Listen Up You Hosers

Apparently the Eagles will be playing up in Canada against the Bills this year.  The schedule will be officially released tonight so we’ll have confirmation soon enough.  Buffalo has lost the games played in Toronto each of the last 2 years (MIA, CHI).  Of course, those weren’t exactly juggernaut Bills teams.

I expect a large contingent of Eagles fans to take over the stadium and introduce our Canadian brothers to the way a football game is supposed to be.  The last 2 years the stadium has lacked atmosphere.  That better change in 2011.

Just a heads up for those that go, if you find a mouse in a bottle of beer from the Elsinore Brewery, that is against the Canadian Criminal Code and you’re entitled to a free case.  Just go to the brewery and tell ’em that Bob and Doug sent ya.

* * * * *

I was listening to the Dan Patrick show this morning.  They had a discussion about the battle for the cover of the upcoming Madden game.  It is down to Peyton Hillis and Michael Vick.  One point someone brought up was whether fans should want their favorite player to win.  There is a “Madden cover curse” that has plagued some guys in the past, mainly in the form of injuries.  One of Dan’s assistants made the joke that he’d just gotten an email from Kevin Kolb saying that Vick should absolutely win and get the cover.

* * * * *

I want to pause some of the O-line discussion and save that for after the draft.  There were some good questions and comments on Monday.  That will make for a good discussion in early May.  We won’t be talking about mini-camp or UDFAs.

I will talk about the draft angle.  Mudd doesn’t require guys that are massive, but that doesn’t mean he can’t use them effectively.  Mudd needs players that can move, whether they are big or small.  Jason Peters is thick/heavy, but is agile enough to be fine in Mudd’s system.  Winston Justice is 6’5, 320.  That’s hardly a huge OT.  He’s also agile enough for Mudd’s system.  A guy like Jon Runyan might have been awkward.

On the inside, Mudd does prefer guys that are lighter.  Guards/Centers that go 330 pounds tend not to have the footwork and athleticism he likes.  I popped in some Eagles tape last night just to watch a couple of series.  Nick Cole would be a complete debacle in this system.  He has the lateral agility of a mountain.  Max Jean-Gilles is hardly nimble, but he’s at least guy a fighting chance with his new build.  He looked like a whole new guy last year, after shedding about 60 pounds.

Todd Herremans gets listed at 320, but that’s a joke.  I heard from one person a couple of years ago that Todd got down to 280 in that offseason.  He doesn’t look that light, but he’s not 320.  He’ll be fine.  McGlynn has a good build.  He’s strong enough to anchor, but isn’t so big that he can’t move and cover a small space.

The Eagles can look for interior blockers anywhere in the draft, but they don’t have to come from the first couple of rounds.  I still think Clint Boling in the 2nd round would make a lot of sense.  The Eagles can see if Will Rackley or Rodney Hudson is around in the 3rd.  A guy like Marcus Cannon would have been ideal for Juan Castillo’s system, but isn’t a good use of resources for Mudd’s system.

The Eagles can go look for a guy even later.  One consideration is that the lower the pick, the less likely that the player will challenge for playing time in 2011.  If Howard wants a starter, he probably ought to find that guy in the 2nd or 3rd.  If he wants a player to develop, he can go 4th, 5th, or even lower, depending on how he likes the G/C class.

I’ve touched on this before, but it’s worth bringing up again.  With Castillo, we focused on OTs.  We spent little time on pure C’s and G’s.  We wanted OTs, especially LTs.  They had the size, arm length, and footwork needed for Juan’s system.  The hiring of Mudd gives us the freedom to look at a pure G like Hudson (291 pounds).  We can still look at someone like Rackley who played LT, but projects to the inside in the NFL.  Rackley isn’t so big that he can’t play G or C in Mudd’s system.  He uses his hands well and has good lateral agility.  He could be a good RG in the new system.

We discussed this in the column I wrote after reading the interview with Howard, but one of the key factors is finding guys that are mentally tough and coachable.  Small school players tend to have a chip on their shoulder since they didn’t go to a football school like Penn State, Ohio State, or Michigan Iowa.  Those guys are more likely to listen to a coach and focus on fundamentals than a kid from a big school who is used to being praised.  Mudd had good success with players from mid-major and small schools.  That should make Rackley and Slippery Rock C Brandon Fusco all the more interesting to him.

Who are some mid-to-late round players that could be of interest?

Will Rackley ——- Lehigh ———– 6’3, 309 — 3rd round
Rodney Hudson — Fla St. ———— 6’2, 291 — 3rd round
Brandon Fusco —- Slippery Rock — 6’4, 302 — 4th round
David Arkin ——– Missouri State – 6’5, 300 — 5th round
Stephen Schilling — Michigan ——- 6’4, 305 — 5th round
Andrew Jackson — Fresno State — 6’4, 299 — 5th round
Caleb Schlauderaff – Utah ———— 6’4, 302 — late rounder

Those are my guesses at the kind of projections we would have on those players.  I’m sure some sites might have them rated higher or lower.  I’m trying to guess what the Eagles/Howard Mudd will think/see/want.  Fusco is the only outright Center in the group.  This is a terrible class of Centers.  I think highly of him, but otherwise I think you’re better off taking another player and moving them to the middle.  Some people feel Hudson could be a good C.

I have to admit that the more I think about Rackley as a potential RG, the more intrigued I get.  Is he worth our 2nd rounder?  Will he last to the 3rd?  Ask about other players if you like.  It is possible I’ve overlooked someone.  Do remember, that the list was guys who should be in rounds 3-7.  That’s why I didn’t bother with Pouncey, Watkins, and guys like that.  I’m also doubtful that Stefen Wisniewski makes it far into the 3rd round, if at all.

I’ve got a post half-done with some draft Q&A from the last couple of days.  I’ll finish that and post late tonight or early tomorrow.

Eagles OL Scheme Change

I was all set to bombard you with more draft talk, but then I tuned in to listen to Eagles Live this morning and Ross Tucker came on to discuss a variety of issues.  One thing he focused on was the different blocking schemes from last year to this year.  I had a pretty good feeling about how to explain some of the changes, but Tucker offered some real good insight.

Juan Castillo used a method where the OTs used a kick-slide to get back.  This gave the DE a free run up the field for a couple of yards.  The OTs had to then engage the rusher as he closed ground.  Guys who did well in our system needed 2 things:  long arms and a big bubble.  The long arms allowed the OT to initiate contact sooner, but remain back.  The “big bubble” refers to a big butt and thighs area.  Guys that are thick in that area are able to anchor better.  When a DE hits him, he’s able to hold his ground or maybe only give a step.

The interior linemen weren’t exactly the same as this, but the basic principle to give ground and anchor was the same.

Howard Mudd believes in short pass sets.  This means that the linemen will come off the ball and engage defenders immediately or close to it.  There will be no retreat and then hold your ground.  Mudd’s system is more about lateral blocking.  Castillo’s system is more “vertical”, meaning moving N-S.  Both systems have had excellent success.  I’m not knocking what Juan did.  Just want to shed some light on the differences.

Since blockers no longer will anchor quite the same way there is no need to have guys that are as big.  Mudd can find players that are 300 pounds to play in his system.  He needs players that move well laterally and use their hands really well.  Mudd said in one interview that he teaches his guys it is okay to turn perpendicular to the LOS in some cases.  This is generally a no-no in the OL world, but Mudd let’s his guys do it, as long as they do it correctly.

It will be interesting to see how the players adapt to the new style.  I think Peters will love it.  He’d rather attack than retreat.  Same for Todd and McGlynn.  Jamaal Jackson will likely be affected the least.  He either doesn’t have a player right over him or does have a NT who is so close that he blocked the guy immediately anyway.

Winston Justice is most interesting player.  He has the physical ability to handle the new system.  One of Winston’s weaknesses is how he would let defenders initiate contact in pass pro too often.  Now Justice will be attacking more from the snap.  That should be a fit for him, but there are no guarantees.  The biggest thing is to play with confidence.  If the OT stays close to the LOS and gets beat, the DE has a free run.  Winston needs to embrace the new system and be aggressive.  If he does those things, we should be fine at RT.  If not, King Dunlap and Austin Howard will be fighting for playing time.

* * * * *

Tucker had some more interesting OL comments.  He doesn’t see the need for an early OT at all.  He is interested in seeing what Mudd can do with Dunlap and Howard.

Tucker also brought up the fact that the Eagles have guys like A.Q. Shipley and Dallas Reynolds that could be much better fits in Mudd’s system.  I think this is especially true of Shipley.  He and Mudd should work very well together.

Tucker talked about how in his mind RG is the key interior spot on O-lines.  He talked about how teams now slide protections to the left side so much that the RG is the one interior guy who single-blocks on pass plays the most.  Tucker said the Eagles should consider moving Herremans there.  He said the Steelers should move Maurkice Pouncey from C to RG.  Interesting comments, but I’m not sure I’d completely agree with the moving ideas.  I’m not a big fan of moving O-linemen around once they are established as good starters at a certain spot.

His thoughts at RG do mesh with the mess we had on the OL.  I picked on McGlynn several times during the year for helping Herremans out when Nick Cole was getting completely man-handled.  If Mike was taught to focus on his left, then he was just doing his job.  Nick could have used help, though, and I still maintain that should have been a bigger focus of the blocking schemes.

The interesting thing this year will be to see if things are smoother simply from the fact that we’ll head into the year with a lefty QB and all the training camp practices and preseason games will give us a chance to hone the schemes based on a lefty QB.  Last year we had to adjust on the fly and the results were slightly less than mega-awesome.

* * * * *

Before any of you panic, draft talk will return tomorrow.  And I’ll answer some questions that built up over the weekend.  Once the draft is over and there’s still no CBA…I’ll probably have to resort to the blog version of a free-form jazz odyssey.   Someone call Derek Smalls for me.