Can’t Fake It

Posted: August 7th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Tuesday night gave us the debut of the 2019 version of HBO’s Hard Knocks. The victim this time, the Oakland Raiders.

I haven’t missed an episode of Hard Knocks since the program began. The first few years were really compelling. Recent years just haven’t been as good. I think players and coaches have been watching long enough that they behave a certain way in front of the cameras. It doesn’t feel as genuine.

There wasn’t anything great tonight. The most interesting, and frustrating, moment came when rookie safety Johnathan Abram got chastised by Jon Gruden for being too physical in a practice where the players  weren’t wearing pads. Sessions like that call for minimal contact.

Abram, wanting to show how physical he can be, was involved in several incidents, pissing off his teammates and assistant coaches. Gruden called the rookie over to calm him down and resolve the situation. Instead of simply agreeing with his coach, Abram questioned him. Multiple times.

I thought Gruden would go nuts.

Nope.

You could see he was clearly frustrated. Mount Gruden was ready to blow, but never did. Instead, he kind of laughed the situation off and walked away. It was an awkward moment. Gruden from his first coaching stint would not have tolerated a rookie questioning him. Coaches are dictators. Players do as they’re told.

What gives?

My guess is that Gruden has watched guys like Doug Pederson and Sean McVay have big time success while being upbeat, nice guys. Gruden is desperate to win and is trying to steal something from their playbook. He’s trying to be player-friendly.

The problem is that coaches have to be genuine. Pederson is a good guy. That was true when he was an NFL backup, high school coach or NFL assistant coach. Pederson isn’t playing games. He’s being who he really is. The same is true for McVay. Players see that and can tell they are genuine.

Gruden is a jerk. And that has worked for him in the past. He built a Super Bowl team in Oakland as a jerk. He won a Super Bowl in Tampa as a jerk. He struggles to sustain success because of that, but he has put together some really good teams.

Gruden as a nice guy? We’ll see. It doesn’t feel right to me. Learning from past mistakes is a good thing, but I’m not sure that’s exactly what’s going on here.

Maybe the Raiders go win 10 games and Gruden can tell me to mind my own business. I think Raiders fans should be nervous based on what they saw in the Hard Knocks debut.

*****

Seeing the show the last few years has made me really appreciate Pederson.

Gruden is weird and you’re just not sure what you are getting with him. Last year Cleveland had Hue Jackson and he came across very poorly. You could easily see why he struggled to win games. In 2017 we saw Dirk Koetter struggle with Jameis Winston and the Bucs. The year before it was Jeff Fisher and a bad Rams team.

Pederson isn’t perfect to be sure, but he is a smart coach who communicates well with his players and knows how to run a team.

*****

Short practice for the Eagles today. Jimmy Bama was impressed by Clayton Thorson.

On the day after he received the most “stock down” votes in the “stock up / stock down” Philly media poll, rookie quarterback Clayton Thorson had by far his best day of camp. He connected with Greg Ward on a pretty deep ball, and threw accurately otherwise. At the end of practice he led a drive to the 10 yard line, when Doug Pederson decided, “OK, that’s it for the day.” Come on, Doug. Let him finish it out!

Thorson has had a rough camp, so he must feel great about finally having a productive day before the preseason games begin. Maybe he can carry that momentum into Thursday night against the Titans.

Thorson has struggled this spring and summer. That doesn’t mean the guy can’t play. Young QBs rarely thrive as they enter the NFL. Thorson has the physical ability to play at this level, but his head is swimming and it has him making more mistakes than even most rookies would. I’m sure his confidence is lower than Chip Kelly’s popularity ratings with Eagles fans.

If Thorson can have a few good showings and start to relax and get more confident, you’ll have a chance to see why the Eagles liked him in the draft. No guarantees, though. Some players never adjust.

*****

Mike Kaye had some praise for Rodney McLeod.

Eagles starting free safety Rodney McLeod was eased back into team drills this week. Coming off major knee surgery, McLeod took some time to return to the field during the offseason program.

After taking part in individual drills during the first week of camp, McLeod was able to expand his workload, playing in “non-contact” 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills.

The veteran defensive back produced the only interception during Tuesday’s practice. During 11-on-11 drills, quarterback Carson Wentzoverthrew a pass to DeSean Jackson near the sideline. McLeod made a tippy toe catch inbounds for the interception.

It was a nice showing from McLeod, who has been missed in the secondary since he injured his knee in Week 3 of last season. He is aiming for a preseason return with his sights set on a Week 1 start.

I’ve been more positive about the safety situation than others. I guess I’ve had confidence in McLeod returning. It certainly is good to see him getting closer. And also making some plays.

Blake Countess is back practicing. And Johnathan Cyprien continues to flash.

*****

I hate this for Ostman, but it’s no surprise after the way his teammates reacted the other night. When they come over to the cart to wish you well, that’s a bad sign.

Ostman worked his butt off to be in great shape and to be ready to really push for a roster spot. He didn’t want to be a feel-good story, he wanted to be an Eagle. He’s on IR now and will have to focus on getting ready for 2020.

As for Edebali, he is here as a camp body. He does have NFL experience so hopefully he can jump right in and contribute.

*****

Tucker suffered a concussion the other day so it didn’t make any sense to keep him. Harris can come in and help eat up reps.

_

One Comment on “Can’t Fake It”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Cowboys among most likely NFL teams to decline in 2019 – SportsHeadlines.News said at 7:47 AM on August 7th, 2019:

    […] Can’t Fake It – Iggles BlitzSeeing the show the last few years has made me really appreciate Pederson. Gruden is weird and you’re just not sure what you are getting with him. Last year Cleveland had Hue Jackson and he came across very poorly. You could easily see why he struggled to win games. In 2017 we saw Dirk Koetter struggle with Jameis Winston and the Bucs. The year before it was Jeff Fisher and a bad Rams team. Pederson isn’t perfect to be sure, but he is a smart coach who communicates well with his players and knows how to run a team. […]