Q & A
Posted: January 9th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 314 Comments »There isn’t anything groundbreaking going on, so let me answer a few questions.
Can Howie and Chip coexist?
Yes and here’s why. Howie is great with contracts and numbers. He’ll be doing something he excels at. I can see where some might think Howie would have problems working with Kelly because of the way things fell. While I’m sure Howie is bitter, he also has to be realistic. There aren’t many jobs where a guy can make the money he does and work for a pro football team. Howie is far from perfect, but he’s pretty darn smart. It is in his best interest to make this work so he can keep a good job. If he were to get fired, there is no guarantee that Howie would be given a job by another team.
Howie can also take the long view. He could work his way back into a personnel position over time. Jeff Lurie likes him. Howie did a solid job as GM. Maybe he gets a second chance somewhere down the road.
Obviously things could fall apart. We are talking about human beings. They have emotions and feelings, which sometimes get the better of them. I think Howie is too smart to fall apart and burn a bridge, but never say never. As for Chip, he knows very little about contracts. He needs Howie’s help in this area. I also don’t get the feeling he’s the type to be petty.
Will anyone want to work with the Chip/Howie situation?
There are limited front office jobs out there. Someone will gladly deal with the situation. That said, it could scare away some candidates. They may not want to be a go-between for Howie and Chip. Still it isn’t as if Chip and Howie will be talking for several hours every day, so this may not be a huge dynamic for most candidates.
Any chance Tom Gamble comes back?
I doubt that. First, I don’t know if Gamble would want to come back. If he did, that might make things awkward. Obviously his presence was some kind of an issue for Howie. I don’t know if losing Gamble means much or not. I couldn’t tell you one good thing he did in his time here, but I also can’t tell you about anything bad. Not a lot got said about him, except by Chip. And we don’t know how much that praise was to help Gamble get a GM job vs Chip really feeling Gamble was a terrific scout.
Should we worry about Chip and draft value?
That is a legitimate concern. We’ve heard the stories that Chip wanted Jordan Matthews in the 1st and Taylor Hart in the 3rd. The Eagles were able to get other players later.
But let’s understand that Chip knew he had Howie to rely on last year. Chip didn’t need to know draft values. He could focus on figuring out which players he really liked. This year will be different. There will be a new personnel guy to help Chip with the draft process and he can certainly ask Howie if he’s got a question, but the pressure will be on Chip to run the show.
Chip is a smart coach. I would think he’ll take some time this offseason to learn more about draft value and how things play out during the draft so that he can be better informed when he’s got to make decisions during the draft. This isn’t rocket science. He can learn a lot about this in a short time.
It is possible that Chip will take who he wants when he wants them, but I tend to think we’ll see a different version of Chip Kelly this year due to the changes. The man is ultra-competitive. You think he’s not going to be prepared? Chip will want to show the world that he can run the draft and build a great roster. That doesn’t mean it will happen, but it won’t be for lack of effort and preparation.
Could the Eagles have any interest in free agent Ndamukong Suh?
Not likely. Suh is a great player, but he really needs to be a 1-gap DT to be at his best. I doubt Suh would have any interest in coming to Philly to eat up blocks so LBs could go make plays. I’m sure the Eagles would love to plug Suh in at LDE, but I just can’t see that happening.
Could the Eagles draft a QB in the 1st round? Could that be Hundley from UCLA?
Yes and yes. Nick Foles is not a sure thing. If Kelly thinks another QB would be an upgrade, he’ll pull the trigger on that player.
Hundley is pretty much the opposite of Foles. Hundley is a great athlete, but erratic passer. Some might compare him to Colin Kaepernick. While they are similar, Hundley is a more polished passer coming out of college. I don’t know if Kelly will decide that he covets a QB with size and athleticism. Hundley is highly inconsistent, but his highs are high. He has the physical tools to be a star QB. Spending time with Kelly could bring out the best in him, but he is still a project and I don’t think it is likely he would start in 2015.
* * * * *
Jimmy Bama and I recorded a new show on Thursday night. I’ll link to it on Twitter when it gets posted (noon-ish).
If you have questions about the show or where to find it, here is the man to ask.
Jimmy is now posting articles at Philly Voice. He’s still a hack and hideous to look at, but occasionally he’ll write something kinda decent that we want to read. Check it out. Jimmy will make PV a regular stop for all of us. Great hire by them.
_
Good thoughts, Tommy. Matt Barkley and Mark Sanchez have shown that not just anyone can run Chips offense in the NFL. Foles can do so, and that’s not nothing. While Chip may draft an eventual replacement, I can’t see him throwing away a valuable guy like Foles anytime soon.
If anybody(fans/coaches/columnists etc etc) says ‘Foles sucks and will always suck’ or ‘Foles is great and will always be great’ is talking purely from emotions. Nobody knows about Foles. So far, he’s shown enough at his young age to warrant a longer look.
….
If you draft a QB in round 1 and say he’ll be starting in 2016 — well, you just threw away 2015 because you’re not going to get the best out of your players knowing there are lame ducks on the team. I’d be shocked if Chip goes QB round 1. I think it’s crazy to even consider knowing the impact it’ll have on the team. (unless Foles never returns from that injury, that’s a different story).
I agree with your thoughts on Foles. However, drafting a QB in round 1 will not create a lame duck situation because
1) chip will never hand a job over to any player, and definitely won’t commit on a player a year in advance. He has stated and demonstrated that he believes in competition and that all players must earn their time.
2) Foles will be in a contract year, playing well will be necessary to either get him a new deal with the Eagles, or paid elsewhere. It isn’t like his career will be over just because he may be in a possition where the Eagles will be looking elsewhere.
3) players want to win and are aware that the fickleness of their careers means they may not get another chance.
And if someone is so insecure that they fear competition from a drafted player, they aren’t going to last as a starting QB because they lack the necessary confidence to overcome adversity.
MSII comes to mind re your first bullet point.
yes — but — who drafted MS2? Chip or Howie? Now that it came out that there was tension with Chip/Howie — you have to wonder about MS2. Like T-Law said, you’d hate to think Chip would be so foolish to be petty … but you never know. Was Chip petty with DJ? If Howie forced MS2 — Did Chip “slowly” bring him along on purpose? Chip wanted his WR as the 1st pick …
true .. but if your spending a 1st round pick on a QB — you’re starting QB is a lame duck. you’re not drafting him to sit for 3 years.
….
if you draft a QB late rounds 2 or 3 then yes, I agree 100 %
….
It’s not being insecure. If you’re a new coach, with new powers and you draft a QB in round 1, there is no way possible that draft pick can sit for years and years….no way.
But lame duck implies he will play half-assed which is not the case.
If Chip thinks Hundley can be his star then go for it, I’ll trust that judgement, but right now for me, the inconsistency is more of a negative than the athleticism is a positive. Its a trade off, does his athleticism add more to the offense than his lack of passing efficiency takes away, and has your defense improved enough to compensate for the potential for added turnovers. I think if we can improve the line play, (which will happen simply from staying healthy) that will get the running game back going again, and allow whoever is the QB to take less risks knowing the game is not completely on his shoulders. I think if you give Foles that situation, he can thrive.
Basically, in my opinion, Great line + Foles > Athletic QB + Inconsistent passing game. I think were better off with 2 very good aspects as opposed to 1 excellent and one decent. I think it would be harder to defend, and would allow you to be more of an ‘equal opportunity offense’
A recent first-pick.com draft, had better offers for the first round trade back, but i checked out what we got last year for 22 and picked the closest for the sake of being slightly realistic. a lot is going to change between now and the draft, but even if you just look at it position wise, it could solve some problems.
Round 1 Pick 26 (BALT): Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State (A)
Round 2 Pick 20: Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan (A)
Round 3 Pick 20: Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon (A)
Round 3 Pick 26 (BALT): Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia (A)
Round 4 Pick 14: Kurtis Drummond, FS, Michigan State (B+)
Round 4 Pick 20: Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio) (A)
Round 5 Pick 20: Ibraheim Campbell, SS, Northwestern (A)
Round 6 Pick 20: Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State (B)
Round 7 Pick 20: Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State (A)
I don’t think we go into the draft without at least one new corner from FA, and with Nolan Carroll, in my mind, penciled in for the other slot we could afford to wait if the players we target get picked ahead of us.
If we came away with half of your list, I’d be ecstatic, but I think there needs to another OL, perhaps in round 3 instead of Gurley. I really like the bottom 3 with the local kids, but I doubt Mannion is still around in round 7.
If we somehow got every player on this list, I’d be ecstatic. I seriously doubt Grasu lasts til the 3rd round. I’ll be surprised if Gurley lasts that long either.
I would be surprised too, Grasu will rise once he goes to the combine and shows his ankle is cleared up right, Gurley, probably wont be there, but with RB’s you never know
Watching the playoff game vs. Florida St. Grasu made a beautiful block where he pulled and sealed. It was in Evan Mathis territory. Grasu may never be overpowering at the point of attack, but his movement skills are off the charts. If we have Grasu, Kelce, and Mathis as our interior three, we have the most athletic interior in pro-football by a ton.
The announcers replayed that play to highlight it, very impressive, would love to get him.
Wait…no…The main reason you’d want to move on from Foles is that he has inconsistent value as a passer–as in he has trouble throwing on competent defenses. An athletic QB (meaningfully athletic means <4.57 40 with shuttle and three cone to match, or very big and 4.65) helps out the rushing offense, and with a strong arm, can challenge defenses. Of course, you have to be accurate, on time, and not be a performance-related dumbass like Matt Stafford to take advantage of that good arm.
I don't particularly want McKinney, though. Not sure what I want in the defense. On offense, I only want a good offensive guard, if there is a sublime one worth taking in the first, or a true deep speed guy with good hands. On defense, I want a book end opposite Fletcher Cox, safety, or, if it's worth it, a CB.
Gurley will never make it to the third round.
I've seen Mannion. Why waste a seventh round pick on him? He's not a very natural QB, a lot like EJ Manuel. Brandon Cooks made that guy.
If the running game (from an Rb perspective) gets fixed that would force the defense to concentrate on it, allowing the passing game, under Foles, to flourish because generally he makes good decisions and takes care of the ball. I dont think we will or should move on just yet
Replace Funchess with Abdullah and we have a deal.
The rb from Nebraska?
Yessir. I’ve been watching him closely and he is as explosive as they come. Like a McCoy/sproles hybrid. Maybe not in the 2nd round though tbh. But I really like him.
I’d switch Gurley to the 2nd pick and take Abdullah in his 3rd spot especially if Polk walks. I dunno why but Funchess just scares me. Maybe I’m wrong, I’ll go watch more tape but he just seems to have bust written all over him. Something about his game irks me. Maybe it was a coaching issue, I’ll check it out more. But after watching tape for all rb’s, Abdullah is just an insanely explosive player and a smart player too. His acceleration is crazy fast and his feet are really shifty like Sproles. Earlier in the year I didnt think much of him but after watching his whole body of work he’s gonna be a good player for whoever gets him.
to be honest i haven’t seen anything from Abdullah yet, but he is now on the list for tomorrow. As for Funchess, he is huge and a good athlete, can catch away from his body, could be an interesting addition in this offense.
Ameer Abdullah Highlights || “Fear Ameer” ᴴᴰ || Nebraska Cornhuskers
http://youtu.be/ygW5Y_k6PLg
I can’t imagine more turnovers than last year from QB position, its almost impossible lol
I would LOVE this draft especially getting Gurley in the 3rd (I think he may go in 3-4th round)
I know it’s early but which round of our late picks would one guess we would need to spend on Hundley?
If he is there at 20, he would more than likely have to be taken at 20. If he isn’t taken in the 1st, he’ll more than likely go early in the 2nd.
Let’s trade for CK7
Great article T-Law. Maybe now people can stop saying “Howie still has a say in the draft”. It’s been crystal clear….
The idea that Howie could be watching and learning seems plausible to me. The two NFL franchises that I would try to emulate if I were Jeff Lurie are Pittsburgh and NY Giants. They both feature strong and stable front offices, and they rarely are more than a few players away from being in the hunt. They both also address QB needs similarly. They position themselves to get the QB they believe in, and then they are patient. This structural model would argue against empowering an HC, but CK is as hot a commodity as there is in the NFL at this time, and Lurie may have had his hand forced. But Howie is in a great position to maintain his presence in a league of fluctuating executive players, and end up in a very powerful position. However many SB titles the Chip Kelly era brings to Philly, when it ends, the goal should not be to find another CK, but to have built a strong FO that can just look for a competent coach. Hopefully HR will have more than 3 years to be watching and learning.
I really think Lurie looks to the early/glory years of DeBartolo’s 49ers. I may be partial as a great admirer of Bill Walsh, but apart from the Super Bowl success, they’re pretty similar (though Lurie has a much quieter public personality).
You should’ve updated your blog roll to say “Hack City” as opposed to Jimmy@… but, thanks.
ALL WR DRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!
Round 1 Pick 27 (IND): Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State (B)
Round 2 Pick 26 (BALT): Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn (B+)
Round 2 Pick 27 (IND): Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan (B+)
Round 3 Pick 20: Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State (B-)
Round 3 Pick 26 (BALT): Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State (A)
Round 4 Pick 14: Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State (B+)
Round 4 Pick 20: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State (D-)
Round 5 Pick 20: Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland (C+)
Round 6 Pick 20: Levi Norwood, WR, Baylor (C)
Round 7 Pick 20: Devante Davis, WR, UNLV (C)
Out of that lot we should find an upgrade on Cooper…. and we could wangle some trades post draft since we have cornered the market on rookie WR’s.
Yes, his name is Sammie Coates.
did not realize that Diggs from MD was coming out…..if he is a 5th rounder….terrible decision to leave early…..guy is electric with the football in his hands…..would love him on our special teams….
heh. I echo Alistair, at least one of em should be an improvement on Cooper. Also, this way Huff would actually have to earn his way onto the field.
you almost had me!! I was believing this was our draft until I didn’t see anyone from Oregon…..
“But let’s understand that Chip knew he had Howie to rely on last year. Chip didn’t need to know draft values.”
This is an excellent point that has been touched by exactly ZERO writers, columnists, and to my knowledge, commenters. Great, and important, fact.
Any thoughts on, i know hes always injured, SAM BRADFORD??? no way hes going back to St.Louis id imagine… might be a nice backup/qb competition guy…
No interest in a QB who’s made of glass. Vick was bad enough, Bradford’s injury history is even worse.
eh he wouldnt cost much… why not take a flyer.. but you are correct he is Glass Joe for sure.
Would that make Sanchez the equivalent of Piston Honda? Decent mobility but telegraphs his moves with his eyes?
maybe the first Piston Honda.. not the second though…
Man, I loved that game. Took a picture of the screen when I beat Mike, I was so proud.
I have to admit I never beat him. For some reason It felt “dirty” to use the code to get to him. That said, other than Tyson, my biggest challenge was always timing that Bald Bull charge… it was like 50/50 every time.
Hundley really has to sit, same as Logan Thomas, if not nearly that bad. I wouldn’t want to draft that sort of guy that high with the sort of screaming emergencies we have at certain spots.
Fact that Hundley’s being spoken of as a potential 1st round pick makes me want to puke. He is far too raw as a passer for me to want to touch. If we could get him late and replace Barkley with him as a high upside guy, that would be awesome, but taking him in the 1st would be a mistake.
We are still early in the process. Hundleys stock will fall back to earth.
GE’s quick hits on Friday:
1. I’m really looking forward to see Chip Kelly starring as Kevin Costner on Draft Day.
2. I honestly believe that Bill Bellicheat shits gold (in reference to Chung’s contract extension).
3. GE’s ranking of top free agents 2015 to follow shortly.
Belichick is the least square-peg-round-hole coach in the NFL
He certainly is a hole…
True that. But you also have to question the evaluation of Chung when Kelly and/or Roseman signed him. Did Davis told them that he wants interchangeable Safeties? Because if he did, why in the world do you sign Chung?
For Belichick, he’s a classic SS. He’s a tool in the toolbox like Sproles is for Kelly. And obviously, he can play a lot of snaps in a good defensive unit in this role.
Belichick would never let Chung cover Dez Bryant, though. That’s a very bad idea for so many reasons.
Just watched draft day on a plane yesterday….. they tried to make that movie as accurate as they could. 3’first round picks to trade up to #1 from #7 to get “Bo Callahan”… Yet I have to spend the next 3-4 months hearing eagle nation do the daily debate on trading up for Marriotta as if we didn’t already have a young stud at QB, and as if it’s,even possible to get to 1 from 20….
…
Another offseason of QB debates, when we already have our young franchise QB….smh. These next Poe’s months will be really rough, eagle nation will spend about 70% of the next few months debating Nonsense that isnt reality… Picture last offseasons bullshit about needing to upgrade Benne Logan with a 1st round NT, and multiply that by 100 since it’s the QB position, and that’s what we have in store the next few months
I agree, other than the 2 QB’s who will go in the first 3 picks, there is no one who is an upgrade on Foles in this draft, short or medium term, so spending any picks before the 3rd round would be a monumental waste.
I expect the off season will go something like this:
Eagles sign a top 5 CB FA
Eagles sign a non top tier Safety who has good cover skills as a short term band aid.
Eagles bring back key free agents (Maclin+Thornton)
Eagles sign 1 special teamer
Eagles extend main core of Cox/Kendricks
Eagles restructure Cole, Demeco for less money /extension
Eagles extend Shady (lower cap figure this year but add 1 more year)
Eagles cut Herremans (or bring back a lot cheaper)
Then in Draft with our first 4 picks (think we trade back into 3rd round)
I think we take:
1xRB
1xWR
2x(CB/S/ILB) whoever is best on the board when they pick. Could easily see WR 1st and RB 2nd pick which will drive fans nuts, but the strengths in this draft are WR/RB/D Line, so you pick the best players.
Which will enrage the fanbase, but this should set us up to be better 2015 and better long term.
Im a huge Foles fan (he just has “It”) but he didn’t do enough from keeping us from addressing the QB position. If we take a QB in this draft it is an inditement of Barkleys talent, not Foles.
Thanks for providing your opinion on whether Howie and Chip can work together, Tommy. You have more faith in them than I, but I am, admittedly, a cynic at heart. I really hope that Chip’s able to find a bright young mind that he can work with to assist in talent acquisition.
Todays write up:
Brandon Scherff: LT, IOWA, 6’5, 315lbs
OVERVIEW:
Brandon Scherff hates you. He hates your mother, he hates your father, he hates your 4th grade teacher, and he really hates your mailman. John
Runyan thinks Brandon Scherff wasn’t hugged enough as a small child. He’s the epitome of a Kirk Ferentz offensive lineman: technically sound, high football IQ, nasty, and relentless.
Scherff’s blend of brute force, technical ability, and high football IQ shine through in the run game. His footwork is solid. He has been well coached on the fundamentals of zone blocking. He gets on his zone “track” and does a good job to move whoever is on it. When unengaged he excels at getting to the second or third level. Once there he typically does a good job of engaging the linebacker or safety. On occasion he gets juked or the defender is able to bounce off, typically due to not resetting his base and pad level, but that’s a fairly minor nitpick.
Scherff understands the angles of football. As a former offensive lineman, I don’t know that I can emphasize how valuable this skill set is. By understanding how the play is designed, Scherff is able to defeat many defenders simply due to superior positioning. For example on a toss sweep to the right, by simply stepping down into the “B gap” and hinging back to face the defensive end, Scherff has all but guaranteed to win his assignment. If the defender tries to cut behind him, Scherff is able to wash him wide. Should the defender cross his face and try to scrape down the line, he can lock his big meat hooks onto him and bury him. He is also able to get out in the open field on screen plays and does a good job of attacking more fleet footed back seven players by being in better position.
Scherff has powerful hands. His grip is strong. His punch is ridiculous. Here is a video of him hang-cleaning 443×3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PITbmnDZCaY). When his punch hits your square in the chest,
and it does more often than not, you feel every ounce of that power.
You’re now forgetting #8 from Oregon. You want the Eagles to sell the farm to trade up to get this generational freak. Well, to quote the great wordsmith Leland Corso “Not so fast my friend”. The major flaw in Scherff’s game is his vertical pass protection. His playaction pass protection is exceptional. He stops defensive linemen dead in their tracks. His horizontal pass sets are also a strong suit. When allowed to kick at more of a flat angle he is patient, and doesn’t leave himself open to inside moves. Even his understanding of pass rush stunts and games is quality. He doesn’t panic, simply passes his man off to the next blocker and waits for thenext defender to come to him. However, when forced with having to quickly take a vertical pass set to stop speed he doesn’t have the foot speed to do it. Side to side, or moving forward, Scherff is a great player. Having to move backwards is a struggle for him. He gets too tall, and his feet come together, he tends to hop a little bit.
Perhaps some functional mobility work can loosen up his hips and help some in the long run, but I doubt it will ever be a strength.
FIT WITH THE EAGLES: A big nasty bruiser, he would certainly be a popular player with the Eagles fan base. I don’t think he can play either tackle position for us. He could however be a great guard. Playing him at guard would minimize his liabilities in vertical pass pro, and would emphasize his zone blocking, brute force, solid lateral movement and ability to get to the second and third levels both in the run and screen game. Ultimately I doubt he is available when the Eagles pick, but he would be a fun player to have.
Grade: 1st round
If you only watch one game:
Maryland (2014)
Um, this was amazing. Please do these as often as you can.
I already posted the Paul Dawson write up. He and Scherff were the first wave.
My goal for the next week is: Kikaha, Dupree, Fowler Jr., some of the top RB’s, Sambraillo, and maybe Landon Collins.
Tommy’s got to give you a guest post spot so we don’t miss them!
I actually wrote up Dawson and Scherff as samples to try to contribute for scoutsnotebook. Tommy’s been busy and hasn’t gotten back to me so I figured I’d just start posting them in the comment section.
Can you repost Dawson? Can’t find it and really curious cause I like him a lot.
Paul Dawson: ILB, TCU, 6’2, 230lbs
OVERVIEW: You don’t play linebacker at a top Big 12
school if you can’t play sideline to sideline. Paul Dawson, a wide receiver coming out of high school, certainly fits that profile. He was a two year starter for the Horned Frogs and was the team’s leading tackler both years. The senior from Dallas has 128 tackles, sacks, 4 interceptions, and one touchdown on the season. That’s an impressive stat line. Gary Patterson has done an excellent job at molding a great athlete, into a very good football player.
Athleticism is the first attribute that jumps out when studying Dawson. He has great range. Some linebackers are tackle to tackle players, others hash mark to hash mark, even fewer are sideline to sideline. Dawson falls into the latter however his
range is borderline Gatorade cooler to Gatorade cooler. He should run a high 4.5/low 4.6 based on tape. He has the ability to stick with running backs and tight ends in coverage, and due to his speed, the
zone he occupies is pretty large. He does a good job reading the QB’s eyes when in coverage and it lets him jump routes effectively.
His instincts are decent. He’s by no means is going to be mistaken for Luke Keuchly, but they are pretty solid nonetheless. It’s an area you can see is still improving. In the short term his burst once he makes his read compensates for any hesitation in what he
sees. He takes bad angles from time to time, but that feels more like a player who hasn’t completely normalized to the position more than anything else. He’s most comfortable playing inside-out, and when allowed to play in this manner is much more instinctive and takes better angles.
His best asset against the run is that explosive burst. He diagnoses the play and in an instant is in the hole to meet the ball carrier. He needs work at taking on blocks, but this looks more like a matter of functional strength, as opposed to willingness. His best game against the run was actually against Minnesota, who plays smash mouth offense. He’s got no problem sticking his nose in there and mixing it up, he just needs to continue to fill out his frame.
FIT
WITH THE EAGLES:
The Eagles aren’t looking for another Demeco Ryans. In the modern NFL you need two ILB’s who can be playmakers and roam sideline to sideline. Both
should be able to come up and stuff a fullback on one play, and then tackle the running back in the flat on the next. Bowman and Willis, KJ Wright and Bobby
Wagner. Dawson would be an excellent fit for the Eagles 34. He would provide the perfect complement to Kendricks. Dawson would be able to immediately start in the nickel (TCU runs 4-2-5 base). As he fills out his frame (he should be able to get to 245 easily) he becomes a playmaking ILB who possesses strength, speed, and instincts.
Grade: Round 2
If you only watch one game:
Minnesota (2014)
Great stuff as always.
If I may request a different safety than Collins. Drummond, Derron Smith, Anthony Harris?
I’m not sure which safety I’ll end up doing it depends on if I have enough film to feel comfortable with a write-up.
Also
http://media.tumblr.com/c7035890d0c6309b024ced760cfa92f2/tumblr_inline_naxtieLNa81r1jtxd.gif
Sass begets sass my friend!
I see what you’re doing, and i like it.
If you want to do safeties, I suggest doing Fresno State, since they have two safeties that could come off the board in the first 3 rounds… Can bang out two top safety prospects with one video
..
Landon Collins would be pointless. He won’t be an eagle… Better off spending time taking a look at the Anthny Harris Virginia Kid, or take a close look at Louisville INT Machine. Hollimon, since he will be available when we draft, and every fan will see his INT numbers and ask about him
..
I don’t think I will be able to pay as much pre draft attention as I was able to the last few years..
if you can somehow provide a link to the past comments, that would be helpful for people like me who aren’t here often enough to see them all!
Well the two I have written up are on this thread. I’ll repost as neccessary once I’ve got new ones.
ok, just scrolled down and saw the other one. thanks!
wasn’t sure if it was in a previous post or if it was in here.
How does he compare to someone similar from last years draft? Say like Zack Martin?
Scherff is generally compared to Martin, as far as being a college LT moving to G. Scherff is bigger, more powerful. Similar in that both will be considered guards by most teams, and have all-pro potential, but could be at least solid starters at tackle. I think Scherff does better in space as far as pulling and getting downfield on screens. Martin was more comfortable in the 5 step pass game.
Reminds me more of a Kyle Long type Tackle turned Guard, than Zack Martin
Yeah I don’t expect him to last til #20 at all…. Certainly like the kid tho.
D3FB . . .
Sorry, but I don’t believe you.
I think you’re Belichick.
_____________
Your writing’s A+.
And the content’s even better.
Just fantastic.
You’re far too kind.
https://i0.wp.com/mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Benedict-Cumberbatch-thank-you.gif
And you’re sense of humor isn’t too bad either.
Yeah, posting image macros found on other sites is the pinnacle of internet humor. This is 2005 right?
So much salt…..
I know, man… I guess that’s what missing the playoffs does to people?
He took the time to do it.
It’s an expression of something.
Do I care that he’s borrowing from another source?
Not particularly.
____________
Next, you’ll complain that he didn’t scout these players personally?
I believe the pinnacle of Internet humor is to retread a form of “1993 called and it wants its sarcasm back.”
Says the guy using the term “image macros”
we need a guy like this
Assuming he goes to the Giants, possibly skins if they want to move back a couple spots to get an extra pick
I realize you’re trying to illustrate his nasty demeanor but both my 4th grade teacher and my mailman had it coming…
Do you think he’ll be there @20?
“Ultimately I doubt he is available when the Eagles pick, but he would be a fun player to have.”
Probably not.
A run heavy team could view him as a tackle, but most likely he gets seen as a day 1 plug and play guy similar to Zack Martin, and goes somewhere in the early teens. If the birds want him they likely have to give up a 3 or 4 to move up.
Would you move up to get him? I really like the sound of this guy. If not, who in your perfect world do you want with the 1st round pick (even if it involves a trade)?
Wayyyyyy too early for that. Ask me in April.
No way
I’m not as concerned about Kelly drafting who he wants instead of focusing on value as a lot of people are. If Matthews was taken in the 1st round and Smith in the 2nd, nobody would be complaining. In fact, taking Matthews first may have altered the draft. Maybe we don’t end up with Smith in round 2. Maybe Howie was wrong and he’s still there at the spot that we ultimately took Matthews. Maybe we end up with Timmy Jernigan, or Davante Adams, or Lamarcus Joyner, etc.
Isn’t the goal to get production from your picks? Who cares where they are selected? “Value” is arbitrary anyway. Not to mention, there will always be busts, there will always be players that outperform their draft position, and there will always be players who under perform for their draft position. You’re not going to hit on every pick.
Ok, so maybe Howie was right and Matthews was available later. But so what? The guy you took barely contributed. Not to mention, you “reached” for a position that you didn’t ultimately need anyway because two guys already on the roster had career years. The point is, let Chip take who he wants when he wants them.
Although Smith might turn out to be a botched pick, that doesn’t mean over picking Jordan Matthews would have been a good idea. What if they had taken someone who contributed this year with that 1st round pick? Waiting on Jordan would have been considered genius.
Another way to look at it might be like this: If they traded Matt Barkley for a second round pick, but then didn’t get a contributor with that pick, would that make it a bad trade? No, It would be a bad pick, but still a great trade.
But It would have erased the “botched” pick and allowed a different player in the second to make up for Smith lack of production.
But in that case you are still talking about exchanging the 26th pick in the draft for the 54th and 122nd pick (picks used for Jordan). That’s not a good deal.
Jordan performed like a first rounder and Smith produced like an udfa. I’m talking about balancing out the production disparity. Then you dnt have to trade up if you dnt want to and grab 2 more players that may produce more. It’s not about what was the best his argument is what could have gotten the most production.
Smith might also turn out be a player worth the pick. Most already have given up. Too early to know.
Both getting the player you want and getting value (aka playing the market properly) are important. When you pick a player, you’re passing up other players at that spot. And if you can get who you want by waiting, you should do it – it’ll allow you to pick up other players you want that are in higher demand. If you have a good sense of how the market works, you’ll be better positioned to get more players that you really want.
The problem is this: if you take a player several rounds before anyone else would have considered them, you are costing yourself another player with a higher-round grade.
For instance: If Kelly takes Hart in the 3rd round, we then miss out on Huff. Sure, we can get someone else in the 5th, but chances are he will not be as good as anyone we take in the 3rd. There are always exceptions, but odds are the 3rd-round guy will be better than the 5th.
Properly valuing the draft is about opportunity cost.
Your methodology results in picks like Jaiquawn Jarrett in the 2nd. Reid could have had a 2nd-round pick AND Jarrett, if he had realized everyone else in the league saw him as a 4th-rounder.
Can’t believe people are defending overvaluing picks.
Sure, it works in theory that way, but you’re letting your hindsight get the best of you. You don’t know that any pick will work out, so you can’t just pick the guy you want and feel safe about it. Besides, if you overdraft a guy AND he busts, you lose twice.
Now that Jimmy Bama’s at his new gig . . .
Should we call him “Il Voce” . . . like the guy from “Man on Fire”?
Or is “Pita” the better choice?
1 vote for Il Voce
“Hundley is a great athlete, but erratic passer. Some might compare him to Colin Kaepernick.”
No, God, please, no…
Hmmm . . .
2 NFC Title games and a SB in 3 years as a starter for Kaepy.
Almost makes one long for the days of Donovan McNabb.
All McNabb did was win.
right up until the loss
Yeah that wasn’t Kaep though. Alex Smith got the same results in 2011. Give us the 9er’s D from those years and we’d have a pretty magical season imo.
Someone has to put points on the board, though.
It’s not like SF was winning 10-7 games every week (the way the ’71 Vikings did when Alan Page was NFL MVP).
Harbaugh is an offensive coach, and they had some nice pieces on the O-line, Gore, Vernon Davis, Boldin, even Crabtree isn’t a bad piece when healthy. Again, to me he roughly equals Alex Smith, just more ups and downs from excitement and disappointment.
He reminds me of a young poor-man’s Mike Vick. At times he seemed like a super hero throwing the team on his back and generating offense single handedly. But you never know if he was just failing to operate at a methodical systematic way and staying afloat by generating a few big plays a game. Like is he really a super hero carrying his offense, or is he just struggling to use his offense, his system?
Can you imagine Donovan McNabb in a Chip Kelly offense? I think Howie would be looking for another coach by now with Kelly passed on to the next life from a stress heart attack.
I don’t know if Kelly would be laughing or crying.
snail in a racecar.
I think it’s possible McNabb would’ve passed on to the next life after only his second “tempo” series…
McNabb would’ve been great IMO with Chip Kelly. Would have won at least one Super Bowl.
Remember, that team was 2 botched special teams plays from going to the SB with Alex Smith as its QB. I’m not sold that Kaep was much of an improvement over Alex Smith.
I liked Smith a lot on the Harbaugh team.
But Kaepy those first couple of years as the starter (year-and-half, really). Good.
Regressed this year . . . like the rest of that injury ravaged, and dysfunctional-front-office team.
I just disagree that an average of 170 passing yds/game over 29 games is evidence that a QB is a big component of a team’s success. Quite the contrary – I think it demonstrates that the team is carrying the QB, not vice versa.
Kaep in a system where he’ll be expected to double those passing numbers consistently? That’s scary. Especially since when I’ve watched him, even going back before this year, he locks on to his first read and rarely, if ever, comes off of it. He’s got the arm to force those plays sometimes, but I don’t think it’s a recipe for success in a complex passing scheme like Kelly rolled out at the beginning of this year. Post-sentence Vick was much better at read progressions than Kaep has ever been, and it seems he’s only gotten worse, despite having a very good coach.
A lot of it is how Harbaugh coaches his QBs. He wants to build his offense around the running game and make things as simple as possible for his QBs to limit turnovers
http://grantland.com/features/quarterbacking-made-simple/
a lot of what he did was convert 3rd downs with his legs or his arm. And that’s what mattered in the playoffs.
Only because the defense kept the score low enough, and the run game/OL kept the 3rd down distances manageable, that he didn’t need to execute a more complex game plan. Again, I’m not saying he didn’t have some positives, but instead of saying he carried that team, I feel that the team carried him, based upon the evidence available.
nothing wrong with taking hundley as a project, we need a back up or a barkley replacement right?
but we do actually need a decent back up. sanchez was a decent back up and could potentially do better next year, who else/
Bradford? as a backup he can still get hurt… locker..??
If we’re taking Hundley in the 4th or later, I’m not complaining. Two problems with that: 1) Seriously doubt he lasts that long as someone will fall in love with his ‘upside.’ 2) QB’s Chip has taken have been passers first, athletes 2nd and that’s the opposite of what Hundley is at this point.
1) chip wanted hart in the fourth round not third round. He had a third rd grade on him. Big difference. Can we please stop this incorrect narrative. Reread his post draft presser.
2) no way is hundley worth a first rd pick let alone a second. He actually regressed as a pocket passer as his career progressed and is one read and puts his down and runs. I dont see an nfl qb anytime soon. Project at best.
1) Where are you getting this information? The story about Chip wanting to take Hart in the 3rd round comes from Chip Kelly himself, in his press conference after the draft. Look it up.
Hey Tom W, it’s your incorrect narrative that needs to be stopped, not Tommy L’s:
“Chip said he wanted Hart in the 3rd round, and Howie Roseman had to convince him that he was safe waiting until the 5th. That outside perspective was important.” — from “Chip Kelly: Oregon Bias?” by Mark Saltveit in Bleeding Green Nation, May 15 2014, 4:52p
GE’s Top Free Agents (players are in particular order, positions are listed by needs):
Corner Backs:
1. Byron Maxwell
2. Kareem Jackson
3. Antonio Cromartie
4. Brandon Flowers
Safeties:
1. Devin McCourty
2. Tashaun Gipson [RFA]
3. Rodney McLeod [RFA]
Wide Receiver:
1. Dez Bryant
2. Demaryius Thomas
3. Randall Cobb
4. Jeremy Maclin
Line Backer:
1. Justin Houston (DE/OLB)
2. Jason Worilds (DE/OLB)
3. Jerry Hughes (DE/OLB)
4. Brandon Graham (DE/OLB)
O Linemen:.
1. Orlando Franklin (G/OT)
2. Mike Iupati (G)
3. Clint Boling (G)
4. Brian De La Puente (C/G)
Give me 3 of the above and I will be very happy.
great list, couple guys I’d add in but still good list
Bradley Fletcher is a free agent…you forgot
Never heard of him, maybe bring him in to take a look? Can’t be worse than…whatever happened after Asante and Brown left…(damn psychotraumatic amnesia)
This isn’t aimed at you, just important to remember that Free Agency is very different process than the draft. In free agency it’s not a case of, we need a corner, if the top 2 corners are signed, we will just set our sights on whoever the 3rd ranked corner is on the market….in free agency we won’t just Attack our needs and sign the highest rated player we can at the position that fills that NEED…
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We could be desperate for a corner, but the Eagles don’t like any of the top corners this year for whatever reason, scheme, character, whatever..
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Eagles won’t just fill needs with the best available. For the Eagles to sign a player, we have to see that player as the perfect fit, scheme fit, Character/Locker room fit, work ethic Fit..special team ability,… We could see a case where we have a big need at a position but don’t like any of the available free agents and we won’t sign the best available, we will only try to sign the perfect fits and that doesn’t mean the most talented or most expensive player
..
The money also has to be RIGHT! We won’t be over paying for anyone (ATleast we didn’t when Howie was in charge)… I’m not saying the Eagles are against paying for Quality, but for example, you won’t see the Eagles outbid teams and pay 50million for a player THATS really only worth like 40million, but the bidding pushed his price tag up,
If the Eagles give a free agent 50mil contract, he needs to be worth 50mil
….
We won’t fill needs just because we have to fill needs. If there isn’t a perfect free agent fit that can help us, that’s when you typically see the Eales sign a cheap stop gap player who you can get on a 1yr deal like Nate Allen last year…
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Fortunately Nate and Brad stunk it up, and their contracts expire, but I doubt there will be a bidding war for their services…. So if we can’t get a quality Safety the first two days of free agency, we probably still have the option of going back and signing Nate to another 1 yr deal, draft a safety lke Anthony Harris, and hope that the rookie, Wolff, Reynolds, Jaylen Watkins can surprise us and one step up and beat out Nate at safety for playing time…
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I agree this is the way it’s been done, but i think we gotta do something different this year — or at least that’s what i’d advocate in light of last year’s debacle (to be fair, slim pickings).
If we go into next year with nate, brad and mid round rookies–i don’t even know what to say. Agree with building through draft but that means you have to actually hit on players, since we aren’t i’d prefer just to pay for a solid FA. At least that guy can mentor other folks.
I would just pay Devin KcCourty, since stylistically McCourty and Malcolm Jenkins is a dream safety tandem for the defensive scheme we run and what chip and billy look for in safeties,
,.
We drafted a safety each of the last two years, take a year off from drafting safeties, Steal Devin McCourty, and hopefully some of our young safeties step up and grow into solid backups, if not we can go back to drafting Safety again next year:
….
Pay for McCourty, eliminate safety need from the draft.
Start Cary and Nolan outaide in September, but draft a outside CB in the first 3 rounds…. jalen Collins, Alex Carter, whatever..
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Cary…..McCourty…..Jenkins…Nolan
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That safety tandem will help out the corners way more than Nate did. That’s our starting secondary in September, and we basically have to start cultivating young DB depth the next two years, since cary is gone after this year, and Nolan is gone after next year.
Cannot see McCourty getting out of New England, and i am always nervous of Patriot safeties…. look at the dross they have managed to make look good over the last 10 years.
My preference is going bigger on CB and getting a 2nd tier Safety with good cover skills but limited hitting/playmaking ability since our scheme gives our safeties a lot of protection in the run game but forces them to cover a lot.
New England just extended Chung, and they can’t keep Browner, REVIS AND McCourty…. Hoping McCourty shakes free but they could very well end up agreeing to an extension.
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I trust paying McCoury more than I trust these corners.
But dude, think about it, they just extended Chung…. a guy we could not wait to kick to the curb here. For whatever reason New England gets DB’s who are garbage to play better on their team. I think paying McCourty big money would be a huge mistake, I think he will be another bigtime NE FA who goes elsewhere and flatlines.
just get/overpay Revis and call it a day… no more headaches til next off season.. hes a 1 yr type guy..
A ton of that has to do with what they ask players to do. Majority of the people here hate Nate, I think he gets a raw deal because he was asked to do way to much his first few seasons. It really messed with his head and he still struggles with play fakes. Billy Davis asks his safeties to be able to single up on receivers at times and at least not embarrass themselves. Asking Chung to do that was the equivalent of asking Rocky Balboa to do calligraphy. When you force someone to do something they are extremely bad at over and over, it’s bound to destroy confidence. Patriots ask their players to be scheme adaptive, but Bellicheck and co. don’t ask their players to do things they simply aren’t capable of doing.
For what Billy Davis and Chip want at safety in our scheme, McCourty/Malcolm Jenkins is like a dream pairing for our mirrored Safeties who can both play man to man on slots and TEs
…
I’m not crazy about McCourty compared to some of the safeties in the NFL, but I think he is what our coaches are looking for….
Would love to see Quinten Rollins here, fits the size requirements at 6 ft 203, good athleticism, come up with interceptions by reading the flight of the ball well and knowing where to be, excellent wrap up tackler.
I’m so scared of Byron Maxwell, to me he just seems like a guy whos gonna have a terrible career when he leaves Seattle and that man is gonna get PAID!
I’ll take Kareem Jackson and the resigning of Mac and Graham, because I dont think theres a chance Justin Houston gets to leave. If he does, I would hope we we’re in the hunt for him, but I expect he gets way to big a contract from someone else. I’d rather have Graham than Worilds and Hughes.
Houston is a beast and deserves a big deal.
I completely agree, but I do think that some team will pay him a ludicrous amount, similar to what we saw happen with Jairus Byrd.
I would love to have him here, since Graham is a FA and Cole isn’t coming back on his current deal. He would fit really well across from Barwin, who I still dont consider to be the same pass rush threat as guys like Houston. Barwin is still more of a run stopper and cover guy, who has above average pressure abilities. Having a threat like Houston from the other side, thats intriguing.
Chiefs would be mental to let him hit free agency, i cannot see how he makes it on the market. If he does hit FA he is getting a £100m+ deal. I just don’t see how he ends up an Eagle.
I agree, he stays in Kansas City.
We’d have one of the best front 7s with him. I don’t think we’ll go crazy. But having him might make our secondary look a lot better. I would LOVE watching our defense instead of just counting down the time until they score.
Howie the cap wizard could figure something out if Chip really wants him.
he is getting slapped with the franchise Tag.. No shot in hell the best edge rushed in the game is hitting the market. They will let Taba Hali go before they ever let Houston get away
They’re going to tag him most likely.
Cox and Houston? That would be the most dominant side of football.
I dont know about that, but i happen to be one of those guys who believe that the Texans could play me behind Watt and still be the most dominant, and they just happen to have Jadeveon Clowney playing that spot. If Clowney just becomes mildly above average, damn thats scary.
I’ll take less too though, and the Cox/Houston combo would make me a happy man. If we we’re to pay Houston, it would be one of the positions where you can make it count. QBs, LTs and pass rushers, those guys change football teams. Still, i dont know how viable it would be cap wise to have as money tied up in Cox, Kendricks, Houston, not to mention Big Ced, Logan, Barwin who also have some kinda paydays coming in the next couple of years. Thats a lot of money, in an offensive league for a team run by an offensive coach and we still haven’t done shit for the DBs. Houston is just so fucking good.
Alas, it won’t happen but its fun to discuss. Chiefs are mental if they let him go.
To my mind Barwin, Ced won’t get big deals, NTs are geneall cheap Logan is good but i think he’s aided by how dominant cox is. Even Cox will demand $$ but not crazy $$ b/c of his position. I’m really excited to see what he looks like next year.
To those who say KC will definitely keep Houston, just keep in mind that with no other FAs signed the Chiefs are already $2M+ over the cap for 2015: http://overthecap.com/calculator/kansas-city-chiefs
I’m sure they’ll cut some guys, but you have to question whether they’ll be able to swallow a franchise tag cap hit
Houston’s the only name I’ve seen in free agency where my reaction is ‘back up the brinks truck.’ There are other guys I’d like to have, but only at the right price. Mcourty and Byron Maxwell are two great examples. Unfortunately, there’s fairly little chance of Houston actually hitting the market, and safety and corner are greater needs for our team.
CB situation is a mess, and I have a feeling fans won’t be happy with the solution.. Personally, I’m hoping Patriots decide to keep Revise and Browner. They extended Chung, so if they keep REVIS and Browner, than McCourty is GONE!… We have young safeties on our roster Wolff, Reynolds, jaylen Watkins, the Kid from lions. Prosinski….just pay the money and end this safety mess once and for all. Seriously, a McCourty/Malcolm safety pairing is like a wet dream for our defensive scheme.. It’s EXACTLY the type of safety Tandem we hope to have….
pay the Money, sigń McCourty. McCourty and Macolms cornerback cover skills would really take this defense to another level, two good leaders, hopefully they can mentor our young safeties and turn ATleast one into an eventual nice NFL safety…. But we have so much safety youth already for our coaches to work with, drafted a safety each of the last two years. Sign McCourty, keep us from having to draft a safety this year, allowing us to adress other NEEDS!
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I would rather go into next season with Cary and Nolan Carol, than another year of Nate Allen… Heck, if our corners get some COMPETANT safety help from Nates side, maybe our corners look a little better.
….
CB market is a mess, but it’s a solid corner draft:
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Kareem Jackson is only 5’10 and he is going to cost ALOT of Money.
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Byron Maxwell, ATleast gives us some size for spending ALOT OF MONEY, but if the Eagles sign McCourty, we won’t sign Maxwell.
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Cromartie, doubt chip would be interested.
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Ladarius Webb might get waived, but he has some durability issues and isn’t having the best year. Curious to watch him against BRady
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Chris Culliver is a young Safety from Philly, Perish Cox is another young corner from San Fran, but both of these kids are pretty serious knucklheads, arrested a few times…not talented enough to make the lover of Boyscots, Chip Kelly, overlook their shithead character.
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I think our best, somewhat realistic option is to pay up for McCourty, him and Jenkins will provide MAJOR UPGRADES and help out our corners. Go into the season with Cary and Nolan starting on the outside in September, Boykin in Nickel, Jaylen replacing Nolan in Dime.
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We can wait a year to add another young safety via the draft, but we absolutely have to draft an outside CB to groom, who will be ready to replace Cary Williams on the outside after this year. And in the next draft we can take Nolans replacement at outside CB… It doesn’t have to be a first round pick, but I would hope that outside corner comes in the top #125. If we want to address it early, go with the fluid, 6’2 athlete from Death Valley Jalen Collins…. Since the corner we draft probably won’t start as a rookie on the Eagles, we can keep Alex Carter on our big board, without caring about the dumb Stanford role….
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Something like:
….
……Cary Williams……..McCourty……..Jenkins……….Nolan Carrol.
Nickel slot: Boykin
Dime slot: Jaylen Watkins
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Wolff, Prosinski, Reynolds, Kid from the Lions compete for the last two safety spots.
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CB: I won’t say that we have to draft two CB THIS YEAR, but I hope we bring like 3-4 new young outside cornerbacks as UDFA’s to take a closer look at in Camp, hopefully get lucky and find some young outside corners with promise to groom…
Mate, the list above would be my wish list. It doesn’t mean it reflects what Chip wants. Doubt he’d touch a Dez though I would love to see it .. Lol.
I highly highly doubt you get 3 players from that list…. Well actually, Maclin is a definite, so you might get 2 players from that list…
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Only way you get 3 players is if Brandon Graham and Maclin get extended….whether it’s BG or another OLB, you ain’t getting a decent edge rusher in free agency for less than 20mil in Guaranteed dollars… 20mil guaranteed is the starting point to even get most OLBs agents to hear you out lol, ESPECIALLY now that the cap is going up, and the Vikingss fucked the matket up and gave 20 guaranteed to Everson Griffin who like BG hadnt proven he could start….. If we won’t pay the 20 to keep Graham here, I doubt we pay for any OLB
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Need to look at OL schemes to even be able to talk about the free agent lineman.
Pretty comprehensive list, nice.
I think Brandon Flowers is our most realistic bet on the cornerback FA market, I like the idea of bringing Maclin back and pairing him with Randall Cobb (feel like Cobb would be a good fit for the offense, even if he doesn’t have the size Chip likes), and if we could somehow land Iupati that would really help with our transition away from Herremans.
I think we have no shot at all at Houston, he’s going to get stupid money, same with Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant.
I’m not a huge Devin Mccourty fan, I think he’s going to be pedestrian at best outside of New England, but he might be a target.
No offense, but the Eagles wont even consider Brandon Flowers
Probably 3 is about all you would get. Most of the WRs and LBs will be too expensive for the Eagles’ taste.
Maxwell. Make it happen.
ROTFLMAO
Sorry but this killed me.
Kinda bummed that BGN radio hasn’t put that podcast up, was looking forward to listening to it to help get through the work day. Anyone know if I’m just looking in the wrong place?
http://www.libertybroadcast.co/ live here now according to twitter
hmm, still only seeing their second podcast.
No not coming up for me now either sorry. Got our hopes up 🙁 send this lad a strongly worded tweet https://twitter.com/JohnBarchard
An Eric Mangini sighting … wow…
Hope the skins hire him as their DC
Everyone is starting with their draft games and wishlist… Might as well throw my hat in the ring…first Mock offseason of 2015. GEAGLE Mock 1.0
….
Departed:
Nate Allen, Bradley Fletcher, Brandon Graham all leave Via Free Agency.
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keepers:
1) Sign Maclin 4yr deal
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2) Restructure Cole/paycut to keep him here another year or two, but he will start seeing his snaps start to diminish as young players improve.
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3) Restructure Demeco to keep him here two years, with bail out clause due to his injury
.
4) Maybe bring back Casey Mathews,depending on what we think about Acho and Najee Goode.
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Free Agency:
1) Sign Safety Devin McCourty
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TRADE:
1) Vinny Curry for Dion Jordan, straight up! GM is staying, Phylbin is going to get extended, Dolphins ARENT switching to a 3-4, and I’m sure a 4-3 team would LOVE to get VINNY Curry, still on his rookie contract.
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Draft:
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#20, trade back to #25, and then trade back to #30 picking up two 3rd round picks. and drafting which ever LB is still available:’Shaq, Kendricks, McKinney or Dawson.
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Eagles Trade next years First round pick to the Texans for their 2nd round pick this year. Assume they will want extra first rounders to try and secure the penn State QB… With the Texans pick take Arik Armstead DE Oregon (we traded Curry Away)
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2nd round(our own pick): Hroniss Grasu OG/Center Oregon Ducks. We can even use one of our three 3rd round picks to move Up from our second round pick if we need to in order to get him. he will replace Herremans when we move on from him, but also be Kelce primary backup.
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Rd 3) Jake Fisher T/G Oregon Ducks, eventual RT when Lane moves to the left
Rd 3) Devin Smith Ohio ST WR
Rd 3) CB Marcus Peters, best CB in the draft, far from a choir boy, more like a HEADCASE, then again Cary Williams ISNT exactly “Sane”
Rd 4) TY Montgomery
Rd 4) RB
rd 5) CB
Rd 6) CB
rd 7) CB lol
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So the front 7 would be:
………Thornton/Hart….Logan/Beau…Cox/Armstead
Barwin/Dion..Kendricks/Mathews..Meco/Kendrick..COle/Marcus
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Secondary would be:
cary/young player….McCourty/Wolff..Jenkins/Reynolds…Nolan/Marcus Peters
Nickel slot: Boykin
Dime Slot: Jaylen Watkins
…..
OL:
Lane/Jake Fisher..Herremans/Grasu….KELCE….Mathis/Tobin…JP/Barbre
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WRs:
Coop/Devin Smith….Jordan mathews/Huff……Maclin/TY Montgomery… Cooper gets waived after next season, we will have to start looking for a young 6’3-6’5 220lb WR to have as a big body replacement for Coop next year, but adding Devin Smith, is our deep Ball threat.
In house FA, I agree with you except for Matthews. If Long, Acho, and Goode are healthy, there’s no reason to bring him back.
Devin would be a very good fit here in Philly. Unlike you, I don’t think he somehow makes our CB’s good enough, but he is a large step up over Nate. I could see us signing an older FA corner as a 1yr rental as I think Cary’s worn out his welcome here in Philly.
I like your draft, but even with the red flags, I doubt Marcus Peters lasts til the 3rd round.
Acho goes — he never saw time. Generally agree with GEAGLE’s draft approach assuming Mariotta doesn’t fall.
Acho was dinged late in the season. He was splitting time with Casey and is miles better in space. Matthews was a bit better in the run game, as long as he didn’t get singled up in space.
I was a big fan of Long, but two season ending injuries, we can’t count on him.
.
Goode, and Long have never QB’ed our front 7. if Meco has a set back, and can’t play in September, we will need Casey to QB our Defense. The rookie we draft won’t be ready to QB the front 7 in September. If we can count on Meco being ready to go in September, then I don’t care if weloseCasey or Keep him… But we have to have 1 LB who can play come september that has experience calling this defense.
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Shame we didn’t let Kendricks get the experience of calling it this year, now we might have to bring casey back for a year or two…even if we bring him back a year or two, it’s not the end of the world. really good ST player, also knows the OLB position in our defense… Injuries are crazy in this league, it’s not horrible to have a LB on the bench that can back up any LB spot, QB the front 7 and play ST
One other thing, Geagle. Trading Curry for Jordan sounds good in theory, but I’m not certain it actually benefits Philly. Jordan’s skills are impressive, but thus far, they haven’t translated to quality play as a pro. Curry, on the other hand, has been an extremely valuable pass rusher who has worked hard to transition to becoming a quality 2gap defensive lineman. I’d rather risk a pick, even as high as a 3rd, than trade a player who I know is productive in our scheme.
Curry is a 1yr rental. NO CHANCE we can extend him past next year. He was a 2nd round pick, which means his contract was only a 4yr deal… Kids gonna have like 10 sacks playing 30% of the snaps for us, no way in hell we can offer him whaat 4-3 teams will offer him to start, so that he can sit in philly behind thornton and Cox… VINNY is one of my favorite Eagles. I DESPISE having to have this convo…. But VINNY Curry as a 1yr rental is a mistake……
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Edge rusher is one of the 3 most valued positions. QB/LT/Edge rusher. To a team like Miami, Curry is an edge rusher, to the Eagles Dion is an edge rusher. Only difference is we lose the one year rental edge rusher, and gain an edge rusher we can actually keep past next season,
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Eagles won’t be short sited, so it’s foolish for us to be
Curry’s a one year rental who is almost certainly more valuable to another team. Ok, let him leave in FA and take the compensatory pick. You have more faith that Dion Jordan can step in and be an upgrade than I. He hasn’t been an impact pass rusher in Miami and he’s had major problems setting the edge. Yes, he’s an exceptionally fluid athlete who would allow us to mirror our defense, but so is Marcus Smith who hasn’t been able to sniff the field. Unless we’re getting Jordan and picks, we’d be on the wrong side value wise in this trade.
Curry for Jordan straight up is a terrible deal for the Eagles. Curry is worth so much more than Jordan due to actually production and no suspendsions
Now it is… But Curry’s contract was a 2nd round contract, it’s only a 4yr deal, we lose him after next season….
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There is like a 10% chance we can extend Curry, that’s just not going to happen, so it makes sense to trade hm for a player that we can keep long term, instead of losing Curry after he gets another 8 sacks playing 30% of the snaps next year….
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So yes, technically Curry is more valuable TODAYS but He is a one year rental, we would be dumb to turn down a LongTerm piece for a one year rental
If we wanted to keep Curry we could always give him the transition tag. Also just because he might go in FA, why trade him for a guy who has almost zero trade worth?
But not to the Eagles. He’s not going to stick here when he hits FA so trade him while his value is way up and I love the idea of taking a chance on a Duck that Chip knows well.
That’s reallly what it’s al about, Curry is prob on of my top 5 favorite Eagles, I hate talking about trading him.. But it be foolish not to trade him, and keep him as a 1yr rental…. .. heck you don’t have to trade him for Dion, you can get draft pick for him… But edge rusher is so valuable and expensive, that if we can trade Curry, who would be a one year rental for us, for an edge rusher we could keep Longterm, we would be really foolish to keep Curry so he can play 30% of the snaps next year and then leave us…
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When his contract expires, 4-3 teams will be trying to sign him and pay him as a starter, no way in hell we can match a 4-3 teams offer so that Curry can sit behind Thornton and Cox and play 30% of the snaps
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Arguing against trading curry is so dman short sited. I hate to lose that Kid. it will bother me for years to come… But I’d rather get something out of it instead of losing him for nothing…. Only real argument you can make is losing him in free agency and getting a compensatory pick two years from now, but by then our roster should be pretty set to where we don’t have room to be adding 10 draft picks to our roster, so what’s the point in losing him for nothing? Only way it would make any sense is if we think keeping Curry for this year gives us a good shot at winning the Super Bowl, unfortunately we probably two years away… Nick Foles in his 5th year, is when I expect him to go out and beat every QB that steps one the field against him
GEagle:
Where does Tannenbaum’s new role with the Dolphins fit into your Curry-for-Dion trade scenario?
Speculation welcomed.
Tannebaum was Howie’s first contact w/NFL. If ANYBODY can make him an offer, it is HR.
I think going for Jordan makes such damn sense! The Dolphins’ pass rush is one of their few strengths…and it is getting zip from #95. The idea of Curry would probably put stars in Tannebaum’s eyes, and for us it is not without risk, but neither is a 3rd round draft pick.
Imagine if we landed Jordan and Jerry Hughes in FA. That D would be formidable before adding ILB,CB or Safety.
good posts. Like the work you put into.
Also crazy to see your changed mind re BG who you were sure he’d be staying.
However I don’t see a realistic chance that McCourty reaches the open market. If he does the Eagles better jump all over him.
Whoa whoa whoa… I do think we will work something out wits BG, with COle being our backup plan, 1 stays, the other goes, .. My above post, is what I WANT TO Happen, not what I Neccessarily EXPECT to happen
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Kasen williams is a big body WR who does what Coop does and you can get him in the 7th. He’s probably better than Pooper after a year.
Draft 4 corners? Wow. Are there any other teams drafting? :~)
When does Cary Williams pay cut/release take place?
Reading Dilfer’s comments, I really hope that teams listen and Mariota falls. I actually think there’s a lot of truth to what Dilfer’s saying as Mariota is a good prospect, but hardly a finished product. Anytime you have someone who’s primarily played in the spread, they’re going to lack dropback skills. He’s worth a #1 from us, and even trading up to the mid-teens to get, but unless the top 5 team drafting him builds the offense around the skills he already has, they’re bound to be disappointed.
Todd McShay saying the same thing.
Todd McParrot you mean. Has he ever had an original opinion?
It’s not fair but I’m always slightly skeptical of outrageous college success. Seems like the greatest college QB’s of all time aren’t always madly successful in the pro’s, especially given recency bias with guys like Tebow and Manziel.
Not saying he isn’t a great prospect or he isn’t worthy of his #1 pick status, just not as sold as some folks. I do think the best NFL version of Mariota would be one that plays for Chip Kelly, though. Will be interesting how this all turns out. It is incredible how much public perception changes as we get closer to the draft.
Reality is that playing QB at the collegiate level and playing the pro’s doesn’t require the same tools. More and more teams are going to a shotgun spread where the QB is never asked to drop back. Anyone who’s never played under center is going to struggle with this aspect of the pro-game. On top of this, the Eagles extremely mediocre secondary would be all world at the college level. It’s a huge step up in overall speed of the game and reactions by the average defensive player.
In regards to Mariota, he’s a perfect prospect for us because we wouldn’t ask him to play under center. His throwing skills need to improve, but they’re at least as good, if not better, than Sanchez was last season. Also, he understands this offense. As a prospect for any other team, you have to love the tools. He’s got a plus arm and exceptional mobility. He’ll need to learn to be a drop back passer, and that’s a crap shoot. He needs to improve his anticipation and feel for a pro style passing game and learn to read defenses, especially while dropping back. That’s no guarantee. That makes him a very good prospect, but not a sure bet. I’m not a Winston fan at all, but if we ran a traditional offense, I could understand why some people might prefer him as a prospect.
Repeating myself: “Oh for crying out loud. Take the QB you can get, sit him for a year behind Foles, with the best QB coach you can get, let him come into the 4th quarter occasionally then turn him loose in 2016. How hard can it be?”
Please, anything is better than 3000 comments every day arguing about which college QB is better. They are all different and will go where they go. Some will turn out better than others. The Eagles might not draft ANY quarterback this year. Would rather see 2000 comments every day for 6 months about which corner or safety we MUST have. Well, maybe not. Because every other teams’ blogs will be saying the same things. Like last off-season.
EDIT: Btw, nearly every draftee is coming from university, not college. They are not the same.
There are only 2QB’s that I am certain have the passing skills that I feel I can safely project them into becoming a starting quality QB. One has so many personal red flags that I wouldn’t touch him in any round. The other is Mariota who is likely to go way too early.
The good news for me is that I still really like Nick. He has his warts, just like every QB option we have for the forseeable future. Not trying to troll you or anyone else with the ‘we should trade whatever we need to get to #1.’
It’s called college here.
Whether it’s a university, a college, or a military academy, it’s still called College Football.
Personally, this years free agent market does nothing for me.
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If it were up to me, I would sign Maclin, and let all of our free agents walk. Get rid of BG, Nate, Bradley, Casey Mathews(won’t be mad if we keep him)
,..
Lose all those free agents and only sign Devin McCourty, and I would assume that would get us 2, maybe 3 compensatory picks for the following year…no?
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So, if the Eagles are going to get a few extra compensatory picks next year, and we get that extra 4th rounder this year, I would like to see us make some trades this year, because if we hit on like 3-5 more players, we won’t have room for like 10 new rookies next year when we get awarded the compensatory picks… So if we aren’t going to have room on our roster for 7 picks next year plus 2-3 compensatory picks, we can afford to trade away some of next years picks, for players, or extra draft picks in this draft.
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Vikings are said to be high on WR CHarles Johnson as their #2 WR going forward. If Rumors about chip liking Cordarell in 2013 are true, stylisticalky he would fit great in this offense, and Soecial teams… Split the compensation we have to pay between this year and Next year since we have extra picks next year…
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I also want to trade for Dion Jordan, just not sure if we would rather give them draft picks, or VINNY curry straight up? I don’t want to lose VINNY, but if we are going to pay to keep Cox, Thornton and the best young NT in the NFL Bennie Logan, doubt we can pay VINNY Big Money to extend him into coming off the bench for the next 4 years…so if we are just going to lose Curry in a year anyway, might as well trade him to the Dolphins who could extend him since they play a 4-3
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Picking at #20, unless someone surprisingly falls and maybe we move up a few spots to grab someone we really like, I would be pretty surprised if we stay at 20…we can trade back once or twice, get extra 3rd round picks and still end up with an extremely talented ILB to pair with Kendricks,.
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Instead of drafting a corner at #20, rather trade back once or twice, get Erik Kendricks and an extra 3rd round pick or two..
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Instead of taking say Trae Wayans at #20… We could end up turning that pick into like Erik Kendricks and Devin Smith, or Benardick McKinney and TY Montgomery….
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We could also get extra picks this year, by doing trades like: Texans give us pick #50(2nd round), for our First Rounder Next year, which should be hopefully in the 25-30 range next year….. Or even something like Give us their 2nd for our 3rd this year and another 3rd next year…. If we are going to be awarded like 2 compensatory picks, we can afford to trade a 2016 pick or two
you always talk about it, but do you really think the Dolphins would trade the #3 pick in the draft straight up for one year of Curry?
I know he isn’t playing like the # 3 pick, but still. I can’t tell sometimes if this is just you dreaming or you really think the Dolphins would do this. Like if you were a Dolphins fan.
I would trade Curry and not a pick. Curry will be gone in a year. Unless you are talking about like a 4th.
Curry for Jordan is a terrible deal for the Eagles.
You are being ahort sited.. When he walks next year for nothing, we will wish we traded him
I repeat . . . compensatory pick. It won’t be for nothing. This isn’t the NBA where dealing a guy in his last season is a priority.
Im not sold on Jordan but i would take him over a comp pick esspecially since he would be playing in a defensive scheme that really fits him. He is made for 3-4 olb, not 4-3 DE. Billy likes “mirror” LBs. Jordan has the athleticism do be able to drop back into coverage or play spy more then most 3-4 OLB.
And I agree with that assessment of Jordan’s ability, but it is a projection. As for the compensatory pick, you also would be getting another year out of one of the top pass rushing defensive lineman. If it was just the pick vs. Jordan, sure, I’d take it, but I’d rather have another year of Vinny terrorizing QBs. Trade a 3rd rounder to Miami for Jordan if they are that anxious to get rid of him. Frankly, that’s probably more than anyone else would offer based on his play these last two seasons and the drug suspension.
Agree 100% it is a projection but so is our comp pick turning out to be a good player. I doubt a 3rd would be enough to pry him away from MIA. Involving Curry just makes sense for both teams with it honestly being safer for MIA. While i love watching him sack QBs we need OLB help. To me letting him walk for a comp pick just so we can watch him sack QBs next year doesnt make sense. It would make sense if we were a SB worthy team and we viewed him as a huge peice to that. Unfortunetly whether he is here or not next year isnt going to assist in a SB victory because as a team we arent just there yet. I would be sad to see him go, i like him alot, but this is about roster building. Look, lets be honest this trade talk for Dion Jordan is just not going to pan out. Im just saying I dont want to see a very good talent walk just for a comp pick if there is something better.
It does make alot of sense however i am not sold on Dion Jordan like some people are. The fact is that after next year Curry will be gone. He wont stay here to be a situational rusher when i beleive he could get a bigger contract from another team and be a very effective 4-3 DE. It makes sense to get something for him instead of nothing.
Yes I do! Their current GM ismt the GM who drafted Dion. the GM is going to extend coach PHYLBIN, which means that a new coach won’t come in and switch them to a 3-4, how much longer do you expect the new GM to get so little out of the #3 pick because the previous GM drafted a horrible scheme fit?
dion belongs in the 3-4, Curry belongs in the 4-3
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The longer the GM holds on to Dion in a scheme that doesn’t suit him, the more value he will lose. heck, he already is a two time violator of the drug policy, which means when he gets in trouble he will face a hefty suspension, that drops his trade value drastically… If they don’t trade him now, he won’t be worth ANYTHNG after another dissapointing season.
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Right now, he is a BUST for them, that hasn’t shown any hints of being able to figure out the 4-3. Right now, they would be FORTUNATE to get a 4-3 stud like Curry, who racks up ridiculous amount of sacks playing in our scheme like 30% of the snaps… That kid gonna Easily have a 10 sack season when he gets to start as a 4-3 DE.. And Curry is still on a cheap second round contract, team that trades for him can watch him play for a year and then decide if they want to extend him, it makes Curry valuable…
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TODAY, Curry is more Valuable than Dion… I don’t want to lose Vinny Curry, but I realize it’s going to be very hard to offer him what other teams will, so he can sit behind Thornton and Cox…. It’s really not realistic for us to keep Curry past next year… dolphins are in the AFC, their player is the perfect fit for our scheme, ours is the perfect fit for their schemes..
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I’d actually be pretty damn surprised if the Dolphins don’t trade him. That’s a big risk, if he dpesnt produce next year, he won’t be worth anything… This is probably their last chance to get good value for him, and I highly doubt they can do better than VINNY CURRY….. Imagine how awesome VINNY would be if we still lined up in a 4-3 for the entire game
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And if they don’t trade him to us, the moment he becomes a free agent Yous know he will throw on an Eagles hat and run to Philly
Where does the Dolphins’ hiring of Tannebaum this week fit into this scenario?
Tannenbaum’s now the Dolphins’ Exec VP of Football Operations.
And GM Dennis Hickey reports to Tannenbaum.
I think the dolphins would like to move on from jordan, but would need to take a cap hit in order to do so. I think given risk reward they will try to develope him fir one more year. If things begin to click for him there they can keep him. If not a trade next year woukd clear some additional cap space
It’s not as bad a hit for the Dolphins to do it this year, especially if they wait until June 1 to make a deal. The Dolphins’ biggest need is interior D-linemen (4-3 DT’s), not so much edge guys.
I think you have to keep BG. You need an impact pass rusher on your team. Look at teams like Jaguars, Falcons, Titans for prime examples of what happens when your defense has no pass rush. Look at what happened to CAR when they lost their impact pass rusher. It softens your defense too much.
Maclin and BG need to stay. Losing BG leaves you extremely thin at OLB. Who knows if Smith will improve, Cole is expensive and old and not nearly the rusher he was. Is Dion Jordan even doing any good in MIAI? Isnt dont get why people want him so bad. Its very unfortunate with Curry because i beleive he was huge for our passrush, but i dont see him staying after next year to be a situational rusher when i beleive he could be a very good 4-3 DE.
I would love to see a story on here that had the feel of …. I have a strong opinion here. The stories seem to be littered with : could / would / maybe, etc, etc. It might rain tomorrow …. or the sun might shine. Then again, it could snow, or even sleet. Nice way to cover ALL the bases, and never be wrong. You can’t straddle the fence and be politically correct about every topic, or person you write about. Sooner or later you have to tell it like it is, and stop trying to be EVERYONES buddy. The Eagles as a organization, make plenty of mistakes …. Dave Spadaro spouts nothing but positive Philadelphia Eagles propaganda ( I know – It’s his job ) , and Howie Roseman wasn’t the greatest talent evaluator or GM in the NFL. There, I took a stance, on MY feelings. Have at me.
“I would love to see a story…” start your own blog.
I just might ….. thanks anon. Would you read MY stories …. or are you a very devoted and LOYAL Lawlor fan ? Or are you just a LITTLE sensitive ? You seem….. tough ….. in a ( comment section ) kind of way.
If you promise to only use capitalization only at the start of sentences and proper nouns and to use three periods for ellipsis, I will read your first three posts.
I disagree, a little RANDOM capitalization really makes a THING interesting.
I prefer italics.
http://img.pandawhale.com/45895-scanners-mind-blown-gif-rCEb.gif
ESpecially WOrds LIke FOles !!!
That kind of stuff happens when you screw up your autocorrect dictionary (typing on the phone is challenging at times).
The sad thing is, you can delete the word on most phones when it appears on the “type ahead” by press/hold the word.
The person you are replying to cannot help himself. He’s a star on philly.com.
It’s about content bro hiem ….. not context. Take your spell checking, grammer nazi a$$, somewhere else. Did I really offend your senses so bad with my caps and ellipsis ? To bad, get over it.
Wait, does this mean I don’t get to read your blog?
No, it just means that you are the equivalent of a person who likes to talk …… but doesn’t like to LISTEN.
So….. much…….salt…….
And not enough pepper……
To be honest with you bro, from the comment you just wrote it seems you are the one being sensitive. You wrote a comment of your opinion on a site which is clearly loved due to its writings, and you received your replies which werent malicious in any way. The style of writing and open mindness on this site is why we are here. Clearly that is not what you are looking for which is perfectly fine. So common sense would suggest that maybe you find a site that meets your criteria of what you are looking for.
I will say it’s not a bad site, it just comes across as a little Dave Spadaro( ish ), to me sometimes I guess iv’e always been disappointed by ( reporters / bloggers ) who are afraid to criticize the objects of their articles, because they are afraid that they will lose their access to the ( team / players / coaches. ) I guess there is a fine line to walk, and I prefer to read articles where the writer does not ( tippy toe ) around being critical of ( people / decisions / etc. ) When I want to read about the Eagles, rainbows and unicorns, I go to Philadelphia Eagles.com. It just comes across that Lawlor is a tad to close to Spadaro, to give unbiased opinions about the Eagles team and their ( players / coaches / management. ) Nothing personal, I enjoy 90 % of the articles and insights that Tommy provides on his website. My bad for thinking out loud.
Spuds is entertaining, but he’ll never criticize anything the team does. Lawlor has has opinions but is smart enough to hedge his bets. Someone has to be truly awful for Tommy to blast them. Roseman doesn’t qualify. Neither does Lurie. Some of us have a huge appreciation for Jeff. If you want to hear Tommy take a stand, listen to him discuss Nate Allen on his podcast with Kempski.
I disagree. I don’t want to read propaganda, regardless of the authors opinion. I appreciate the fact that Tommy tries to present an unbiased assessment of the situation, shares his thoughts, admits that there are uncertainties, and allows me to form my own opinions.
Well said. My feeling as well.
In rereading your comment, I am left wondering if this is satire. You tell Tommy that he needs to take a stand – that he cannot say it might rain or it might be sunny – then stake your position as (a) the team which missed the playoffs made mistakes, (b) the paid spokesperson is biased, and (c) the demoted GM wasn’t the very best one in the entire league?
So, instead of admitting uncertainty in whether the sun will shine or not tomorrow, you are taking a definitive stand that it will, in fact, rise?
Bet your bottom dollar…
Arf!
Y’know, when I received your reply, I was sitting next to our shaggy golden/poodle named, of course, Sandie.
The sun will, in fact, also set.
I think the sun goes nowhere but outward; we`re the ones that go round`round(up `n down-rise and set).
A college student stayed up all night long considering where the sun had gone, until finally it dawned on him.
funny!!!
What the f@#k did you even mean by that ? What are you Tommy’s lawyer ? Or maybe Spadaro’s or Roseman’s ? facts are facts, what do you want me to say ? Draft was messed up. Season ended too short. Gm got promoted and now they need a real one. I don’t have a problem with Tommy. He has to be careful who he rips, I get it. He has to walk a thin line, that’s cool.
Nevermind, my question was answered.
Definitely not satire. Got it.
I frequent this site (and would venture many others do as well) precisely because Tommy presents a balanced, well-reasoned view of issues… because – like it or not – there isn’t always a crystal clear take.
I know things are easier to understand when boiled down to simple black or white but, like almost any topic, the reality is often gray.. or grey, depending on your spelling preference. WAIT, since you think people should take a firm stance, I’ll say “gray.”
Also – I might be way off base here and please forgive me if I am – but I’m guessing you’re newer to this website and are largely judging Tommy’s writing based upon his measured analysis of the recent front office restructuring. I mention this because Tommy has been very critical of the Eagles over the years and far from Spadarian in his writing. But criticism doesn’t have to take the form of random capitalization or righteous claims. I gather that Tommy’s not in the game to make splashes so much as trying to find the rationale for various moves, even when he very much disagrees with it.
That’s way too passive. There must be 50 shades of gray.
Tommy’s cool. No hard feelings. At least on my part.
This dude be like Bizarro-GEAGLE.
20 bucks says it’s secretly just Jimmy Bama.
Fair enough, perhaps Iggles Blitz isn’t for you.
For over the top articles where the writer has 100000% confidence perhaps you may enjoy the following:
http://hottakery.com/
Tommy has taken several significant stances… Funyons, PBR and Megan Fox come immediately to mind.
In all seriousness, I want nuanced discussion about complex subjects, not just “Fletcher sucks!”
To be fair, though, Fletcher DOES suck.
Now, some Megan Fox talk ……. I am down with that !! Those lips ….. forgetabout it.
I really wish you would post another article about how much you HATE Roseman! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t HATE Roseman. Hate the fact that he got promoted to a job that he did not EARN or DESERVE. Good for him, bad for Eagles fans …. not his fault. The buck starts and ends with Lurie. Regardless of who Lurie puts in charge ( and then blames ) he is ultimately responsible for the 2010 and 2011 drafts. Not Joe Banner, Andy Reid or Howie Roseman.
A lot of time there isn’t enough information available to get to the bottom of who made what decision and who was for or against it. I’d like to know… who wanted Marcus Smith? Who was most behind Danny Watkins? And I’m not sure even if someone gave us answers that they wouldn’t be self-serving ones.
So all I know in these cases is that someone screwed up. I don’t know who. So I can’t say if the issue has been corrected or if it has been made worse. There’s not enough there. It’s not a matter of being politically correct. It’s a matter of knowing what you’re talking about.
GEAGLE,
I think I have never asked you this before, but what does your nick stand for?! You’re not German, are you? And you’re not copying me, right?! I mean GEAGLE could be the short version of GermanEagle. Just curious. 😉
Actually my wife saw your nick and she was wondering that. lol
Funny that you ask this because you referenced yourself earlier in delightful third person as “GE.” Now this might predate your fandom, but Tommy’s user name on the Eagles Message Board (aka, “EMB” or “the Mothership”) is “goeagles99” which was/is frequently shortened to “GE99” or “GE” by others.
Tommy wrote recently about the genesis of “goeagles99” on a fun trip down memory lane:
http://igglesblitz.com/2013/03/goeagles99-turns-10/
Remember whem EMB didnt suck?
Everyone was obsessed with a RB named Eric Shelton (who?) and of course URLACKERZZZZZZZZZZZ !
Remember when it would just crash? For no reason?
I loved the EMB in the early days, but haven’t been missing it since Tommy brought this baby igglesblitz to life.
It was North Korea.
EMB didnt suck back in the days because it was the best forum for Eagles fans and was well moderated, once things like BGN and Lawlor began blogs, EMB kinda went away for me
lol urlackerzzzz.
I just read V. Davis makes $5million next year and 49eres are considering cutting him (per Rotoworld) he’s old, but that could be a great move, talk about redzone. Also how are he and James Casey making anywhere near the same money.
Don’t mind making a play for vets just not really interested in Davis
I would love Davis here. Matthews, Davis, Ertz and Maclin on the field with McCoy and Mariota? (okay last part is a dream, but one can dream right?)
His name is bigger than he plays. No thanks.
He has really slowed down as of late. 263 receiving yards all of last season. Im fine with our TEs.
Speaking of the EMB:
Does anyone know what happened to PhillyPhreak54 and Allez Aigles?! I really enjoyed reading their stuff.
Also austinfan has been very quiet on here lately….
No thank you on Hundley.
From what I’ve seen his pocket awareness is poor, that he is quick to put his head down and run. I haven’t really watched him much, though.
Think he was coached to just run if 1st read wasn’t open.
He is coached by Jim Mora, the guy who did Michael Vick the biggest disservice by not coaching him at all.
A:
Vick didn’t want to be coached.
Not ’til after finishing his time in prison.
and if you couple that with a coach who just tells a guy like Michael Vick to just play with zero gameplan its a bad combo
I really dont want any QB in this draft unless Mariota miraculously falls to us or we take one in 4th or higher rounds.
concur
Im curious if anyone would have any interest in JPP as an OLB for us? He’s certainly athletic enough, but is he worth the contract? Is he a Chip guy?
Don’t think he’s fluid enough to play in outer space. Would be another ‘project’ like BG that takes time.
JPP is way more fluid in space than Cole or Graham just because he is a great athlete.
You really think JPP can cover TE’s and RB’s in the flat?! Maybe a couple of years ago, but not after putting on so much weight. If the eagles go after him, then hopefully playing as a DE..
Agree, he would take ove for Thorton. He wont want to play 3-4 DE. He loves his stats. He would command way to much money, and my guess is that he is going to have back injuries for the rest of his carreer that will get more nagging and cost him more games as he gets older. Even if i were a 4-3 team i would be very wary.
I’m totally with you.
Suh is the one player I would LOVE to have on the Dline, but it would just cost WAY to much and i highly doubt he would want to play as a 3-4 DE. I am happy that Cox seems happy with what he is doing because he has the talent to be a truely great 4-3 DT in this league with a big pay day. I thinks its imperative that he gets extended before he becomes a FA. Wont suprise me if there is an issue when it comes to money with him. If he has another big year next year with more sacks Howie better be willing to open that wallet. Something tells me he will be highest payed 3-4 DE in league shortly if he stays.
Not a chance he can play olb. He gained more weight this year and played alot I’d dt at times. Would definitely be lost playing olb
Only if he is back from his back injury
Heck be too expensive hoping the Giants pay him him handsomely , heard Hughes want 8-9mil
Dont trust him with that lingering back injury, and with the money you would have to pay to get him you dont even know if he would pan out as an OLB. Then there is the chance that if we retain BG, JPP might have an “accident” in the locker room.
“Seahawks director of college scouting Scott Fitterer is expected to
interview this week for the Eagles GM job, per a league source.” Per Schefter
Yeah, that’s a good interview. The Eagles want their secondary scheme to be similar to the Seahawks without near the Seahawks’ defensive talent. Maybe bringing in the guy who helped draft the Seahawks’ players would be good. Obviously Fitterer hasn’t had total control there but he’s learned from the guys who did.
Can we get Pete Carroll to coach em?
From a complete outsiders perspective I like him as a candidate.
The Seahawks value SPARQ heavily. They like explosive guys that are special in some way and tgen try to play them to that strength. They also tend to like guys who have a chip on their shoulder.
Chip on the other hand seems to values versaility where guys rarely are special in any given area. He also places high value on character. I do wonder how tgese two approaches would mess. Would Chip be willing to sacraficce sone on versatility/character to get some of those Seahawky type players?
And as Kempski just pointed out on twitter, Tommy called it several days ago. Once more its time to appreciate how awesome a writer the Eagles fanbase have been blessed with. The draft wouldn’t be the same without having followed Lawlors gems throughout the year.
Would like that. Past few years they have really hit in draft and FA, esspecially on D.
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I think of RG3 as a much cheaper version of Mariota. Yes, I get that Mariota played for Chip, but so did Dion Jordan, Kyle Long, De’Anthony Thomas, and Kiko Alonso. RG3’s skillset on the field is extremely similar to Mariota. And you don’t even have to give up on Foles if you get RG3. You make Foles the starter, but give RG3 the chance to overtake him if he can. This course of action just makes way too much sense. Why overpay when you can get essentially the same thing for much cheaper?
I agree with your sense of thinking to an extent but there is character, health and experience in the system plus the fact that you get RG3 for one year as opposed to 5 of Mariota but I don’t think either will be Eagles next year anyway
Becuase
1. Dan Snyder isn’t letting them get rid of RG3
2. If he did, he’s not letting him go to Philly
Two things about RG3 bother me in comparison to Mariota.
1) Mariota according to all reports is a coaches dream. RG3 has worn out two coaching staffs trying to get him to improve.
2) RG3 and Mariota are both great athletes, but RG3 appears to have inherited Mike Vick’s ‘sliding is for wimps’ mentality. Mariota doesn’t have that self destructive tendency.
So, no, I don’t think the two are essentially the same. Similar in athleticism and pure ability, different between the ears and in the all important self-preservation category.
The way RG3 was touted coming out of college made him seem like a very mature person and coaches dream. I think alot of what has happned as far as coaches and RG3 were due to mixture of dsyfunctional FO, Shannahans dictatorship (Mcnabb also had issues with him), and also of course alot of it was RG3s fault as well, particularly what he has done on feild after rookie year. I think Shanahan is highly overrated as a coach, and just doesnt have good people skills at all. His son is also overrated if youbask me, and it blows my mind that teams constantly want both or either one of them.
Looking forward to keeping a very close eye on McCourty.
Go Ravens!
I will admit, i dont know that much about him but is he really that good, or are we overrating him do to our desperate want for another Safety?
He’s really good. But check him out yourself.
Heading home now to get to a TV. Was at GFs house and whenim there i am only allowed to watch my Eagles because when football comes on i subconciously block.her out completely. At least i tell her its subconcious.
He played CB before he moved to safety.
Aftet a pretty successful rookie year i beleive. Which means for a safety he should be very good in man coverage. Would be really nice to have two safeties that are capable of that. Does it seem as though NE will really let him walk?
So, it’s probably the best football playoff weekend this week. Who ya’ll got?!
GE’s quick 4:
Ravens over Patriots
Seahawks over Panthers
Cowboys over Packers
Broncos over Colts
I’ll be in the bathroom puking my guts out if the Cowgirls manage to advance again this weekend. Not to mention, I’ll need ear plugs at work. Too many bandwagon fans (along with one or two diehards).
Im stuck in Florida and 2 of my roomates are Cowboys fans. The last game we played them was just horrible for me. As was the Detroit game. I owe the refs a suprise for that one.
Patriots over ravens, GB over Cowgirls, Seahawks over Panthers, Denver over Colts. I know those are all safe picks, but the only one that i feel as though has any possibility of a different outcome is Indy and Denver.
Im going Ravens, Seahawks, Broncos, Pack
Ditto.
luottoa
Michaela