Lack of Respect

Posted: February 3rd, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Winning teams always get some weird criticism. That’s human nature. We love to rip at things on the top. But some of the criticism coming at the Eagles this year has been weird, especially for what seems like such a likeable team.

Kirk Cousins is the QB dancing on the team plane and wearing jewelry in cheesey videos. Aaron Rodgers is the QB with the big mouth and weird ideas on the world. Russell Wilson is the QB who seems so fake and shallow. The NFL world suffers from Tom Brady fatigue. Jalen Hurts is all business. He never says anything controversial. If anything, he’s boring.

More than a few people thought the Eagles roster was so good that Hurts was not that important. Chris Simms was the biggest idiot of them all. Hurts missed two games and the Eagles lost both. He’s come back and led the team to the Super Bowl. Now…

I think we’ve got that angle under control for now.

The newest dumb idea is that Nick Sirianni isn’t that good of a coach because the roster is so stacked.

Oh boy. He had a chance to walk this back, but doubled down. Yikes. His Giants lost three games to the Eagles this year, with two of them being non-competitive blowouts. But that’s all because of the roster. Sirianni is just along for the ride.

He is right that the Eagles have a loaded roster. We can agree on that.

But history is filled with loaded rosters that didn’t get to the Super Bowl. Heck, I remember the Eagles having a loaded roster with Andy Reid and going 8-8 back in 2011’s Dream Team nightmare.

Coaching is critical to success in the NFL. Love should know this more than anyone. Brian Daboll inherited a mess and turned it into a playoff team. Well, guess what. Nick Sirianni also inherited a mess. The Eagles were 4-11-1 the season before he arrived. The Eagles trailed by 10 or more points in all but a couple of those games. It was a disastrous season.

Sirianni came in with a coaching staff of teachers. They focused on fundamentals and gave a lot of detail in what they wanted done and how they wanted it done. That style turned out to be just what the team needed.

Beyond that, Sirianni’s message focusing on connection has really resonated. The Eagles had become a bloated team with too many selfish players after the Super Bowl win. Sirianni wanted a team that would have strong relationships and common goals. He’s gotten everyone to buy into that message and the results speak for themselves.

I’m obviously biased when it comes to the Eagles and Sirianni so let’s see what an analytics person has to say.

Boom. There you go. Sirianni is maximizing this talented roster by making the right decisions and playing the right style. His aggressiveness brings out the best in them and puts them in position to control games and win.

Love couldn’t be more wrong. Ask Russell Wilson or Trevor Lawrence if coaching matters.

Sirianni should be a finalist for Coach of the Year, but I get him missing out. That award tends to go to a coach who has taken a bad team and made then relevant, like Daboll did. I’m a lot more focused on the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Several Eagles coaches have won Coach of the Year in my days following the team. I can promise you that means nothing compared to 2017’s Lombardi Trophy. I hope Daboll wins. He and love can hold the trophy together while they watch the Super Bowl.

*****

I do get where some people aren’t going to like Sirianni. He’s got a goofy personality and that will bother some. He’s fiery and opinionated. That will bother some. His sideline celebrations and antics will turn off some.

I’m fine with people not liking him. I’ve hated plenty of coaches. Does anyone really like Bill Belichick? Is he a genius and amazingly good coach? Absolutely. I hated Jimmy Johnson with a passion. But I sure respected how good he was.

On a side note…when is Mike McCarthy going to get a contract extension? He deserves a lifetime contract. Maybe longer.

*****

Jerry Jones made some strange comments.

The Rams did go all-in to win in 2021. It worked. And then things fell apart this year. That’s a tremendous situation for teams to study and fans to debate. Is going all in worth it? Probably if you get the ring, but if you don’t…woo boy. There will be some tough years and tough questions.

The Eagles did not go all-in this year. They have a young core of talent. They have 2 first round picks this year and an extra second round pick next year. Their cap situation is fine. Howie Roseman did trade for Robert Quinn at midseason. That hasn’t worked out. The midseason signings of Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh turned out great and didn’t cost anything but money.

The Eagles are in the Super Bowl and will have a strong team next year as well. With Sirianni, Hurts and Reed Blankenship, don’t expect them to start losing anytime soon. Those are the Big 3 right? Did I forget anyone?

(j/k Mr. Reddick)

Jones used to be more aggressive with football moves. Signing TO. Trading for Roy Williams. Now Jerry lets the football staff run the show. And they do a good job. But giving Zeke big money and making him the key to the offense is one mistake that Jerry had a big hand in. That limited resources that could have been spent on a CB or another offensive playmaker.

RBs are important, but you don’t build teams around them anymore. The days of Emmitt Smith are long gone.

*****

Another thing on the roster…let’s not act like the Eagles had this obviously perfect offseason that was obvious and easy. Let’s start with free agency.

Haason Reddick

#16 FA by Sports Illustrated
#24 FA by NFL.com
#13 FA by ESPN

Kyzir White 

#87 FA by SI
#73 FA by NFL
#75 FA by ESPN

Reddick might top the list if we’re doing it now, but he was behind plenty of guys, including Jadeveon Clowney, in the pre-free agency rankings. The Eagles made the right move, not the splashiest move.

Nobody paid attention to White. He was just seen as a veteran who could start, but wasn’t going to have any real impact.

Trading for AJ Brown was huge, but the Titans were willing to let go of a good player in his prime. I doubt Howie Roseman was the only GM who knew Brown could be had. The Eagles had the cap space and draft capital to make the move.

The Eagles got lucky when the Giants had to release James Bradberry. There wasn’t much of a market left so the Eagles got him at a good price. Still, Bradberry wasn’t seen as an elite corner. Other teams had a shot, but he chose Philly. Wonder if Dallas could have used a CB this season?

The Eagles got lucky when CJ Gardner-Johnson had a falling out with the Saints and they decided to trade him for a low price. There was risk in bringing a guy like him onto a team with good chemistry. But Sirianni and his players made CGJ feel welcome and embraced him. Now they’re all in the Super Bowl together.

This wasn’t the Eagles running around in the first days of free agency and throwing money all over the place. The Eagles made calculated moves over the course of months and really didn’t stop until December. Their patience was huge. Had they signed some mediocre CB, Bradberry couldn’t have happened. They didn’t panic at safety and then hit a home run in the CGJ deal.

One of the other keys is that the Eagles kept the right players around. Brandon Graham had his most productive season. Cox played better this year than in 2021. Darius Slay had his best season as an Eagle. Howie could have moved on from them to try to go younger, but all three had good years and made key plays for the Eagles this season.

*****

SENIOR BOWL

I think the Eagles should be happy with how the practices went. The Eagles might be looking OL/DL/CB and those spots featured some good performances.

I’m guessing this will be Fletcher Cox’s final season with the Eagles. He’s 32 and has 173 games under his belt. That’s a lot of wear and tear. If he wants to stay, the price would have to be right and I’m not sure he’s willing to go cheap on what would likely be his final deal.

So what kind of player would the Eagles want to replace him? Understand that Cox is a unicorn. He’s 6-4, 310 and athletic. He can 2-gap or fly up the field and blow up plays. There is one guy in the draft who has that potential…DT Jalen Carter. He should be long gone by pick 10 so who else might interest the Eagles.

Adetomiwa Adebawore had a good year for Northwestern. He caught my eye in multiple games, but I didn’t appreciate how good he was until Mobile. He had a fantastic week. Adebawore is only 6-2, 284, but he’s got big hands (10 7/8) and long arms (34). That helps him to be so disruptive.

I met his agent down there and that was one happy guy. Adebawore put on a show. He is quick off the ball and plays with great leverage. There are moments when he makes you think of Aaron Donald. He’s obviously not at that level overall, but he’s got some of those elements to his game. Adebawore has a great motor. If the play is away from him, he’s chasing the ball relentlessly. One of the things I like best about him is that he’s aggressive, but also smart. He plays under control. Some undersized DT types just fly up the field. Adebawore has excellent awareness and does a great job of finding the ball and getting to it.

Coming into the week, I wasn’t sure where Adebawore would fit in the NFL. Was he a DE or DT? After seeing him at the Senior Bowl, I think he’s a starting 3-tech. The Eagles should definitely have interest in him.

***

One of the players I was most excited to see was Keion White from Georiga Tech. He is 6-5, 280 and has a chance to be a high pick. You won’t see him in the first round of a lot of mock drafts, but Daniel Jeremiah had him as his #8 overall prospect. I think the buzz on White will grow and he will be a first rounder. Here is a clip of DJ talking about White.

White moved around at GT. He played mostly DE, but some DT and was used in space at times. There was a play where he covered the RB on a wheel route and ran step for step with the guy. That athleticism showed up in Mobile. White did some drills with other edges where he was dropping into coverage. He looked like a guy who was 250, not 280. His movement skills are something else.

That athleticism shows in his pass rush as well.

Burst. Speed. Bend. Power. That’s impressive. He’s also strong and physical. White can set the edge on run plays. He can bull rush. He plays with good leverage and is able to generate real power.

Where does he project on the DL? I think all 32 teams will have interest and will see him as different things. I think he could take over Cox’s role on the Eagles DL. Analyst Doug Farrar compared White to Denico Autry, who played DL for the Colts while Jonathan Gannon was there.

White really impressed me in Mobile. I think he can be a good DL for a long time, especially if he goes to a team that is creative up front. Gannon has been creative with the Eagles front. We’ve seen Cox at NT, DT and DE. He’s lined up all over. White would be a really interesting replacement for him.

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Another DL I was excited to see was Byron Young from Alabama. He’s got a traditional build at 6-3, 297. He’s quick and disruptive. He can be stout against the run. I thought he would excel in the 1-on-1 drills.

Young was up and down. I don’t think he hurt his value at all, but I don’t think he helped it either. Young certainly had good moments.

Keep in mind that is a 337-pound OG who might go in the first round that he’s walking back to the QB. Young had some really good flashes. I just hoped he would stand out more than he did. Not good, not bad. I still think he’s got a bright NFL future and I’m sure the Eagles will spend a lot of time checking him out. He would fix Cox’s role on the DL.

***

We still don’t know what will happen at RB, but there were a couple of interesting prospects for the Eagles to consider.

Tyjae Spears is 5-10, 204. He is a big play back. He did some crazy stuff at Tulane and then kept doing that in Mobile.

His vision and ability to make cuts at full speed is impressive. Every day he delivered big plays, whether in the run game or the pass game. If you want a weapon, Spears is your guy. And check out this move.

https://twitter.com/DP_NFL/status/1621254620508028930

I saw that happen in front of me and couldn’t tell what happened. I’ve never seen a move quite like that. The poor Pitt LB was helpless against that insanity. Spears is a unique player and a talented playmaker.

The Eagles have a great offense, but everyone wants more weapons.

***

Appalachian State (the Harvard of the South) had RB Camerun Peoples at the Senior Bowl. He has good size at 6-2, 215. Peoples was a workhorse power runner at App. They fed him the ball and he ran downhill, often dragging tacklers with him. I was curious to see how he’d do against NFL guys. Peoples more than held  his own.

He ran the ball well, but I was pleasantly surprised that he blocked well and stood out as a receiver. He caught passes every day in the team sessions and looked good. Peoples caught more passes in three days of practice in Mobile than he did in 4 years at App State. They used a lot of RBs and threw to smaller guys. I think his ability to contribute as a runner, blocker and receiver will help his value. And he is a talented RB.

I think Peoples would be a great fit for the Eagles offense. The one piece that was missing this year was Jordan Howard, a N-S runner who could hit the hole and run someone over if needed. Peoples isn’t quite as big as Howard, but he’s got that ability. I think he would fit in nicely as a role player. Peoples will be a Day 3 pick.

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I’ve got a lot more Senior Bowl stuff to come. I will keep the notes coming your way.

*****

I was shocked to read the Josh Sills news. That is mind-blowing. I did a double-take when I read the headline because that’s just not something you expect to see. Players get into trouble, whether college or NFL. They’re human beings and some of them do bad things. But boy…you don’t expect to see that.

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One Comment on “Lack of Respect”

  1. 1 The Linc – Someone placed a million dollar bet on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl - Balance Sportscast said at 1:04 PM on February 4th, 2023:

    […] Lack of Respect – Iggles BlitzI do get where some people aren’t going to like Sirianni. He’s got a goofy personality and that will bother some. He’s fiery and opinionated. That will bother some. His sideline celebrations and antics will turn off some. I’m fine with people not liking him. I’ve hated plenty of coaches. Does anyone really like Bill Belichick? Is he a genius and amazingly good coach? Absolutely. I hated Jimmy Johnson with a passion. But I sure respected how good he was. On a side note…when is Mike McCarthy going to get a contract extension? He deserves a lifetime contract. Maybe longer. […]