Q & A

Quintin Mikell is stuck in the CBA wilderness. What's his future?

There was a good discussion here yesterday about Quintin Mikell based on this Philly Sports Daily article (very good read).  Q wants to stay an Eagle, but money becomes the big issue.  Q isn’t a guy that has had big contracts in the past.  He came in as a UDFA and then got a second deal, but it wasn’t big starter money.  Q isn’t a broke bum like most of us, but he’s not necessarily set for life.  The contract he’s about to sign is really important for his future.

The Eagles I’m sure would love to keep him for a couple of years at a reasonable salary.  I don’t know if that is possible.  There is a lack of good Safeties in the NFL right now.  The Jaguars are at every Pro Day where a Safety is working out.  They’re desperate and they’re not alone.  If one of these teams is close to being a contender they might overpay for Q’s services with a 3 or 4 year deal at a good rate.  If Q gets that offer, he has to take it.  Sam will have a better idea of numbers than me, but Q would be crazy to turn down a signing bonus of a few million dollars.  The Eagles just aren’t going to offer him that kind of money.

Now, if the other 31 teams decide that Q isn’t worth breaking the bank for, maybe the Eagles have a shot.  He does like it here.  He likes the team and organization.  Q genuinely wants to stay.  It would be great if they could work something out, but I’m not holding my breath.

* Someone asked who I would project as the starting DTs as of now.  I tend to think Bunk and Patt will get the first look because of seniority.  I really do believe it will be somewhat of an open tryout to find the best pairing.  And I’m as curious as anyone as to who will play which role.  Bunk and Patt each have the strength to play NT.  Each guy was a disruptive penetrator in college when given a chance in that role.  Laws could be a terrific UT.  I think Dixon is more of a NT, but he’s deceptively quick off the ball.  Washburn has a lot of options.

* Someone brought up a MTC post where Sheil Kapadia talked about how good Asante and Joselio’s coverage numbers were last year.  I want to talk about that in a separate post.  That’s more of a lengthy topic to get into.

* Should the Eagles move up for CB Prince Amukamara?  Tough question.  I need to write something out comparing and contrasting the top few CB prospects.  Prince is a very good prospect and I’d love the Eagles to get him, but is he worth moving up for?  That’s the key issue.  I think the bizarre offseason means we need to be careful about trading picks to move up.  I’d go up a few spots, but not from 23 to 10 or something like that.

* Will the wide nine system waste Trent Cole‘s ability as a run defender?  No, but it won’t take full advantage of it either.  Trent has developed into an outstanding run defender.  He makes plays when the ball comes at him or goes the other way.  He does this with leverage, instincts, and a great motor.  Flying up the field after the QB will get him out of position to be as impactful, but Trent still has the instincts and motor to find the ball and get in pursuit quickly.  Real good question.

* Trading Kolb for other players?  What about Chris Gamble?  I think the Eagles would be willing to deal Kolb for the right player.  It would have to be a Pro Bowl type player, though.  If the Vikings offered Chad Greenway (currently a franchise tag recipient) for Kolb, that would be pretty tempting.  We’d likely also get a mid-round pick in the 2012 draft.  I’m sure the Eagles have a few players around the league they’d be willing to discuss.  It wouldn’t be many.  There is no way Chris Gamble would be one.  Solid player, but not someone you trade a QB for, unless a high pick in 2012 comes along with him.

* How much input do positional coaches have in the draft?  It depends on the team.  Bengals coaches have a lot since they have the smallest scouting department in the league.  Those coaches go to Pro Days and workouts all offseason.  Eagles assistants only go to select workouts.  Scouts do the rest.

Assistant coaches get with the scouting department to let them know what kind of players they are looking for.  The scouts go find those players and bring back lists/info/video for the coaches to watch.  The coaches then have input as to who they like and who they don’t.  The overall draft board is shaped by a combination of what the scouts and coaches think.  There is a real group effort to doing a good job of scouting and drafting.  The scouts need to know what to look for and the assistants have to trust the scouts who have studied the players for 6 to 9 months.  It is detrimental to a team when an assistant sees a guy having a great or terrible Senior Bowl and then lets that be his opinion.  Game tape is the real key.  If the coaches and scouts don’t agree on prospects, more study is done.

You can bet Mudd and Washburn spent a day or two meeting with the personnel guys to explain what kind of players they are looking for.

* NT size. Is it better for the NT to be big in the new system?  Not necessarily.  We’re not looking for the DT to eat up blocks.  We want him to get behind the blockers.  Small guys can use pad level and a quick burst to get by and under blockers and be disruptive.  Big guys can overpower blocks.  The trick is to find someone that plays to his size/skill set.  Don’t get a big DT who thinks he’s Dwight Freeney.  Don’t get a small guy who thinks he’s Haloti Ngata.