Moving On
Posted: February 6th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 99 Comments »Now that 2011 is offically behind us…
The Eagles claimed OT D.J. Jones recently. He was a rookie out of Nebraska that was on the Dolphins Practice Squad and then later the Ravens roster. They cut him to make room for another player. It wasn’t a case of getting rid of him. His OL coach with the Ravens even had a talk with him about future plans. The Eagles claimed him on waivers.
I went back and re-watched some Nebraska tape to get a feel for him. Here’s some info:
17 career starts, all at RT. Backup on both sides in 2009. First couple of years he was a backup OG. Moves well laterally. Okay athlete. Comes off the ball well. Pass blocking is an issue. Doesn’t have great feet. Speed rushers will give him problems. Funny note…looked better playing from a 3-point stance than he did in a 2-point stance. Doesn’t look like anyone you’d ever project as a starter. Does fit the Mudd system. Competition for backup OT spot.
You can see why Mudd would like him. He moves well laterally and he’s good coming off the ball. That’s the basis of Mudd’s blocking scheme. Jones would not be a great fit in Castillo’s system with the vertical pass drops.
I’m curious how much Mudd and the Eagles like Jones. Do they think he can be the #3 OT this year? Is he a long term project? As I look at the draft, I think we must add a T/G and a G/C. Right now we have the 5 starters in place. We have Julian Vandervelde as a backup G and possibly C. Add in Jones and you’ve got 7 guys. That leaves room for 2 or 3 more. (Evan Mathis is a UFA, but he and the Eagles are expected to get a deal done)
I’m assuming that Jamaal Jackson gets the release he wants and that Winston Justice and King Dunlap move on. I’d be fine with keeping them, but I think we owe it to JamJax to cut him and let him go find a starting job. He was a good soldier in 2011, but he wants to play. Dunlap is a guy that I think some team will sign and give him a shot at being their RT. Justice is a mystery. He wants to play. There is the question of his knee, though. Is it 100% yet? Would he be willing to re-do his contract and stay here as a backup T/G? I’m guessing he goes elsewhere, but it won’t shock me if he’s back.
There are some draft targets that interest me. I’m not sure what the value is yet of some of these guys. I’ll hold off on listing a bunch of names since I’m still doing research. Nate Potter is a LT from Boise State. He looks like a Howard Mudd guy. They list him at 6’6, 295. He’s probably a mid-round target. We’ll see how he does at the Combine. Brandon Mosley from Auburn is 6’6, 310 and also looks like a Mudd guy. The player who sort of fascinates me is Ryan Miller. Started his career at RT, then shifted to RG. He’s 6’7, 326. Played RT at the Shrine Game and looked solid. He’s versatile, physical, and talented. It will be interesting to see how athletic he is at the Combine.
I hope we just go with 9 OL so that we can go heavy at DL.
* * * * *
Odd story I forgot to pass along. When I was leaving Mobile, I overheard an odd conversation at the airport. Two employees were arguing about whether Donovan McNabb should go to the Hall of Fame. He was being inducted to the Senior Bowl HOF and I’m sure that’s why the topic got brought up. Still…odd to be sitting in Mobile, AL and hear that argument.
At this point, I don’t see how you can realistically argue for McNabb. Love the guy to death, but he was iffy when he left here and things have gone disastrously bad since. He needed a Kurt Warner type of second act to boost his hopes. Curious to see where Donnie ends up in 2012.
I’m still shocked Cris Carter isn’t in. I guess people saw him as just the Art Monk of his generation. Had the best hands of any WR that I’ve ever seen.
* * * * *
Links of interest…
Big Super Bowl post from Jimmy Bama. Good stuff, if you can tolerate the subject.
FakeWIPCaller has up a new column. His argument for Peyton Manning to the Eagles. It’s like the 95 Theses, but better.
Hey, I’m just curious but was there a football game last night? I heard a lot of buzz, but I fell asleep for a few hours last evening and then woke up just in time for the premier of The Voice.
Just let me know.
-The Gold Standard
So…who won on The Voice? Was Christina as plump as she’s appeared to be recently?
It was a wild episode. No winner yet, but it got crazy when a 3some broke out in the middle of the show between Blake Shelton, a beefy Christina and an even beefier Cee-Lo.
Wow. That’s must see TV.
Well Tommy beating the Giants asses twice next year will be that much more satisfying!!
So you are expecting to have to settle for regular season glory again? Unfortunately me too.
Man. My mother-in-law fell ill and we had to drive from KS to PA Saturday into Sunday. I was too exhausted to watch the game last night. So, yeah. I’m just getting all of this terrible news. The giants won the super bowl… Fml.
My friends and I had a pool last night with a list of about 30 prop bets. Whoever got the most right won the money. I lost in the tiebreaker (total points scored) by one point to my friend who was only tied with me because he picked the Giants to win.
Who do I contact at the Eagles to begin the process of revoking his fan card? Do I go directly to Joe Banner or does Dave Spadaro usually handle these kinds of things/
Send me your SSN and a credit card info and I’ll process that for you.
Wait a minute. You told me I ass getting scheduled for in-your-home Lasic when I sent you my info. You better take care of that first.
By the way, I’m sending you a new credit card’s info. Lately I’ve had nothing but problems with the one you have on file.
Easily my favorite customer of all time.
I always knew that you were really a Nigerian prince.
The Giants’ secret weapon? Flavor Flav:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2enbyuxGSq0
Curse Flavor Flav AND his fried chicken!
I’m just curious when the Eagles defenders are going to leran from the Giants.
How many times did Giant defenders lay on the ground “Hurt” during that game, only to show up a play later? I think JPP did it x2, and I know Antrel did it.
It’s not like we havne’t seen this before from them….think Juan can incorporate these free timeouts into our playbook from time to time?
If Buddy Ryan didn’t invent the trick, he certainly took advantage of the *injury* gimmick during the last two minutes of the game when the Eagles trailed.
Back then, if a player was hurt, the clock stopped and no timeout was assessed against the team w/ the injured player.
Buddy totally exploited the rule beautifully: Wes Hopkins was great at it.
I mean with how many times the Eagles just get abused on defense – and need a timeout (that Reid is saving) – I’d like to see a few of these fake injuries…Cheating or not – they surely help you slow down and re-group.
Next year is *all* on Vick. Not Reid. Not Marty. Not even Juan.
We need 16 games of the good-to-great Vick
Vick’s twitter account made it sound like the super bowl got under his skin… I hope it did!
I think we have a good shot at being a playoff team, but has Vick ever had 4 consecutive great games? Do you trust Mike in the fourth quarter down 2? down 4?
It’s difficult to look and say you have a franchise QB – Look at last night….if Vick got the ball back with 4 minutes left – against the Patriots – do you think the he marches the Eagles down the field to score that TD (or even set up the FG)?…I don’t.
With our WR’s dropping passes and not trying to play; no chance.
Mike Vick led more memorable fourth-quarter comebacks in 2010 than McNabb did his entire time here. I loved McNabb and everything … but yes, I trust Vick.
The good Vick. The reading coverages/anticipating blitzes/not throwing picks Vick. With the occasional 53-yard scramble thrown in Vick.
Would love to see that guy hoist a trophy.
It really doesn’t matter what a team does in the offseason if they a.) can’t evaluate defensive talent and b.) don’t have a reliable franchise QB.
To win the Super Bowl, you need those two things and those two things alone. The Eagles don’t really have a reliable franchise QB, but even if Vick was that type of QB, they are simply incapable of evaluating defensive talent in the draft and will always have a dearth of talent in those positions.
The reason the Giants have won two Super Bowls recently?
– Say what you want about Eli Manning, but he is clearly a durable, reliable, and clutch franchise QB.
– They never miss on first round draft picks. Every first round pick of theirs is almost always *at least* a solid starter, and often times they become stars. And they frequently draft defensive line and secondary in the higher rounds, and rarely miss on them. Many impact defensive players have been drafted by the Giants over the past seven years, whereas the Eagles can claim only *one* impact defensive player drafted in the past seven years: Trent Cole.
That’s what it really comes down to: Firstly, you absolutely must have a franchise QB that plays every game and makes critical throws in critical situations. Once you have that guy, then you absolutely must be able to evaluate defensive line talent and secondary talent in the draft, so that your team can stop, or slow down, opposing QBs. If you have those two things as a team, then you are probably going to win a Super Bowl at some point. If you don’t have either one of these two elements, then you will never win a Super Bowl. You can debate whether the Eagles have had a reliable, clutch franchise QB over the past ten years at any point, and whether they have one now, but one thing you can’t debate is that the Eagles have simply been wholly incompetent in the draft with regard to selecting defensive line and secondary talent, at least for the past seven years.
And the Eagles will never win a Super Bowl for these reasons, at least until they hire different people to make draft choices.
I think the Giants are just a better football team.
Eli is a better QB than Vick, and at the end of the day – usually that’s all that matters on a offense (but why stop there). Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham, and Hakeem Nicks can all be game changers – the Eagles only have one at the receiver position.
The running game favors the Eagles, but this isn’t 1995 and passing at the end of the day is all that matters. Picking up short yardage situation is about the only time a running game is extremely important (and I’ll probably take the Giants in that situation over the Eagles – though I know Jacobs has had his fair share of sturggles).
Defense – Giants have 3 DE’s who can rush the passer. They have two who can defend the run. They’ve hit on high picks (JPP, Osi, and mid picks – Tuck). They taken cast offs (Canty) and found them useful. I do think they haven’t hit as often on DB’s as the OP stated, but when your DL gets pressure – your DB’s don’t matter…
My view of the NFL as it stands today (a warped game from 10 years ago)
Passing (QB/WR’s/TE’s)
Rushing the passer (hitting a QB, sacking a QB – making him worry)
Everything else.
If you do the first two things well – you’ll win. The Eagles have parts of both of these, but at the end of the day they aren’t consistent with either.
Eli is a better QB than Vick, for sure. Can Vick be a reliable, durable QB? Maybe.
Why do the Giants have 3 DEs who can rush the passer? Because they drafted them highly and hit on those picks. They also have solid, very good contributors in the secondary such as Prince Amukamara, Corey Webster, and Kenny Phillips all of whom they drafted highly.
It all comes down to the DRAFT. Draft well or die in the NFL. The Giants, Steelers, and Packers all have drafted exceptionally well in the past seven years, while the Eagles haven’t. Who has won Super Bowls out of those teams? Not the Eagles.
I think you also need consistency. Lets not forget that Eli was pretty much a laughing stock before this year. Not only in national media, but also among Giants fans when he said his top 5 QB thing. He stepped his game up, and he apparently is a top 5 QB. Coughlin has been on the verge of getting fired how many times now.
The Steelers pretty much haven’t changed for a long as time. Sure Cowder, left, but essentially Tomlin runs the exact same Steelerteam. The Packers have had Mike McCarthy and Ted Tompson running things in Green Bay for some time.
Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl within 5 years of becoming head coach of the Packers.
Tom Coughlin won a Super Bowl within 4 years of becoming head coach of the Giants.
Bill Cowher is an anomaly; if a coach doesn’t win a Super Bowl within 5-6 years, max, of becoming a head coach, he will likely *never* win one.
Consistency is only good if you have quality. Andy Reid is not top-shelf quality. He’ll beat up on bad teams and generally win 8-12 games per year, but will never win games against quality opponents in the playoffs when it matters.
If the Giants are so good, how come they lost in the first round of the playoffs twice, and barely got in this year. Their only dominant team was 2008. Otherwise they’ve fielded erratic teams since 2006. They got hot twice, got the right matchups and some breaks and have rings.
But if you made a list of SB winners the last 40 years, where would these two Giant teams rank?
39th and 40th?
Sorry, I don’t think you can learn a damn thing from the Giants’ success – because you can’t plan or coach flukes. Other than get into the playoffs and anything can happen. And have a good pass rush, oh, we already do.
Eli did not become a franchise QB until this year, 2007 Coughlin kept him on a very short leash. He never threw for 300 yards in a playoff game until this year. Nor did he play great in the SB, Giants only had 7 points at halftime despite great field position against a soft zone defense. He was saved by an erratic receiver making a great catch.
For all the talk about old Vick at age 32, Eli has more pass attempts in his career. Eli is a finished product, a solid QB, but the talk about him being elite is ridiculous. He’s had a QB rating > 90 twice in his career. Since 2005 he’s been knocked out of the playoffs in the first game three times, missed the playoffs twice due mostly to his incompetence, what, those weren’t anti-clutch performances? He has two great playoff runs, but both runs were blessed by the Pope or the Antichrist, take your pick.
Vick, nobody knows, not Morton, not AR. He’s probably the most unique QB situation in the history of the NFL, Warren Moon might be the closest parallel (hit his peak at age 32 after 4 years starting in Houston). Vick is a grand experiment, take the most athletically talented QB in NFL history and completely rework his entire game.
What will make 2012 fun is we’re gonna see the final results of the experiment, it might fizzle out, or the light might go on for Vick. He’s approaching the critical mass of pass attempts where a QB starts seeing everything in slo-mo, like those Hollywood football games. If after a full offseason and the 2012 regular season he’s not a dominant QB, chances are he’ll never be one.
Completely off topic…
NFL Rules change that would be FUN! so it won’t happen 🙁
But my idea is to drop the point after touchdown, and replace it with the option to go for 2 or do a drop kick for 1 point.
What do you guys think?
Is a drop kick really that much more exciting than a FG? On top of that, if drop kicks were the standard, would they even be less accurate from professional kickers who practiced them on a regular basis? You add the variable of dropping the ball properly, but eliminate the variable of a holder catching and turning the ball the right way.
I’d be fine if they simply moved the PAT back 10 yards. Add in some degree of difficulty.
Drop kicks would be fun, but are too gimmicky.
If football ever gets boring — which it currently isn’t — I have one tweak that’ll spice it up:
Make the player who scores attempt the PAT kick.
Adds a whole nother layer of strategy on red-zone playcalls and another stat to track
Wow, that is not where I thought you were going with that at all. My heart skipped a beat, thinking, “Finally, someone is on board for my jetpack-equipped cheerleaders being allowed to defend against PAT attempts.”
But, alas, no.
I would totally be on board with that… you could let the guy who scores choose between:
1. normal pat kick – 1 point
2. drop kick – 1 point
3. be the qb for a 2 point conversion
Anybody else note Coughlin’s use of the Polish Defense last night?
was a great play – took what 8 seconds off the clock? and only gave up 5 yards.
Good reference to this in Grantland and it linked to this awesome post.
http://quirkyresearch.blogspot.com/2009/12/blogging-nfl-rule-book-palpably-unfair.html
That the Giants were called for too many men on the field that late in the game was too much of a coincidence not to be intentional, but…why stop with only 12 men? Something like 15 would be better to ensure an incompletion. Assuming that the Giants would rather have more men out there to set up a Polish defense, I think there is a (admittedly slight) chance that they made a mistake. There would be no question the Polish Defense was called had there been at least 14 defenders at the snap. That certainly could not have been borne of a mistake.
I guess we’ll never know what really happened.
Was just about to post about that. Definitely a smart move. Gotta give props to Coughlin or Fewell for that one.
To borrow a line from King Solomon: Meaningless, meaningless… the super bowl is meaningless.
Tommy,
Any chance the Eagles sign/re-sign DeSean and still place a top priority on the WR in the draft (or free agency). We need more offense. This team can’t win a close game (QB will come up small or the defense will)….Lets get more explosive. The Zach method to winning – score 50.
I think Vick likes Cooper… and for my money, I would get him an upgrade version of Cooper to put on the field. He needs a big stud who can get some jump balls!
I’d love to have a big pyhsical WR – but I’d almost say with Vick – we need more “midgets”. The guy needs his WR’s to get seperation in my mind. I don’t turst him to throw jump balls in the right spot. Let him have a WR who is 2-3 yards open…
Zach argued that Vick needs his WRs to get separation.
That was something we’d hear about McNabb, too.
Is it possible that this how QBs are coached in Philly?
I think we add a WR with DeSean staying or with DeSean’s replacement.
Cooper is still unknown. Avant isn’t getting any faster. The Chad Hall experiment should be officially over.
Tommy, just came across this link http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2012/02/06/falcons-likely-to-take-a-look-at-channing-crowder/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_falcons_blog
If ATL does sign Crowder, do you think that means the are going to let Lofton walk (hopefully right to PHI)?
Interesting. Wonder if they would consider him at SAM. Or maybe Mike Nolan is just talking to him in case they do lose Lofton.
I’m sure ATL will do what they can to keep Curtis Lofton. You don’t want to lose a homegrown MLB like him. Problem is that they have CB Brent Grimes and DE John Abraham as bigger priorities.
I’ve been following ATL football too b/c of Lofton (would love for the Eages to get him), but I agree w/ Tommy that ATL will make a very good effort to keep Lofton. I don’t think that Abraham is a bigger priority. Abraham is 33 years old and I think ATL would let him walk and see if some of their younger DEs can fill his shoes. From what I’ve read, Lofton seems to be ATL’s biggest FA priority.
I live in ATL.
Abraham’s age has caught up with him.
In fact, on the morning drive, the local sports-talk shows vent about the Falcons failure to draft a dominant DE. And how they need one this off-season.
The Falcons have a bad pass rush with Abraham. Without him, they’ve got nothing. And no 1st Rd pick can help (traded to CLE). They need to re-sign Abraham and add someone. Or maybe Mike Nolan can get Ray Edwards to produce.
Posted some notes on DT/NT Dontari Poe for those interested. http://bit.ly/xu5dbf
He’s huge at 6’5, 350, but is athletic enough for a 1-gap attack.
Based on that reading, I think Washburn could turn him into a dominating force, but I think 15 is to high for him and I dont think he will be there for us in the 2nd round unless we trade up.
You think he goes Andre Smith shirtless for his pro day 40?
Another off-topic question: I was thinking about last night’s last minute touchdown and how the Pats wanted the Giants to score quickly to get the ball back quickly. The Giants then went for 2 points. Does the clock run for points after touchdown? Could the Giants have tried to run out the clock somewhat by running away from the LOS? That could have killed another 20+ seconds…? If it were Manning retreating from the LOS, he could then just throw an incomplete pass.
The clock stops running from the time a player scores a TD or kicks a FG until the receiving team takes a kickoff out of the endzone.
In other words, extra points do not take time off the clock.
The Eagles were *elite* winners — top 2 or 3 in total wins — during Reid’s first 5 years (Pats, Colts, Eagles).
In Reid’s next 7 years, the Eagles are just above mediocre (10th overall).
To pick up on Morton’s point, those past 7 years have been when the top-shelf defensive players Reid inherited slowly left the franchise. And the Eagles’ drafting has not produced any true dominant defensive playmakers. (T-Cole is relentless and damn good. But that’s it.)
The Eagles have slipped in the past 6-7 years. 2008 was a fluke . . . but, unlike the Giants, when presented with a chance to win the game on the last drive in the NFC title game, the Birds’ didn’t get it done. [No complaining about PI on Curtis — it was 4th and long.]
Other commenters have made this point — and it’s a good one — 2008 was “fools’ gold” for Laurie. And he extended Reid. But Banner had enough of McNabb and ran him off the next year.
But that didn’t win us a SB.
Now T-Law’s saying a “successful season” keeps Reid around . . . but, fairly, the question is — and should be — is an NFC divisional round game the kind of “success” that satisfies Laurie?
That statistic about the significant fall off of the Eagles during the past 6-7 years — as compared to the Patriots and Colts [w/ Manning] — is eye-opening. What I mean is, what we’re seeing really is an Eagles team that’s not keeping up. Certainly not in the playoffs.
What the Giants have done is so maddening.
Bottom line, GMs Ernie Accorsi and Jerry Reese spent a bunch of draft picks to get their franchise QB. They’ve surrounded him with good receivers and a very good defense.
The Giants’ GMs have clearly outperformed the Eagles.
And anyone who thinks the Eagles are better, check the trophy case . . . any Lombardi trophies in there from the past 7 years? Who cares if the Eagles win the regular season games . . . they’ve not won any SBs. Period. Giants have 2.
Yeah, we have Reid and Howie running the draft and Reid coaching next year. Oh boy, I’m just really pumped.
“a very good defense”…really?
2011 25th Pts, 27th Yds
2010 17th Pts, 7th Yds
2009 30th Pts, 13th Yds
The Giants defense was really good in the 2007 playoffs and the 2008 regular season, but has been wildly inconsistent since then.
* * * * *
And what is a successful season for us in 2012? I’ve touched on this before. There isn’t one simple criteria, apart from winning the Super Bowl.
If we win 10 games and then go to or win the SB, that’s likely good enough.
If we win 12 or 13 games and get to the NFC title game, that’s likely good enough.
Backing into a division title with 9 or 10 wins and then losing in the first round of the playoffs will not be good enough.
The Eagles must get back to being one of the best teams in the NFL. This isn’t about getting to the postseason. This is about being a very good team during the regular season and/or having success in the postseason.
If Reid doesn’t have the team play at a high level, he’s gone. If he does, enjoy the success.
Tommy —
You can make the Giant’s defensive numbers mean anything you want.
It seems to me that the number that really matters are: When the playoffs rolled around in 2007 and 2011, the Giants’ defense was dominant — just like the Cardinals in 2008, when that defense became a turnover machine.
Sure the Giants were crap in 2008-2010. (Though I haven’t checked their redzone and points-scored numbers.) But today, so what . . . the Giants have a better QB and better defense than the Eagles.
I regret I was not as precise as I should have been in the heat of going INSANE over the Giants.
Whoa. I’m not skewing stats. Those are simple numbers. The Giants defense wasn’t dominant this season or this postseason.
The Giants played well enough to win in the postseason and I give them total credit for that. If I felt there was something we could really take away from what they did, I’d say let’s copy it.
My point in saying what I’m saying is that we need to deal with facts and not perceptions. There is a perception that the Giants have this great, stifling defense. That isn’t reality. The DL has some great pieces, but the rest of the unit is nothing special.
You know what the Giants were this year and we weren’t…clutch. Simple as that. For us, the clutch issue has gone on for a couple of years. I’m wide open to suggestions on how we change that.
You think you’re miserable today? How do you think I feel? I’ve been in a mist of misery since 945pm last night. That’s not going away anytime soon.
The Giants have Jason Tuck, who only shows up when they play the Patriots.
I think when the Giants get a run of opponents with mediocre OL they dominant, when they play the Eagles, they lose.
What the fuck is clutch? I know in baseball it’s been pretty much proven not to exist except maybe a couple outlier players. There are a few players who seem to make big plays in big games, Polamalu, Ed Reed, Sapp in his day, Asante with the Patriots, who else? With offensive skill players, how much is simply what the defense gives you.
If Kyle Williams isn’t a complete clusterfuck, what are we saying about the Giants? A team that backed into the playoffs then got beat by a better team. No talk about Eli’s eliteness, the Giant’s mental toughness. Same way if the Ravens beat the Patriots, Giants now have to play a team that can physically dominate them at the LOS.
Amazing how the cliche artists come out the morning after.
Tommy
The Giants defense wasn’t dominat this post season?
14 PPG allowed? Playing against GB, ATL, NE? They recorded 11 sacks and forced a ton of TO’s.
I’m not sure what you call a dominat defense…
But if 14 PPG, 2.25 sacks per game, 1.75 takeaways a game (granted 2 were special teams)….I’m not sure what is.
I don’t think a single team scored their scoring average against the Giants…
ATL – 2 poitns
GB – 20 points
SF – 17 points
NE – 17 points
I mean I’m guessing that 4 game strech is about as good as it gets in todays NFL. I mean they faced 2 “Elite” QB’s (Rodgers and Brady). They faced another solid QB and completely shut him out. Sorry the Giants defense was dominat in the playoffs.
So losing another NFC championship game is “good enough”?
Fully embrace mediocrity, right?
Isn’t the goal of an NFL team to, I don’t know, win the *Super Bowl*?
Anything short of that at this point, for a coach who has held his job for 14 years at this point, should be considered abject failure.
Playoff wins and NFCCG appearances should be satisfactory for new, young coaches. Jim Harbaugh should be commended for his NFCCG appearance even if it ended in an eventual loss. Not Andy Reid – he’s been coaching for far too long to placate fans and the owner with yet another NFCCG appearance and nothing more.
So… would you say the Pats should fire Belichick then? He hasn’t been able to get it done lately, by your logic.
You do realize that Belichick has won three Super Bowls already, right?
And Andy Reid has won a grand total of … zero.
Mediocrity is a blanket that keeps me warm on cold winter nights. Love it.
Why on Earth would I want my team to win a Super Bowl? Why would I want to write about the Eagles as champions? Dumb. So much more awesome to get to cover their failures every year. I live for that.
I think it’s hard to judge the Giants defense this season from a statistical standpoint because they had so many injuries. Tuck missed a quarter of the season, Osi missed half the season and they had LB injuries and then Chase Blackburn came in off the street and played really well.
Trust me, I think the Eagles have made some big mistakes over the last several years, but the Giants are just such a wild case. I live in NY and on radio at different points of the season they were talking about firing Coughlin and Fewell. This would’ve been the 3rd year in a row the Giants didn’t make the playoffs. They were 6-6 at one point this season. THE GIANTS WERE A DROPPED MILES AUSTIN PASS FROM EVEN MAKING THE PLAYOFFS!! Then they go and win the damn thing! I don’t know what to say, I’m honestly befuddled. Anyway, let me know what you think…the times yours fellas.
We’re all befuddled.
I rack this bizarre season up to the lockout. 2012 is going to be interesting. This is the first time there will be a big FA class and a normal offseason since 2009. Curious to see if the last couple of years gave us some anomalies.
My prediction is either the world ends or the NFL goes back to normal, and mediocre teams don’t advance in the playoffs, the way things have been for 35 years until 2007, when the aliens arrived.
I think “successful” means more than a divisional round round game. Coughlin’s 2nd SB win has to have added more pressure on the other coaches in the NFCE (all the other owners and fans believe that their teams are better than the Gnots). Reid needs to go to the NFCC. I’m hopeful that the the Eagles have learned something from the years of neglect and the disaster at LB this season and they “shock” us by actually drafting an impact LB somewhere in the first two rounds.
All depends on the circumstances. If the Eagles go 13-3 and lose a heartbreaker in the divisional round…that could be enough. If we get blown out or just play poorly, he’d almost certainly be gone.
I do agree that for him to feel any sense of safety, making the NFC-CG is needed. Anything less and Lurie will be making a really tough decision.
I do expect LB to be addressed.
LB DOES NOT MATTER.
Look at the Giants – they have street free agents and 6th round rookies playing at LB for them and won the Super Bowl.
LB is the biggest red herring parroted by foolish Eagles fans. It simply is a position of little importance in the NFL today. What matters is a clutch, reliable QB, a vicious pass rush, and a secondary that can cover.
The Eagles can win a Super Bowl with the LBs they have now, but obviously, an addition wouldn’t hurt. But drafting one in the 1st round would be foolish because the position simply is not important.
Obviously d-line is the most important thing for defense, but LB does matter. You look at every team in the playoffs and they all have at least one stud LB. The Giants are an exception and not the rule. The problem is that forget about a stud LB, we haven’t had even “good” LBs. Forget a Patrick Willis, we haven’t even had a rock solid Carlos Emmons type.
Don’t fall into the trap that LB doesn’t matter just b/c that’s what the Eagles want you to think. One of the problems we’ve struggled throughout the years to get off the field on 3rd down is because we haven’t really had any playmakers at LB. So on 3rd and 6 there goes a guy catching a dump pass, while Akeem Jordan is diving at his feet while he gets the 1st down. It’d obviously be great to have 11 studs, but I think the problem with us at LB is we’ve had such duds it makes it harder on everyone else.
“Look at the Giants” that is biggest red herring screeched by nitwits that think they’re actually saying something. The Eagles are not the Giants, and comparing the two teams is pointless. LBs do matter, all of the playoff teams had impact LBs, and it’s the position that is the primary counter to the TE.
Reread Roseman’s interview, the Eagles know they have a problem at LB (note Roseman doesn’t make the claim that the Eagles can win a SB w/ the current LBs)
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/137991083.html
The Eagle pass rush is as good as the Giant pass rush.
The Giant secondary is pretty mediocre.
The Giants are the worst possible example of how to build a team, let’s get a group of underachievers who play like they’re clueless, get lucky and back into the playoffs, and every 3rd year maybe they’ll get hot.
Sounds sort of like the Marlins.
Tommy, this may be a stupid question but do you think we should be looking at the taller end of the spectrum with the OL when Vick is so small? Even if that’s what fits Mudd’s system best?
Not stupid. Definitely something to consider. I think QBs generally throw through “windows” rather than over OL so the issue gets overblown from that perspective, but Vick needs to be able to see his receivers and the bigger his blockers, the more crowded his vision will be.
I wouldn’t completely avoid big OL. Find guys that can block and who fit your system. If all things are equal, then size becomes a consideration.
Another thing is that w/ any luck these are guys that we are going to statsh on the roster and then 2/3 years from now they’ll be able to take over. At that point most likely Mike will be in his twilight years anyways.
Two points:
1) Vegas has us at 12-1 odds to win the next Super Bowl. We can bitch and moan all we want about Reid, but the oddsmakers like us to at least make the Playoffs.
2) Firing Reid – if we don’t get back to the Playoffs, fine, can him. But Lurie needs to be careful. We better be damn sure there’s a replacement out there. What if we have to go through a couple coaches before we find the next “franchise” coach, so to speak? You just never know. Look at a guy like Spags: highly touted, really smart and experienced = a complete dud as H.C. Look at Nick Saban: the ultimate coach’s coach and the perfect college resume. How’d that work out in Miami? Pete Carroll: 2 winning season and a 47-49 NFL record.
Reid might not be our favorite coach, but more factors need to be looked at than “did he win a Super Bowl” in 2012.
But is it because they anticipate a high volume of people to bet on the Eagles, rather than actual talent on the roster to make it? I just think that there are a lot of fans that would bet for the Eagles even though it normally wouldn’t be the safe bet, and Vegas wants to cover their odds in case the Eagles do win so therefore we have higher odds.
I think you have to look at the stability within the organization as well. The Eagles have been much more consistent for much longer than any of those other teams. Yes alot of that is Andy but dont discount the FO.
Mort, do you see a therapist to supplement your time posting here?
No Morton, the goal of an NFL team is to make money. Don’t get buffaloed by the notion that winning a championship is the goal.
As a fan, my goal is to have fun. I have a lot of fun watching the Eagles play. Enough fun that I’m even willing to wear the one not worn out jersey I own in public after a loss (Trent Cole).
It’s fun to speculate on things and talk with other fans, but tying your emotional well being to a game of chance isn’t a good idea.
The goal is to make money, but some owners actively care about winning Championships and others don’t, or care less. Lurie falls into the camp of the latter.
The notion that Lurie doesn’t care about winning is insane. He wants that title so that he can be “validated” as an owner.
Hey, he only has a billion dollars, I’m sure earning a couple million more is far more important than bragging rights in the billionaires club.
Off topic:
Belichik has been on the sideline for every Giants SB victory, the guy is a talisman for them.
Brilliant. Never would have thought of that.
RE: The Giants’ Defense
Tommy:
I’m just so TICKED OFF . . . sorry about the comments on the Giant’s D-stats.
Aaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’re all ticked. A little venting is okay.
Morton, You just can’t be right on anything. You say a good coach brings instant success so Bill Bellicheck is the worst coach according to with 5 of his 1st 6 yrs haveing a LOSSING record and only 1 PO victory. You talk about the first 12 yrs and Andy not doing much after his 1st 6 when he made the PO 4 of those 6 while Bill Cowher made it only 2 of those 6, which included 3 straight yrs of deciding to miss the PO, Andy’s never missed the PO more than 1x. Both went to Champ G in their 10th yr. In the 1st 13 yrs of their careers they both went to the PO 9x’s, Championship Games 4x’s and lost in SB 1x. Cowher was lucky not to face a lockout season with everything changing. He was hired in ’92 & didn’t win the SB ’til tis 14th yr in ’05. Andy was hired in ’99 & his 14th yr will be ’12. Just like the Giants the Steelers ownership always at least stood by their HC unlike Lurie just recently didn’t. Even though when it comes to character and dissecting situations the Rooney’s (Steelers) won’t stab their HC in the back when anyone of intelligence would understand last preseason that our chances of success are ’12 & “13; not ’11. If the Steelers would of done what the Eagles would of done in firing Cowher after his 12th season then the would not of had the success they had btwn ’05 & ’10. They would have had very different coaches & not be close to the team Cowher built in winning SB’s. If you look at the Eagles past they don’t keep coaches for more than 3-4 yrs. Maybe that’s why there’s no SB Victory?
Sorry Mort, I love your doughnuts, but in the wide 9, lbs do matter.
lbs?
Linebackers or pounds?
Preferably a LB with enough lbs. to wrestle with offensive linemen.
I’m sorry I fully agree with Morton on the Linebacker issue.
This is a passing league and unless your Linebackers can cover Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or Vernon Davis their value isn’t as high as many other positions.
In today’s NFL it’s all about the QB, so I’d look at positions that can A. Help a QB and B. stop a QB.
In my mind the order of importance for a football team right now:
Offense
1-QB
2-WR
3-OL
4-TE
5-RB
Defense
1-DE
2-CB
3-Safety
4-DT
5-LB
Quarterback driven league, LB’s and RB’s lose value. That isn’t to say they have no value, but I for one wouldn’t be the least bit upset if the completely ignored LB again (not that I expect that, but I wouldnt’ be bothered).
We have more glarring needs. We need another game changing WR (2 if DeSean leaves). We could use more consistent DE play. And we could upgrade both safety spots (based on last years play).
I’d have LB and DT next….obviously talent available is going to effect the positions added, but I’d much rather come away with a 1st round WR than a 1st round LB. I’d much rather come away with a key WR free agent signing than a key LB signing. That’s my stance.
If it’s a win it all or get fired type of year Andy better make a run at Peyton..
Are you fakewipcaller?
If we are trying to keep up with the Jones, or Maras, maybe we need to go out and get our own Manning.
In all seriousness, if his neck is healthy (and maybe if not), his shelf life is comparable to Vick’s, the guy is a brilliant football mind so I doubt there would be much of a break-in period, and I hear he would do okay behind a Mudd Oline.
What would be the cost of cutting Vick loose, or demoting him for a year? I can’t imagine there would be backlash from the locker room- remember what he did to us?
The only down side I see is that we would have to keep Asante. We all know what he does to Mannings.
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