Charles Haley had an amazing career. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler, won 5 Super Bowls, finished with 100.5 career sacks, 25 FFs and made the Hall of Fame. Not too shabby for a fourth round pick. Haley was also a HOF whacko who drove his teammates and coaches crazy. He was ideal on the field, but a real headache off of it.
Haley went to James Madison and played at a high level. Bill Walsh saw him make one amazing play on tape and was sold that Haley was a legit NFL talent. A team tried to run the option at Haley. His job was to take the QB and force him to pitch. Haley shot upfield and did just that. Then he pivoted and exploded toward the RB and tackled him for a loss. Walsh wanted a LB who could make plays like that and took him 96th overall in 1986.
Haley played SF’s “elephant position”, a designated pass rusher. He had 12 sacks as a rookie coming off the bench. Walsh hit another home run in the draft. Haley piled up 63.5 sacks from 1986-1991. He helped SF have a Top 10 defense in each of his seasons with them. They were #1 overall one year. They won the SB in both 1988 and 1989. Haley was a difference-maker and defensive star.
Walsh loved Haley at first, but grew tired of him over time. Haley was a handful to deal with. Walsh traded Haley to Dallas in 1992.
Oops.
Haley then became a force for the Cowboys and helped them win 3 SBs in 4 years. They beat SF in the NFC title game in both 1992 and 1993. Haley went to a pair of Pro Bowls, was twice All-Pro and got Defensive Player of the Year votes in two different seasons for Dallas. Walsh may have cost SF a trip or two to the SB because he wanted to get rid of Haley the headache.
I’m bringing him up because some people are so casual when talking about trading Jalen Carter. If you have a player who is special, you need to be very careful about letting him go, especially at a critical position like DT. Moving on from CJGJ is one thing, Carter is worlds different. The Eagles have already won a Super Bowl with Carter and he was key in helping them get there as you might recall.
The Eagles needed a Top 10 pick to get a talent like Carter. If you trade him there is no guarantee you’ll get a high pick. You would need at least one first round pick, maybe two. You can find good DTs all over, but it isn’t easy. That’s why some other team would trade for Carter. That’s why Cincy gave up the #10 pick for Dexter Lawrence. And so on. If you find one of those guys, you try to keep them around.
Carter is also an interesting player. He’s smart and instinctive. Think about him diving for balls when the QB is trying to spike it to kill the clock. He’s come close to getting one of those. He has good size at 6-3, 314. Carter is powerful and explosive. At his best, he plays with violence and is tough for one guy to block. He can eat up blockers or make plays. He’s proven to be good at blocking FGs. Put simply, Carter is an impact player.
There is baggage to deal with. He’s got some growing up to do. You hope his shoulders are going to be fully healed and good for the upcoming season. If there are long term medical concerns, that changes things. Vic Fangio seemed optimistic about Carter this spring so that makes me think he’ll be healthy.
The Eagles control Carter contractually for 2026 and 2027. They need should sign him to an extension. You want your star players to be happy. Corey Simon was disgruntled late in his Eagles career and it affected his play. This defense is solid without Carter, but is one of the best in the league with him. The Eagles can’t hand Carter a blank check. The contract will need to be structured carefully, to benefit both sides. Carter needs his payday and the Eagles need some protection.
Keep him in Philly.
*****
Good stuff here from Devin.
What are the #Eagles getting in new DB Riq Woolen, who was a standout during spring workouts? I dove into his film, what he brings to Vic Fangio’s scheme, and decipher how it set up Cooper DeJean to get safety snaps in base defense: https://t.co/bsOfEF3iAY
Woolen feels like he’ll be a one-year Eagle. If he’s good, he’ll be too expensive to keep. If he struggles, they wouldn’t want to bring him back. I’ll be focusing on CBs for the upcoming draft since there is a good chance the Eagles will need one next offseason.
*****
If you’re like me, you have loved Jimmy Bama’s pressbox food reviews. Sadly, he’s decided to end them. Here is his magnum opus. Warning…very long read.
It is Saturday so I thought it might be interesting to talk about college football. Some of you know I’m a Penn State fan. The Nittany Lions have a new coaching staff and a ton of new players so this is going to be an interesting season.
Welcome to the Matt Campbell era. I think he was a really good hire. He won at Iowa State, which traditionally was one of the worst programs in the country. That says something. Campbell didn’t get a bunch of elite recruits in Ames. He had to teach and develop his players. It will be interesting to see how he does now that he can recruit blue chip prospects as well as the kind of overachievers he got for ISU. I think Campbell is a good fit for PSU. He has embraced the history of the program and feels like a guy who wants to be in a small town like State College. That kind of life isn’t for everyone. I think PSU will win 8 or 9 games and has a legit shot at 10.
The schedule is favorable. They have seven home games and don’t have to face Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana, the three best teams in the Big Ten. This won’t be a team that contends for the national title, but they do have talent and experience in key positions. The offense could be pretty good if the OL is solid. QB Rocco Becht comes over from ISU and has 39 career starts. That experience is invaluable. He’s a solid passer and can make plays with his legs. Becht doesn’t have the elite traits of Drew Allar, but is a more consistent player. He can’t carry an offense, but can be a very good game manager.
There are a trio of talented RBs who will battle for carries. Carson Hansen ran for 951 yards and averaged 5.1 ypc for the Cyclones last year. He will probably end up as the starter, with Ohio State transfer James Peoples as the key backup. TE Benjamin Brahmer is a stud and has NFL talent. The top WRs came over from ISU so they’ll already have good chemistry with Becht. WR has been an issue at PSU for a few years. That shouldn’t be the case in 2026. The OL has a very talented C and RT to build around. If the coaches can find three other good starters, the overall offense could be in for a good season.
PSU is known as Linebacker U and will have another strong corps this year. Phil Steele has them as the #12 LB unit in the country. Tony Rojas is coming off a knee injury, but should be ready for the season and is a good playmaker. He’s got 4 career INTs and is a good athlete. Kooper Ebel will likely be the MLB and is talented. He led ISU in tackles last year and added 8 TFLs and 3 PBUs. Caleb Bacon (a name that will make me hungry on a weekly basis) also came over from ISU. He had 9.5 TFLs, 3 sacks and 3 PBUs. The LBs should be playmakers, which is what you want in D’Anton Lynn’s defense.
TONY ROJAS IS RETURNING TO PENN STATE FOR HIS SENIOR SEASON!
The secondary has a lot of potential, with PSU returning CBs Daryus Dixon and AC Collins while adding playmaking safeties Jeremiah Cooper and Marcus Neal. That group should be solid in coverage. The safeties should also be good vs the run. Neal had 11 TFLs for ISU last year to lead the team. That is a DB who will come up and play the run.
Iowa State S Marcus Neal Jr. to Penn State.
Quick read and a violent downhill hit on one snap. Comes back the next play and finishes with a sack.
As with the offense, the line is where questions come up. PSU lost a lot of talent to the draft and transfer portal. They did add some talent. DTs Armstrong Nnodim and Siale Taupaki are big, powerful DTs who will eat up blockers to keep the LBs clean. These won’t be the kind of DTs you’re used to. They aren’t going to fly upfield and make a bunch of plays like Zane Durant did. This will be a new scheme. There is a real commitment to size in the middle. The backup DTs are each 329 pounds or more. That’s impressive for college football.
The projected pass rushers will be Ike Ezeogu and Yvan Kemajou. Max Granville could be the key backup and freshman Jackson Ford had a good spring. He’s got good size at 6-5, 250 and could earn some playing time. The DL has potential, but you want to see it before you buy in too much. Reality is more important than potential.
I’m excited to see how PSU plays this season. Last year was a bad start, but fun finish under Terry Smith. Let’s hope this season is fun the whole way under Campbell. Phil Steele has PSU ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 19th in the country.
*****
I’ve started watching players for the draft. QB Josh Hoover played at TCU last year, but is now at Indiana. I think Kurt Cignetti chose well, once again. Hoover impressed me when I studied his game. He is a natural passer and good athlete. He plays fast, but in a good way. He reminds me a bit of Jeff Garcia, who I enjoyed watching play. Hoover isn’t going first overall in the draft, but I think IU has another good QB and that will make them tough to beat.
*****
I’m curious to see how Lane Kiffin does at LSU. That’s one of the top programs in the country and he’s a good coach, but there will be a ton of pressure on him to deliver in a big way. The way his time ended at Ole Miss was ugly and poorly handled. And LSU doesn’t look great with the way they added him and basketball coach Will Wade. That guy makes Kiffin look like St. Francis of Assisi.
Kiffin brought in Sam Leavitt from Arizona State to be his QB. I didn’t like him nearly as much as Hoover. Leavitt runs around like his NIL deal is paid for by the number of steps he takes on gameday. Leavitt is certainly talented, but Kiffin needs to really coach him to get the best out of his new QB. Kiffin developed Jaxson Dart into an NFL QB and did impressive work with Trinidad Chambliss last year so he does know QBs. We’ll see.
*****
Speaking of coaches under pressure, this will be Year 2 for Bill Belichick at UNC. His first season did not go well, with the team struggling mightily and going 4-8. That had more to do with poor roster construction than his coaching, but the team under-performed in a big way. GM Mike Lombardi did a poor job of putting the team together. They do seem more talented this season so we’ll see.
The Tar Heels did get better as the season went along last year. They easily could have won two additional games if not for terrible plays and finished 6-6. That would have felt worlds better than 4-8. But good teams don’t make those mistakes and lose those games. UNC did. If the players learn from that, it will help them right the ship this season.
The play is not over until the whistle is blown Cal Football Paco Austin no quit punching it out at the goal line the play of the season for the Cal Bears! What a freaking play can’t teach heart & effort! pic.twitter.com/UWBDetcopH
Steele has Notre Dame as his top ranked team heading into 2026. The Irish are loaded, as usual. But this is different because they actually have a talented QB to go with all of their other talent. ND has struggled to find the right QB at times, usually having to poach an established player from the portal. CJ Carr is actually an Irish recruit and is coming off a breakout season. He threw 24 TDs and only 6 picks last year.
ND is loaded with NFL talent, including Leonard Moore, who should be the top CB taken in the draft. The overall talent gives them a chance to win each week. If Carr plays well again, they are a real title contender.
CJ Carr (6’3 210) Notre Dame
✅ Good passing mechanics ✅ 6.2% big time throw rate in 2025 ✅ Stands in the pocket in the face of pressure and delivers the football ✅ 73.2% adjusted completion percentage during the 2025 season ✅ Throwing on the move ✅ 24 touchdowns to 6… pic.twitter.com/6ufZgkY5sF