Eagles Notebook

Posted: November 28th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 89 Comments »

Here is a quick coaching update.  David Shaw, from Stanford, is getting a lot of buzz recently.  Those in the know swear that he loves that job and will not leave.  Stanford could be great because there isn’t huge pressure there.  Shaw has been in the NFL.  Could be that he didn’t like his time here and does prefer the college game.

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Jon Gruden continues to be rumored to the University of Tennessee.  The Vols are desperate to hire a big time coach.  Gruden was once an assistant there and his wife was a cheerleader there.  I think he’d be good in college because it would force Gruden to work with kids and not obsess on veteran players.  He does well with the QBs on his pre-draft specials.  Gruden coached Donovan McNabb at the 1999 Senior Bowl and that had a big impact on McNabb going 2nd overall.

The buzz is starting to pick up on Greg Roman, the Niners OC.  I need to do a lot of research on him, but it is a lot of fun to watch that SF running game.

* * * * *

Speaking of SF…they are bringing in Kickers for a workout.  Old friend David Akers is just 19 of 27 this year.  For all the fans who shredded the Eagles for moving on to Alex Henery, that move is starting to look quite a bit different.  Alex is 20 of 21 this year and has made more FGs of 40 or more yards.

Henery is the best college PK I’ve ever seen.  I don’t know that he’ll become a great NFL kicker, but the potential is there.  He’s certainly headed in the right direction.

* * * * *

Jimmy Bama and I did a podcast.  We started off talking about Babin and Vinny Curry.  We then covered DJax and the WRs.  We finally got into a game review.  Lots of humor is mixed in.  We discussed Jimmy and DeSean doing a rap album together.  Oh, what I’d give to hear that.  We also discussed whether cutting Jason Babin is the top highlight for the 2012 season. How sad is that?

* * * * *

Here is some draft talk by David Syvertsen, as he reviews the Stanford-UCLA game from Saturday.  Oddly, they meet in a rematch this Friday night in the Pac-12 title game.

* * * * *

Update.

Earlier I wrote that LB Ryan Rau had been added to the roster.  I’m told that he wasn’t.  The team then has 2 spots open.  Could promote a WR from the practice squad to replace DJax or they could stick with just 5 WRs.

I looked around some practice squads to see if there were any players of real interest. There are some Safeties I’d consider.  QB BJ Coleman is on Green Bay’s PS.  Talented player with some potential.

One interesting idea would be NT Alameda Ta’Amu from the Steelers.  He was cut from their regular roster just recently.  He was a mid-round pick that had a bad arrest due to a crazy traffic situation.  If the new coach in 2013 wants to go to a 3-4, Ta’Amu could be the NT or a huge DE in that system.  Ta’Amu would not benefit us now, but that would be an interesting idea for the future.  If the new coach doesn’t like him, you just cut the guy.  No loss.

OG Brandon Washington is on someone’s PS.  The Eagles could add him.  They liked him last spring and drafted him in the 6th round.

There are a few OTs out there, but since you don’t know what kind of OL the new coach will want, that can be tricky.

See who you like.

_

  • Jonzee72

    Hey, I’m available. I will do whatever it takes to get on the Eagles, even carrying towels around. Reno Mahe would have nothing on me.

    • TommyLawlor

      I’ll put in a good word for you.

      • Jonzee72

        Cheers, Tommy.

  • Skeptic_Eagle

    Interesting note on Ta’amu. Pre-draft, I never thought he projected well to NT in a 3-4, despite his insane size. He was actually a very good penetrator at UDub, causing a lot of disruptions in the backfieId, but had a really tough time with double teams. I actually thought he would do much better in a 4-3 as a 3 technique.

    He does give you some scheme versatility, though. Like you mentioned, even if you’re not thrilled with him as a NT, you can stick him at end. If they want to switch to a 3-4 and need a nose, there are some guys in the draft that can do the job–particularly at the top.

    BJ Coleman was impressive at the Shrine game. What does Trent Edwards do for this team, right now, and what’s his role in the future? Sign Coleman up and see if he can do his Manning impression for the Eagles. With so much dead wood, and so many holes, I’d say getting young guys that could be promising is one of the few positive things you can do with the rest of the season.

    • TommyLawlor

      Trent is there to help Nick learn. Vick hasn’t been any help for last 3 weeks due to concussion. That will change as his mind clears.

      I have doubts on Ta’Amu as a NT as well. Stanford pushed him around way too much last season. Still, that size gives him a shot.

  • izzylangfan

    Help me out here. Why are we talking about a 3-4. The Eagles have a small OL and the wrong type of LBs. Ryans was traded precisely because he is not a 3-4 type and aside from Kendricks we don’t have much talent there. So the transition to a 3-4 would be about as gut wrenching a change as you could imagine.

    • TommyLawlor

      Some fans want the team to run a 3-4 in the future. I prefer the 4-3, but think it is worth mentioning.

    • http://twitter.com/sjampendk Patrick

      The 34 Defense have become much more wide spread, which means that its more likely that a new coach/DC runs the 34, i think thats all there is to it. That also means that more players than ever before, both pro and college, have played in the 34.

      Me personally, I like the 3-4, just like i prefer man coverage and big maulers for OL. It doesn’t mean that I’m opposed to the 43 or somehow think one thing is more effective than the other. In the end, all the numbers really comes down to which players you have on the field. It has been mentioned before on the site, the Seahawks run a 43, but to be honest, their DE(Red Bryant) is bigger than any DL we have. They run kinda a hybrid scheme, with Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin as their “Elephant” hybrid player. Its also worth mentioning that both Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright can play MLB.

      • Anders

        My biggest problem with the 3-4 is that we have no player there can easy transform to 3-4 OLB

      • 47_Ronin

        Popularity of the 3-4 ebbs and flows, it was quite popular in the 70s and 80s but declined in the 90s. The Eagles under Vermeil used the 3-4. I don’t think the base defensive formation really matters to a coach. Wade Phillips was DC under Buddy Ryan and ran the Chicago 46. Vic Fangio was DC under Jim “playoffs” Mora Sr with the Colts and ran a 4-3 coming from a 3-4 background with the Saints.

        The 3-4 is the flavor of the year and won’t be a panacea for the Eagles defensive struggles. Plus it would be a lengthy transition to it, the eagles woud need a NT and several new LBs.

        • Anders

          Mike P can play NT for us. He is big enough and was really good when we played a 2-gap scheme. My really problem would the lack of a true OLB pass rusher. So if we switch to a 3-4 we really need to pick for need instead of BPA.

          • 47_Ronin

            Mmmmm, I think Patterson at 5’11″ is too short for 3-4 NT he’s a penetrator not a block-eater.

          • Anders

            I dont know where you got 5.11 from but he is listed as 6-1 on PE.com and back in 2008 when we still played some 2-gap he was around 310-315 lbs and was a huge reason we had one of the top ranked run defenses.

  • JoeC2K

    Here’s what I think the major problem for the Eagles has been the past few years – lack of locker room leadership. Combine that with JJ’s death and all the issues that AR has had over the past 2 seasons with his family and you have the ’11 and ’12 Eagles. Who are the leaders on this team? On D? Who? On O? MV maybe if he put up the points and lead the team to W’s in the 4th quarter… this team needs some serious leadership. Never underestimate a motivated man.

  • Ben Aven

    I would like if we picked up B.J. Coleman. I remember watching him play well in the East-West Shrine game and he was putting some serious zip on the ball. I think he actually hooked up with B.J. Cunningham for a TD in that game.

    • TommyLawlor

      Coleman started at Tennessee and was a Peyton Manning fanatic. Transferred to UTC and had a solid career. Good arm. Has some personality. Interesting.

  • bdbd20

    I’d kinda like to see Igwenagu get a shot. I like the focus on the running game and short passes. He may give the offense some versatility.

    • TommyLawlor

      Iggy is good for practice, but I’ll pass on adding him to the roster.

  • nopain23

    This might be sacrilegious but I hope the Iggleslose their way into a top 3 pick in the 2013 draft. From all accounts this a weak draft. With a paucity of elite talent the Iggles need to be on position to pick at the top of each round.

    If the new coach wants to install a 3-4 defense then the Iggles need to go after Star Lotulelei who can eat up blocks, collapse the pocket and take the pressure of the LBs. If we remain in a 4-3 defense then we go after the TOP tackle in the draft.
    Second round no doubt we need to address the safety position ( I like Bacarri Rambo from Georgia, ball hawking playmaker) but if we switch to a 3-4 then a stud OLB has to be considered. While I’m over the whole Brandon Graham vs JPP thing I can’t help but think that we could have had Earl Thomas back there in our secondary. Shaw is staying at Stanford. Iggles should go after Vic Fangio who should bring 49ers LB and QB coach with him to be our DC and OC respectively. Under Fangio I see us as a run first offense with a defense that gets after the QB and most importantly TACKLES well. Please look at Stanford and the 49ers defense units under Fangio. You don’t see his guys out of position missing a bunch of tackles.

  • austinfan

    PS players:

    (I like small college rookies b/c they have the greatest upside, big college guys who can’t make a 53 man roster must be limited almost by definition, but a talented small college player often ends up on the PS due to inexperience)

    Another thing to look for are guys who are on the same team that signed them, since those teams saw them in camp and liked them enough to keep them around.

    Miami – OT Jeff Adams, Columbia 6’5 305
    Jets – S Antonio Allen, S Carolina 6’1 202
    Jets – OLB DJ Bryant, James Madison 6’4 245 (small college guy who makes a PS has to have something interesting going for him)
    Ravens – LB Nigel Carr, Alabama State, 6’2 247
    Ravens – LB Adrien Hamilton, Prairie View, 6’3 251
    Texans – LB Delano Johnson, Bowie State 6’4 237
    Texans – S Eddie Pleasant, Oregon 5-10 213
    Broncos – S Duke Ihenancho, San Jose St 6’0 205
    Seattle – OG Rishaw Johnson, California PA 6’3 313
    Seattle – S DeShawn Shead, Portland State 6’1 220 ***
    Falcons – LB Pat Schiller, Northern Illinois 6’2 235
    Vikings – OT Kevin Murphy, Harvard 6’7 295
    GB – QB BJ Coleman, Tenn-Chatt 6-3 231
    GB – CB James Nixon, California PA 6’1 190
    Det – OG Rodney Austin, Elon-CA 6’4 311
    Wash – OT Tom Compton, South Dakota 6’5 314
    Giants – OG Stephen Goodin, Nebraska-Kerney, 6-6 310

    • D3FB

      I just watched some stuff on Shead, impressive.

      • Baloophi

        If we picked him up, we could say his last name how Clay Davis would… “Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeead.”

        That has to count for something.

        • mcud

          Awesome.

  • D3FB

    Jeff Adams from Columbia
    Antonio Allen from South Carolina
    Junior Hemingway from Michigan
    Matt McCants from UAB
    Tom Compton from South Dakota
    Deshawn Shead from Portland State

    • Baloophi

      I thought folks were high on Antonio Allen last year… of course then he went in the 7th and obviously didn’t make the Jets. That said, after watching “Hard Knocks” – I wouldn’t trust Mike Tannenbaum to make a wise personnel decision.

      They rang the Yeremiah Bell and hung up the Laron Landry this off-season so maybe the plan was to stash A. Allen and win now with FA’s… oops.

      • TommyLawlor

        I was a big fan of Allen. I wonder about his brains or character. Tape was too good for 7th. Has to be an X-factor.

      • D3FB

        Exactly. He apparently got called up for a week, only to be replaced by the quitter Ricky Sapp.

  • TheRogerPodacter

    its hard to see akers doing so poorly. i think i saw a stat in the last game that he had just tied the NFL record or something like that? anyone else catch that?

    • P_P_K

      You might be referring to the game earlier this season where he tied the NFL record when he kicked a 63 yarder against Green Bay.

      As a side note, Tom Dempsey of the Eagles was the 1st to kick a 63 yd fg, in 1970. The posts were on the goal line back then, so the ball was placed on the 37 yard line. Amazing. Dempsey had no toes on his kicking foot and no fingers on his right hand.

      • Julescat

        Dempsey made the 1970 record kick as a New Orleans Saint.

        His holder on the record was ex-Eagles Joe Scarpati.

        • P_P_K

          You’re right. He joined the Eagles the next year.

          • Julescat

            coincidentally so did Scarpati.

          • ACViking

            deleted by commenter

  • eagles2zc

    Saw Chad Hall on ’9ers PS. I won’t mind some competition at the returner spots for Eagles. Neither returners has impressed me this season and were part of the problem at the beginning of the season.

    Interested to see if Babin gets picked up this afternoon. Might say a lot of his reputation around the league if he’s not.

  • P_P_K

    If the Eagles saw fit to give Babin the axe, why is King Dunlop still on the team? His Is it because we are so short on offensive linemen? His play has certainly been offensive (yuck, yuck).

    • Julescat

      a few of the O linemen names could fit in that question.

    • TommyLawlor

      King actually had a decent game vs CAR.

    • BobSmith77

      Dunlap is completely different story than Peters and the Eagles don’t exactly have a ton of warm bodies to man the OL.

  • http://twitter.com/benjabad Ben Hert

    Question: Who coaches the practice squad? I’d imagine the primary position coaches are too busy with the 53 man roster that they don’t have time to deal with PS players. Is it the assistant positional coaches? Or is there a dedicated practice squad coach?

    Or maybe I’m just thinking about it all wrong. The other possibility I can think of is that the PS just practices regularly with the other 53 and are dealing with the coaches just the same as the rostered players.

    • austinfan

      PS help to fill out the scout team, they had McNutt playing RGIII.
      Problem is that gives you few reps with the team’s schemes, so it doesn’t teach you much.

      Most learning for young players occur in the off season, and exhibition games are crucial for them, which is why reducing the preseason to two games would be a disaster for the league, unless they establish a minor league where teams could send 20 players and call them up at will (i.e. keep 45-50 on an active roster and a bunch in the minor leagues getting experience like baseball).

  • ACViking

    Re: Joe Scarpati

    I couldn’t resist . . . because this leads to a great Eagles-Cowboys story.

    Mentioned below is that former Eagles safety Joe Scapati was the holder for then-New Orleans Saints PK Tom Dempsey when he kicked the record 63-yard FG against the Lions. (After the game, the late Detroit great DT Alex Karras remarked that “God kicked that ball.”)

    Anyway, after the ’69 season, the Eagles traded Scarpati — a long-time starter at safety under, and favorite of, head coach Joe Kuharich — straight up to New Orleans for another, younger safety named Steve Preece (No. 33 in your Eagles program). Preece spent 2.5 years in green before being cut loose in 1972. From ’73-’76, he played safety for the perennial West Division winner, and play-off disappointment, LA Rams under Chuck Knox.

    So here’s the story. Stories, actually.

    Scarpati’s most memorable moment as an Eagle came in 1966 against the Cowboys when he stole the ball, literally wrestled it away, from RB Dan Reeves to preserve an Eagles’ 24-23 upset victory at Franklin Field. (A few weeks earlier, the Cowboys beat the Eagles 56-7 at the Cotton Bowl.)

    Even better . . . that 1966 upset victory was so sweet because the Eagles 3 TDs came on 2 kick-off returns by Timmy Brown and a punt return by a guy named Aaron Martin.

    Otherwise, the Eagles offense couldn’t move the ball . . . finishing with just 80 yards in total offense.

    A great day was had by all!

    • http://twitter.com/KeeepSwinging Anthony Hart

      As a pretty new football fan I love these anecdotes from history you always seem have up your sleeve. Keep em coming!

      • P_P_K

        Here’s some nightmarish info to follow up on AC’s great story. The Eagles followed the upset to beat Dallas again on their first matchup of the 1967 season, and then did not beat them again until 1973. 11 loses in a row, with a point differential of 360-116. Imagine the pain. From that win in 1967, through the end of the 1978 season, we were 2-21 against them. Some historical context as to why we hate the Cowboys so much.

        • ACViking

          PPK:

          So now you’ve brought 1967 into it . . . . Well, I have another story for you.

          By all accounts — and your summary bears it out — the Eagles fans’ hatred of the Cowboys began in 1967.

          That was the year when Dallas MLB LeRoy Jordon delivered a cheap-shot elbow into the mouth of Eagles RB Timmy Brown — later of the movie M.A.S.H. fame — breaking his jaw and loosening several teeth.

          From that moment on, Philadelphia fans HATED the filthy Cowboys.

          And it’s now in the DNA of all Eagles fans!

          • P_P_K

            AC – You are the archivest of lore on Iglles Blitz! I never put it together that TBrown of the Eagles was the same guy as Spearchucker Jones. Very cool.

    • P_P_K

      AC – I trust you remember the “Joe Must Go” jeers. Nothing comparable thus far with Reid. Maybe Andy doesn’t rhyme with anything relevant.

      • A_T_G

        “Andy blows like Sandy!”

        “Reid’s done indeed!”

        We just lack creativity in the stands.

        • ACViking

          A_T_G:

          A simple, “Andy Sucks” would have surfaced at the Vet.

          But at the Linc . . . not sure the quality of fan is that creative.

      • ACViking

        As the story goes, I don’t know if Eagles were first among all teams’ fans at creating dump-the-coach chants, but — as Bum Phillips said in answer to whether Earl Campbell was the best RB — “it doesn’t take long to call roll.”

        The “Joe must Go” chants were only topped by the fan who paid some local pilot to fly a plane over Franklin Field with sign whipping in the wind saying “Joe Must Go”.

        Great times. Great times. And lots of enthusiasm by the fan base.

        ____________

        I was waiting during the Monday night game to hear the fans’ enthusiasm for firing AR.

        It’s not really there. And that’s the apathy to which T-Law’s alluded which must concern Lurie.

        • P_P_K

          I had completely forgotten about the plane! Where did my memory go? Probably lost too many brain cells at the Vet.

    • TommyLawlor

      Simply an awesome story.

  • BlindChow

    S Phillip Thomas is on the practice squad, isn’t he? They should call him up and see what he’s got.

    • ACViking

      Birds cut him about a week or so back.

      As the most vocal supporter of Philip Thomas on T-Law’s blog, I’m forced to say that PT apparently must be a worse option than anyone on the Birds roster — even projecting PT at his best.

      Very disappointing.

  • Cafone

    I haven’t listened to the latest yet, but I love the podcast. You are really a natural behind the mic Tommy. If anyone that reads this blog hasn’t started listening yet… what the hell are you waiting for?!

    • Cafone

      Sort of related… you know what would be awesome? If you did the Eagles draft show with Merrill Reese. I’m not a diehard Spadaro hater or anything, but he’s just not very good at it. It’s just never made sense to me that they have Spadaro hosting the show when all he does is keep repeating, “I don’t follow college ball and don’t know anything about these players.” Well, how about getting the show hosted by someone who does know the players?

      • Kevin_aka_RC

        We’re waiting for his closeup.

      • Ark87

        People rag on spuds all the time. It’s not necessarily bad for him to be uninformed during that particular show. Draft gurus and college ball fans tend to fall in love with players and being experts they are inclined to grade every pick. If it’s the guy they wanted, it’s a great pick, if not, meh. Dave’s job is to relay who the Eagles picked, and provide coverage on said pick- conference calls, phone interviews, college stats, highlight vignette, ask draft experts what they thought of the pick, talk to fans about what THEY think of the pick and then hype you for the season. He doesn’t need an opinion to do that.

        Frankly we didn’t need to see Tommy strangle a kitten when we opted to trade out while Sean Lee was on the board….trade out to the Cowboys…who took Sean Lee.

        Just messing. I’d love to see Tommy or even Caplan be there with Spuds. I love Merill but he’s just a fan on those shows. He falls in love with names and 40 times and some kid who happened to dominate his TV screen on a random Saturday.

        Frankly the easiest way to do it is to just let Bo and Chris do the draft show. They do a LOT of work on the drafts. They aren’t scouts but they are informed when it comes to the subject. They know the projections, they know the scouting reports, they know the players and can tell you something about their game, even if it is based on a general scouting consensus they read up on rather than scouted themselves.

  • Anders

    Is it me or is this draft kinda weak compared to the last few years? There is no clear top QB pick or a total dominating defensive player or offensive for that matter.

    • pkeagle

      Drafts are always going to have certain positions which are deemed weaker than others but it does seem as if this draft class is weaker overall than last year. However, there will be good players at all positions – it’s just knowing which ones they are!!
      In Howie we trust (what other option do we have anyway)

      • Anders

        yea there will be value, but there isnt a Cam Newton, Von Miller or Suh type of player in this years draft

  • bridgecoach

    Tommy, I agree with you that while player personnel discussions are interesting they are subordinate to the question of who are next head coach will be. Their vision will determine which players will stay and which will go.

    If David Shaw takes over as head coach, Eagle fans who have been yearning for an offense steeped in fundamentals that establishes the run to set up the pass will get the West Coast TE heavy offense they wish. He will likely bring in a young NFL coordinator (GB’s Winston Moss?) to be his DC (asst head coach) – a guy who can run 4-3, 3-4 and knows how transition from one to the other. Our offensive line will go back to a mauler style. Vick will be gone and we will move forward with Foles.

    If Chip Kelly comes in, Eagle fans will get a football genius with the brass to implement his vision and force the league to adapt or die. Anyone who complained that Reid couldn’t manage the clock will be treated to the guru who wants to run more plays per minute – not just to dominate time of possession but to do more with every second they have. He will build on Mudd’s athletic offensive line, and have Howie securing Speedy athletes with endurance and fortitude. Vick could stay (with a renegotiated contract) and the chance to be part of Kelly’s system.

    I don’t see Lurie bringing in any retread coaches. He knocked it out of the park when he found Reid – and he will likely look to the same ranks to find his next coach.

  • ACViking

    Re: 21-23

    Eagles’ record (including post-season) since the McNabb trade . . . with 5 more games to go before the book closes on AR.
    _________

    T-Law:

    I know you’ve written that Donovan was traded at the right time.

    Just curious, would McNabb have outperformed what we’ve seen at QB since his trade?

    He and Andy were joined at the hip. Would that have made a difference?

    Or was D-Mac just, to coin a phrase of yours, D-O-N-E . . . AR or no AR?

    [Apologies to all for the sense of nostalgia seeping in today.]

    • BobSmith77

      He was done because he refused to do the work required to stay in the kind of shape he needed to still be a solid QB. Vick saved the Eagles’ season too in ’10 going 8-3 in the games he played.

      Do you really think the Eagles would have been better than 8-8 in ’10 if McNabb had been the starter here? I don’t.

      • ACViking

        Don’t know about Vick “saving the season.” McNabb may have done just as well. Impossible to prove a negative . . . except D-Mac wouldn’t still be figuring out the corner blitz.

        I’m just wondering out loud . . . considering that the careers of both Donovan and Andy went in the same direction after they parted ways.

        McNabb just seems to have hit bottom sooner.

        • Anders

          McNabb last year was better than Ponder and imo would is still a better QB than Ponder. McNabb’s problem is that he isnt coachable

          • ACViking

            Anders . . .

            So I circle back to my question: Would staying with Reid have kept McNabb in the NFL and at higher level than what we’re seeing now in Philadelphia?

          • shah8

            No, Vick is a better QB with better accuracy, particularly downfield. Reid has Vick throwing a number of harder passes than McNabb. What probably would have happened would be that the 2009 ending, where Dallas killed the OL, would have replayed in ’10, same as it did for Kolb.

          • ACViking

            Shah8 . . .

            You may be right about the play-calling.

            But Vick’s record, here and before, fails in comparison to McNabb.

            We’ll never know, but I’d love to hear what AR now thinks about the decision to move D-Mac. Not that he’s one to list regrets. But, as an evaluator and head of football operations, he’s obliged to assess past moves dispassionately. Can’t get better if you don’t.

          • shah8

            Here and before? One major reason why I roll my eyes sometimes, and which was reinforced by the Bills/Dolphins Thursday Night game, was that Vick took an ’04 team that was fundamentally equivalent to the current roster of the Dolphins to the NFC championship game (where it was promptly blown out). There was a reason he got his first 100 million dollar contract so early. For all intents and purposes, only Dan Marino is comparable as an immediately useful young QB. Vick always was better than McNabb in terms of lifting team play and being efficient, and he has always played with less talent until landing in Philly. He also is far more able to bail out his team than McNabb. Vick’s qb performance @ Atlanta is intensely underrated, nonwithstanding whatever the likes of Football Outsiders might claim. His offenses were *much* more able to score than McNabb, comparing McNabb’s 2001 and Vick’s 2002 performances. Had Vick JJ’s defense, that OL, or just anything like a decent receiver, his numbers would have been better. And I promise you, Reid was thinking about Vick when he let McNabb go, not Kolb. There were no regrets because Vick was a clear upgrade, *especially* as the OL issue has gotten ever more pernicious. McNabb would not have been able to cope that well.

            And this last year, while it does look like Vick is less of a running threat, I’ve seen enough excellent reads and passes, and consistently so during spates of good protection, such that my belief is that the parsimonious explanation of his down year indeed has to do with protection overall. I think this is also reasonably obvious (don’t know what others see, of course), and the degree that Vick would be the best free agent QB were he to be let go indicates that it’s probable that the Eagles retain him.

          • shah8

            Ah, one other thing…The holding the ball?

            Unless you are running a spread offense out of the shotgun, primarily, then you *want* to give your receivers a chance to make a big play. The main reason you want to do that is because it’s very hard to march down the field with lots of third down conversions consistently. Enough so that people remark on it when it happens, like the 49′ers march at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter @ New Orleans.

            If you can’t hold the ball long enough, the answer is not making lots of short timing throws. That really won’t get you lots of points a game and leaves you vulnerable to jumped-route INTs. The answer is killing the DL softly with the sound of pattering feet on the ground. What has truly killed the season, even more than the pass blocking, was the execrable run blocking in many games after Baltimore. Particularly up the middle. The one bright spot about Monday Night, even though the Panthers are not a good run defense, was that the line did an okay job run blocking. Missed a ton of downfield blocks, though.

          • ACViking

            shah8:

            I claim no expertise on the subject. Just comparing W-L records.

            But there’s a reason Vick’s reputation before going to prison was “Coach Killer”.

            After the 2004 NFC title game, the Falcons raced off to fast starts in ’05 and ’06. And then tanked — with Vick at the helm, unless he was injured.

            I’m glad the Eagles had McNabb during the ’00s.
            I’d never have traded him for Vick. Never.

          • austinfan

            Unfortunately, Vick is 33, and unlikely ever to last more than 12 games as a starter, still can’t read a defense at a level above an adequate second tier QB, and no longer has the great speed that made him the most dangerous player in the league.

            Which is why he’ll be a backup next year, think the Steelers might prefer him to Leftwich or Batch?

          • Anders

            I think McNabb would have been better than Vick this year, but the problems we see now extend beyond just the QB position

          • shah8

            Oh, no, I promise you, it’s mostly that Speilman wants his boy to succeed sooooo very much. McNabb’s problems came from two things. The flaky mechanics he got away with in Philly just wouldn’t fly with the poor receiving corps in Minn. Of course, the other thing was the lack of real camps. Vets entering a new system need those things just as much as young players. Carson Palmer was horrible when he became starter after one demonstration of how terrible Kyle Boller is.

  • BobSmith77

    Not even concerned about who the coach will be next year right now. Have to see how the NFL season plays out.

    Wonder if Reid survives next week if the Eagles are embarrassed in prime town this Sunday vs Boys. Line has already lifted to the +10 for the Eagles and it wouldn’t surprise me if it shifts up another point or so.

    • jshort

      Let the man finish out the season! It’s been a good ride; better than what we’ve been used to, for the most part. At this point, does anyone believe the man isn’t humbled, dejected, embarrassed? Would anyone really feel better if he were to be humiliated? If so, then throw him out of a speeding car window like some degenerate getting rid of an unwanted dog.
      10+( hmmm), guess what!!! We’re due! This bunch of talented underachievers are about to finally put one together. We’ve got nothing to lose. They’re coming out of that shit hole, football palace with a W. Any given Sunday!!!. Just seeing the cameras scanning the dejected crowd at the end of the game will make my season!

  • Mac

    Babin proves he isn’t an Eagle as he is now flying south for the winter.

    http://www.hark.com/clips/yhdkhzfwkv-are-you-suggestin-coconuts-migrate

  • ACViking

    Re: David Shaw v. Greg Roman

    Roman would be “Shaw Lite.”

    They both were on Harbaugh’s Stanford staff.

    Shaw was OC.

    Roman was the TE/OT coach — and Asst HC.

    BONUS . . . Greg Roman is from Ventnor, New Jersey and an alumnus of Holy Spirit H.S. — the arch rivals and annual Thanksgiving day opponent of the Atlantic City Vikings.

    • TommyLawlor

      Does that make Roman your mortal enemy?

      • ACViking

        That’s a Bingo!!!

  • Baloophi

    It’s time for everyone to don their cyber-Lurie pea coats!

    Would you bring in any outside consultants to help in the coaching search? If so, who?

    The thought occurred to me when listening to Bill Polian on Sirius XM… he seems like he’d be an ideal consultant. I’m sure many of you would want to bring him in to replace Roseman but I sense that Lurie wants to see what he’s got with him, and unless you’re a truly devious revisionist historian, you have to admit this last draft was at least promising.

    Anyway, who would you staff on your own coaching selection committee?

  • eagles2zc

    Seeing how we are short on OG again, I want to see Vandervelde given another chance. Having Watkins as Foles’ blind-side G scares me

  • Eric Weaver

    I’ve been banging the drum the last few seasons to dump this 10+ picks philosophy and trade up as much as you can when it makes sense.

    Green Bay did it with BJ Raji and Clay Matthews in 2009. The Jets did it years back with Ferguson and Mangold. You can quickly turn a weakness on your team to a strength if your picks are right. GB’s defense improved quickly and the Jets offensive line became one of the best in the league for several seasons.

    If the team wants to switch to a 3-4, it’s possible. If they want to switch back to a mauling offensive line, it’s possible. You just have to hit two homeruns.

    • austinfan

      Depends on the draft.
      In a deep draft, you trade down, in 2010 the problem is they took the wrong guys (though Teo has now turned out to be the right guy in TB).
      In 2011, trading up made since because the talent was so thin.
      In 2012, Howie went up and down and got everyone he targeted (or so it seems).

  • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

    During the panthers game, Mike Patterson got a nice sack and the entire team started jumping on him and pounding on his helmet. Was I the only one screaming “Don’t hit his head, don’t hit his head!”

    • TommyLawlor

      Didn’t even think of that. Funny.

  • Wilbert M.

    Why isn’t Phillip Thomas on the team and why aren’t Marsh, Hughes and Sims playing?

  • Iskar36

    OT: I hate to keep harping on the Babin thing, but doesn’t the fact that three teams tried to claim him rather than letting him become a FA and then signing him suggest that some coaches still see potential in him? Even more so, doesn’t that suggest that whoever the next coach is, there was potential that he would have seen something in Babin, making him worth keeping? Again, I don’t think those three coaches are necessarily right about Babin, but to me, it points out why that move was not as great as some people are making it out to be. Significant roster moves at this point in the season should not be made. Those moves should be left to the new regime to work out with Roseman.

    Ok… I’ll try to end my rant about Babin now… I think I have complained about it long enough…

  • http://twitter.com/DickJefferson82 Richard

    Duke Ihenacho, DeSean Shead, Omar Brown, Antonio Allen and Michael Thomas seem like they would be worth looks at for the safety position.