I haven’t posted in a bit and many of you have reached out to check on me so I thought I would give everyone an update. I have completed seven rounds of chemo. I got worn down by the cumulative effects. The biggest issue is that it turned my taste buds into the worst creatures on earth. I didn’t know what would be acceptable from day to day. I went almost three weeks just eating pudding cups and drinking water. Apparently that’s not a healthy diet.
My sister visited on Saturday and got really worried about me. She contacted my friends Bill and Abby and had them come by Sunday. Abby is a mother and nurse. She bullied me into going to the ER that day. I was in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon. They gave me two units of blood, lots of IV’s, several units of potassium and a few other things. I now feel like a new man. Thankfully I listened to Abby and didn’t act like a stubborn mule that I can be at times.
While there I talked to a nutritionist to come up with a good plan to get me back to eating. Ice cream will be key for the first week and I’ll start mixing in real food. Baby steps. Just getting protein, fat, and calories in me is critical. I got so weak previously that I couldn’t even do my writing, one of the things that has helped me deal with my cancer. Watching TV only goes so far. You need a sense of purpose. Writing gave me that so getting away from it really bugged me. I had posts written in my head, but was too weak to type them out.
I am feeling much better now and will get back to writing again.
I am done with chemo for now. My oncologist and I agreed that the focus now should be on getting ready for surgery. The procedure will be in six weeks or so. Then I’ll be in the hospital for about five days. Until then you’re stuck with me. I’ll be covering some older topics that I missed. You need my thoughts on Samori Toure, right?
And apparently the Eagles traded some guy the other day. I’ll see if I can find out the details and cover that.
Thank you for your patience, your support and for checking on me. I can’t tell you how much that has meant to me. You all are the best.
One of the things that separates good teams from great teams is what I’ll call difference-makers. These are players who can consistently make game-changing plays. All teams want them, but Howie Roseman is aggressive about adding them every year, if possible. He traded for AJ Brown in 2022. He drafted Jalen Carter in 2023. He signed Saquon Barkley in 2024. All three played a big part in the Eagles winning the Super Bowl.
The Eagles traded for Jonathan Greenard on Day 2 of the draft. We’ve talked about him a fair amount since then, but I’m still not sure everyone appreciates the significance of the move. The trade happened when we were obsessed with stealing Makai Lemon from Pittsburgh and trying to figure out what to make of Eli Stowers. Greenard grabbed our attention for a bit, but we went right back to draft mode after that.
Greenard is really talented. Devin Jackson recently posted clips showing just how disruptive he can be.
As good of a pass rusher that Jonathan Greenard is, he’s also got some strong run defense chops, especially when teams are pulling linemen toward his side of the field. He has the speed to slip past them to get into the backfield and isn’t afraid to set a firm edge vs. bigger… pic.twitter.com/U83tbellT2
Jonathan Greenard’s ability to slip underneath run blocks to make plays in the backfield will be valuable for the #Eagles, who have played the most snaps with a light box on defense. Generating negative plays in the backfield on run downs will allow Greenard to shine in 3rd down… pic.twitter.com/jm1QK6qEIS
Didn’t see a ton of it in Minnesota but Jonathan Greenard showed a couple of flashy plays as an interior pass rusher matched up one-on-one with guards. Not sure you’ll see him do that a ton with the #Eagles but still noteworthy. pic.twitter.com/xOMmxB773a
I think Greenard will be a difference-maker for the Eagles. You saw the impact that Jaelan Phillips had when he joined the Eagles at midseason. Greenard is a better player than Phillips. And Greenard will have a full offseason to learn the scheme and fit in with his new team.
The Eagles would love to see Greenard rack up 12 sacks like he did in 2023 and 2024, but the real key is for him to be consistently disruptive. He has 43 TFLs in his last 44 games. He’s got 56 QB hits in that same time. Sacks are great, but aren’t the only important stat.
Greenard’s presence should help Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie. His pressure will create opportunities for them. If Jalen Carter is healthy and back to his 2024 form, the pass rush could be outstanding.
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Sometimes guys develop into difference-makers. Brian Dawkins was a good player from 1996-1998. Jim Johnson took over the Eagles defense in 1999 and unlocked Dawk’s full potential. Dawk became a special player for the next decade.
I’m curious to see what Jalyx Hunt’s ceiling is. I don’t think many people realize how productive he was last year. He had 3 INTs, 6.5 sacks, 24 QB hits, 9 TFLs and 2 FF. That is one heck of a season. And remember he’s still doing a lot of learning. He was a DB in his early college years.
Vic Fangio really wanted Hunt in the 2024 draft. He saw something. I think we’ll all agree that Fangio has a pretty good feel for good defensive players.
Pressure rates last season among all players drafted in 2024 (min 550 defensive snaps):
If Hunt continues his upward trajectory, he could become a difference-maker. It will be interesting to see what he does this season.
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I think Jihaad Campbell could also develop into something special. He’s more of a projection because he is coming off his rookie season and a limited sample size. We saw him show the ability to play the run, cover and blitz. It will be fun to see what he does this season.