 2018 leading to solid inflation in the market. Even with being older i think Graham will be looking to get that kind of size of deal, considering the general market inflation.

    It is also why Curry’s contract is actually pretty decent at $9.3mil a year… its what you need to pay for solid (not even really good) DE’s.

  157. 157 Dave said at 8:41 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Unfortunately, I agree with everything you said.

    Graham suffered through the Juan Castillio debacle and then the Chip Kelly 3-4 conversion, which deflated his value. He signed for less money to come back to Philadelphia.

    I’m not sure what will happen. It’s obvious the owner thinks very highly of him, but the team’s salary cap and his age are definitely a major hindrance to getting a deal done.

    Welcome to the new normal!

    I could absolutely see a pash rusher chosen at #32.

  158. 158 anon said at 4:55 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    keeping graham i’d have to be ok losing curry – i’m ok with that at this point. giving players a ring sort of releases me from feeling guilty.

    real question is why did we give lane a LT deal if he’s never going to play LT?

  159. 159 DJ007 said at 8:59 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Looking at our roster, we have some work to do:
    – Restructure Curry, Ertz and Celek contracts (or even cut Curry)

    – Cut/Trade Kendricks (we have Gerry with similar traits), Torrey Smith, Maragos, Watkins, Smallwood, Means

    – Extend Graham and Bradham with 3 year contracts

    – High Draft Priority: OT (Peters will be gone after 1 more season), MLB (Hicks injury prone like Sean Lee and we dont have any good depth at LB), S (behind our starters getting old no depth)

    – Medium Draft Priority: TE (blocking TE and hybrid player like Burton), OG/C (new young option despite seumalo, also kelce getting older with wear&tear on athletic c), RB (we have Ajayi, Clements and Pump but need a prospect in case of Ajayi not getting extended after next year and/or Pump being bad)

    – Low Draft Priority: WR (need better depth than Johnson&Gibson), DE/DT (more Depth as Allen/Means are gone, developmental prospect), CB (depth in case Mills/Darby wont be back after next year due to needing new contracts), P (Jones getting old, punter who can throw as well like Hekker (Rams) would give another weapon to Big Balls Doug to go for it on 4th D)

  160. 160 iceberg584 said at 10:48 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    You’re gonna ask Ertz to take a pay cut?

  161. 161 Ark87 said at 9:31 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    It just occurred to me that Wentz could tear off 30 yards on the Philly Special, but we’ll have to keep it in our pocket for a few years since teams will be watching out for that and plays like that like a hawk ( we like to hit people with a play with a lot of misdirection, and we almost always go back to it but the misdirection is the actual play now, so look for a variation where Clement just keeps it for a Wildcat play or Burton gets the pitch starts to roll and just tosses it back to Clement as everyone flows to Wentz).

  162. 162 ChoTime said at 10:30 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Dug will keep it in the pocket for next year’s Superbowl and run a fake off it.

  163. 163 Mac said at 11:03 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Multiples of 3… I guess that means they have to have at least 2 more options they can run out of that “formation.”

    Doug is going to be “in the head” of most defensive players who will have to decide if they should “trust what you see” or “expect the unexpected.”

  164. 164 Bob Scatchard said at 2:10 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    Saw a video of that play on you tube and Torry Smith was 2nd option on the play and was also wide open cutting across middle back of endzone.

  165. 165 RobNE said at 6:44 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    Ringer did good article comparing the plays. Pats ran it for chunk yardage and therefore tried to lead Brady. So be careful. That makes it more difficult completion esp if your an is 53 and close to retirement.

  166. 166 Mac said at 9:36 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    The Eagles have achieved what every NFC team has dreamed of for the past decade.

    Winning the Superbowl, and gifting the rest of the league the ability to tell the Pats “if you’re not first, you’re last” ~Ricky Bobby

  167. 167 P_P_K said at 10:00 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Ricky for OC.

  168. 168 meteorologist said at 10:58 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    This is really random but here’s a Greg Hardy update

    https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2018/02/16/ex-cowboy-greg-hardy-wins-mma-fight-1453-seconds

    https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2018/02/15/ex-cowboy-greg-hardy-fighting-cage-zero-dollars

  169. 169 Ryan Rambo said at 11:06 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Mike Garafolo

    @MikeGarafolo
    Eagles G Stefen Wisniewski narrowly missed a $250k playing time incentive this year so the Eagles said no problem, we appreciate guys who block three guys on one play in the playoffs and redid his deal this week to include a $250k signing bonus for 2018.

    8:28 AM – Feb 17, 2018

  170. 170 Mac said at 11:25 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    Lane Johnson should send a thank you card to the Miami Dolphins.

    I wanted him so bad with our pick that year, but thought there was almost no way Chip would select him over Dion Jordan.

    Edit to say: not just Lane, I think I might send them one as well.

  171. 171 unhinged said at 2:12 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    You must’ve been ecstatic when Miami spasmed and traded down. I know I was when Eagles took DMAC instead of Ricky Williams.

  172. 172 Mac said at 11:38 AM on February 17th, 2018:

    The age old question: Defense wins championships vs. The Elite QB wins championships…

    The 2017 Eagles provide no help in this discussion on an overly simplistic level because they don’t even get to the Superbowl without an outstanding defensive game vs Atlanta and they don’t win the Superbowl without an epic level performance by Foles.

    What do you guys think?

  173. 173 unhinged said at 1:12 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    If you break it down from a Pats perspective, they could barely touch Nick, but their DB’s were ballin’ (and holding and grabbing and interfering), and Nick’s in-you-face bravado and dime-dropping was TOTALLY unexpected. So if the totally unexpected didn’t happen, the team with the better defense (across the season) would have lost and it would not have been close.

    But Belichick’s game-planning makes his defense almost the equal of the superior defense – he’s done it repeatedly… so my nod goes to the defense being the rule rather than the exception. If you take away Brady’s relentless perfection of a single, but complex skill, NE’s not a dynasty but a consistent contender. Take way Belichick and Brady’s probably lucky to have one ring.

  174. 174 RobNE said at 6:40 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    I think defense wins championships is not true anymore.

  175. 175 unhinged said at 1:22 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    Chris Long said he wasn’t thinking football at all until he returns from mission work in Tanzania. Is he definitely done as an Eagle?

  176. 176 Bob Scatchard said at 2:05 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    already signed for next year.

  177. 177 D3FB said at 2:41 PM on February 17th, 2018:

    He’s been doing this for a few years. It’s healthy and natural for guys to get away for a month or two to just refresh and recharge. He’s a vet who knows what it takes to be ready come September, I wouldn’t be too concerned.

  178. 178 or____ said at 6:26 PM on February 23rd, 2018:

    I believe his words directly to a reporter was “i’m gonna be back m ef er”