Howie and Doug Speak on ’18 and ’19

Posted: January 16th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson met with the media on Tuesday. What did we learn?

Carson Wentz is the Eagles QB moving forward. Doug was asked the question point blank and that’s how he answered. Howie later said the Eagles would love to also bring Nick Foles back. He did not address the difficulties in doing that, but the tone in his voice let you know it wasn’t going to happen.

Both men acknowledged how much they like this team, but also talked about the need to add talent. It is important that they don’t overrate some of the role players. Wendell Smallwood had some good moments, but clearly the Eagles must upgrade RB. They need a playmaker.

The O-line came up as a topic. Obviously neither man was going to make any commitments in terms of who would be coming and going. Doug talked about Big V as a candidate for next year. Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata also got mentioned. Jeff Stoutland is high on both players. The question is whether the Eagles are willing to count on either of them as starters next season.

Doug said all three of his coordinators would return. There was fan and media criticism of Jim Schwartz and Mike Groh, but both men will be returning. Honestly, that’s the smart move. Schwartz remains one of the top DCs in the league. The Eagles banged up defense gave up 35 points in two postseason games. Dallas, with a healthy and high-ranked defense, gave up 52 points.

Groh is a more complicated subject, but at the end of the day, I think there is value in staff continuity when dealing with a young QB like Carson Wentz. If you want to add someone to the staff, fine. But getting rid of Groh doesn’t seem like the right move.

As for Dave Fipp, he’s still one  of the best STs coaches in the league. There is no reason to make a change there.

Doug did say that the team is still reviewing personnel and the coaching staff. It is possible there could be changes made with the staff outside of the coordinators.

Jimmy Bama asked Howie about the draft.

Take that as a strong hint. The Eagles could be looking at DL. There are going to be some tough decisions about which veterans to keep.

Howie mentioned QB and RB as positions that aren’t as good. QB is weak up top. RB is good up top, but lacks depth.

Someone asked about the Golden Tate trade. Howie wouldn’t say anything critical of Tate or the trade. He talked about swinging for the fences and continuing to be aggressive. It sure seemed like he was trying to admit the deal didn’t work as expected, but that there was value in being aggressive and that he would continue to do things that way in the future.

Jeff McLane tried to get Howie to talk about Carson Wentz’s injury timeline and situation. Howie refused to comment, several times.

We really didn’t learn much from the press conference. We’re only a couple of days from the season ending so no real decisions have been made. There is a lot of work to be done, in terms of figuring out who to keep and who to add. The Eagles have business and football decisions to make.

Watch the PC below.

*****

Holton has elite speed, but is a major project. Maybe Shelton Gibson can tutor him.

Oh wait…

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2 Comments on “Howie and Doug Speak on ’18 and ’19”

  1. 1 hailporn said at 7:13 PM on January 16th, 2019:

    Hello There! Have A Good Day!

  2. 2 Eagles News: Brandon Graham says “I love Philly but I owe it to myself and my family to explore free agency” – SportsNewsNow said at 1:48 AM on January 17th, 2019:

    […] Howie and Doug Speak on ’18 and ’19 – Iggles BlitzThe O-line came up as a topic. Obviously neither man was going to make any commitments in terms of who would be coming and going. Doug talked about Big V as a candidate for next year. Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata also got mentioned. Jeff Stoutland is high on both players. The question is whether the Eagles are willing to count on either of them as starters next season. Doug said all three of his coordinators would return. There was fan and media criticism of Jim Schwartz and Mike Groh, but both men will be returning. Honestly, that’s the smart move. Schwartz remains one of the top DCs in the league. The Eagles banged up defense gave up 35 points in two postseason games. Dallas, with a healthy and high-ranked defense, gave up 52 points. Groh is a more complicated subject, but at the end of the day, I think there is value in staff continuity when dealing with a young QB like Carson Wentz. If you want to add someone to the staff, fine. But getting rid of Groh doesn’t seem like the right move. […]