More New (Old) Guys

Posted: December 13th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 3 Comments »

Injuries are never easy to deal with, but they are part of life in the NFL. The 2017 team had to overcome the loss of key players like Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks, Chris Maragos and Carson Wentz. The team found the right solutions and was able to still go and win the Super Bowl (in case you had forgotten).

The current Eagles team has had a rash of injuries in recent weeks. On Sunday they lost punter Arryn Siposs and safety Reed Blankenship. Siposs is gone for a while. The news on Blankenship was better than feared. He might only miss a few weeks.

Kern will replace Siposs, and he might be an upgrade.

Why was Kern not on a roster? As more and more teams look at fourth down differently, punting is looked at differently. Why pay a 36-year old punter when you can go with a younger, cheaper option? The Eagles got lucky that Kern was available.

Aside from punting, STs coach Michael Clay said he’s confident a veteran like Kern can step in as the holder without the Eagles having issues. Rick Lovato is a veteran snapper and Jake Elliott is a veteran kicker. These guys have enough experience between them that they should be able to get on the same page pretty quickly.

Safety is a more complicated discussion, K’Von Wallace replaced Blankenship on Sunday. Jonathan Gannon told the media that Wallace had a good game. I do not agree. I get that the coach wants to support his guys, but he could have been more judicious with his support.

With CJ Gardner-Johnson still a couple of weeks away, the team decided they wanted to bring in a veteran who could help right away. Harris started 14 games for the Eagles a year ago so he obviously knows the scheme. He’ll have to get updated on a few details, but he should be able to play quickly. Harris played in three games for the Broncos this year. He hasn’t started at all, but he should be in football shape.

It will be interesting to see if the Eagles start Harris or Wallace. Harris is just a placeholder until CGJ and/or Blankenship come back. Still, he should be better than Wallace.

Kern will eventually need to be on the roster (unless Siposs returns for the playoffs). The Eagles are juggling roster spots due to the injuries so Harris being on the practice squad is a big help. He can be added to the roster three times. After that, CGJ and/or Blankenship should be back.

Howie Roseman and his staff have done a terrific job of managing all these situations. That said, it sure would be nice if the team could come out of a game healthy.

*****

SUPERLATIVES

That’s a lot of 1’s. This team isn’t 12-1 by accident.

Football Outsiders has them ranked #1 in DVOA.

Raw stats say the Eagles are the best team.

Analytics say the Eagles are the best team.

Go by wins and the Eagles are the best team.

This has been an amazing season by the players and coaches.

*****

Who is happy about the Eagles winning so much? Apparently a lot of political reporters are.

That is a cool story about how many political reporters are Eagles fans. I knew some of them, but not all.

*****

This is a funny story.

*****

Need your daily fix of Jalen Hurts love? Here you go.

https://twitter.com/fboutsiders/status/1602705682163453955

I continue to be blown away by how much better Hurts is this year. Can’t give him enough credit for all the work he put in and how he’s changed his game.

Special dude.

_

3 Comments on “More New (Old) Guys”

  1. 1 Eagles News: The top playoff threat to Philadelphia - Fitness Formula X said at 6:18 AM on December 14th, 2022:

    […] More New (Old) Guys – Iggles BlitzWhy was Kern not on a roster? As more and more teams look at fourth down differently, punting is looked at differently. Why pay a 36-year-old punter when you can go with a younger, cheaper option? The Eagles got lucky that Kern was available. Aside from punting, STs coach Michael Clay said he’s confident a veteran like Kern can step in as the holder without the Eagles having issues. Rick Lovato is a veteran snapper and Jake Elliott is a veteran kicker. These guys have enough experience between them that they should be able to get on the same page pretty quickly. Safety is a more complicated discussion, K’Von Wallace replaced Blankenship on Sunday. Jonathan Gannon told the media that Wallace had a good game. I do not agree. I get that the coach wants to support his guys, but he could have been more judicious with his support. With CJ Gardner-Johnson still a couple of weeks away, the team decided they wanted to bring in a veteran who could help right away. Harris started 14 games for the Eagles a year ago so he obviously knows the scheme. He’ll have to get updated on a few details, but he should be able to play quickly. Harris played in three games for the Broncos this year. He hasn’t started at all, but he should be in football shape. […]

  2. 2 The Linc - The highest playoff menace to the Eagles - Philadelphia News Station said at 6:49 AM on December 14th, 2022:

    […] More New (Old) Guys – Iggles BlitzWhy was Kern not on a roster? As increasingly more groups have a look at fourth down in another way, punting is checked out in another way. Why pay a 36-year previous punter when you’ll be able to go together with a youthful, cheaper possibility? The Eagles acquired fortunate that Kern was accessible. Other than punting, STs coach Michael Clay stated he’s assured a veteran like Kern can step in because the holder with out the Eagles having points. Rick Lovato is a veteran snapper and Jake Elliott is a veteran kicker. These guys have sufficient expertise between them that they need to have the ability to get on the identical web page fairly shortly. Security is a extra difficult dialogue, Okay’Von Wallace changed Blankenship on Sunday. Jonathan Gannon informed the media that Wallace had sport. I don’t agree. I get that the coach needs to help his guys, however he may have been extra even handed together with his help. With CJ Gardner-Johnson nonetheless a few weeks away, the crew determined they needed to usher in a veteran who may assist straight away. Harris began 14 video games for the Eagles a yr in the past so he clearly is aware of the scheme. He’ll need to get up to date on a number of particulars, however he ought to have the ability to play shortly. Harris performed in three video games for the Broncos this yr. He hasn’t began in any respect, however he must be in soccer form. […]

  3. 3 Eagles News: The top playoff threat to Philadelphia - realquicks.com said at 7:53 AM on December 14th, 2022:

    […] More New (Old) Guys – Iggles BlitzWhy was Kern not on a roster? As more and more teams look at fourth down differently, punting is looked at differently. Why pay a 36-year old punter when you can go with a younger, cheaper option? The Eagles got lucky that Kern was available. Aside from punting, STs coach Michael Clay said he’s confident a veteran like Kern can step in as the holder without the Eagles having issues. Rick Lovato is a veteran snapper and Jake Elliott is a veteran kicker. These guys have enough experience between them that they should be able to get on the same page pretty quickly. Safety is a more complicated discussion, K’Von Wallace replaced Blankenship on Sunday. Jonathan Gannon told the media that Wallace had a good game. I do not agree. I get that the coach wants to support his guys, but he could have been more judicious with his support. With CJ Gardner-Johnson still a couple of weeks away, the team decided they wanted to bring in a veteran who could help right away. Harris started 14 games for the Eagles a year ago so he obviously knows the scheme. He’ll have to get updated on a few details, but he should be able to play quickly. Harris played in three games for the Broncos this year. He hasn’t started at all, but he should be in football shape. […]