QB Intrigue Continues

The problem with picking 20th in the draft is that you are at the mercy of those picking ahead of you. While some writers and draft analysts make a case for Marcus Mariota falling, that seems less likely with every day that goes by. I wouldn’t even bet a half-full can of lukewarm PBR that he gets anywhere close to pick 20 at this point.

I wrote about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the first QB domino to fall in my PE.com column.

You have 32 teams making plans. You also have 32 teams making moves. One move by one team can have an effect on many others and change all kinds of plans. That may have happened this week when Tampa Bay cut veteran quarterback Josh McCown. I’m sure plenty of fans thought “big deal” when they saw that news. But it actually could be a big deal.

The Bucs are now down to two quarterbacks, Mike Glennon and Seth Lobato. Until this very moment, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Lobato. Glennon has had some success as a starter, but hasn’t shown enough that you want to go into a season with him as “the guy.” The Buccaneers just happen to have the first pick in the draft. With McCown, it seemed likely that they would draft a quarterback. Without him, it is almost impossible to think they won’t.

The Bucs could be choosing Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston first overall. I find it hard to believe that the Bucs would take Winston, with all of his off-field baggage. I think Mariota is going first overall. A lot of Eagles fans would love to see Mariota reunited with Chip Kelly. I’m sure Kelly would love that too. Even if the Bucs pull a shocker and take Winston first, there are several other teams that need a quarterback in the top 10.

Now comes this report.

Titans aren't interested in drafting a QB http://t.co/uKGSuLkRdV pic.twitter.com/aAubCKzxLw

— Bleeding Green Nation (@BleedingGreen) February 16, 2015

Huh? Even if the Titans love Zach Mettenberger and want him to be the starter, they should be talking up the QBs so that teams will want to move up. Maybe they’re just being honest because they covet a defensive prospect like Leonard Williams or Randy Gregory, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t try to generate interest in your pick to help trade value. The way to do that is talk about QBs as a legitimate possibility.

And then I saw this interesting nugget about a Top 10 team…Jeff Fisher is letting Sam Bradford help pick out the offensive coaching staff. Kinda odd.

Many of us assumed Bradford would be cut. He can’t stay healthy. He’s been up and down for the Rams. Why not cut him and move on?

One possible take is that Fisher doesn’t think either QB is getting to pick 10. If Mariota goes #1 to Tampa, the Skins, Jets and Bears (teams 5-7) could still have interest in Winston. Fisher is hedging his bets and making nice with Bradford just in case. I still think Fisher would covet either of the top QBs.

No matter how you slice this, it doesn’t sound good for the Eagles.

If Mariota goes #1 (and I think he will), you have a tough decision on Winston. I don’t want anything to do with him. I doubt Jeff Lurie would either. Sure, the Eagles went after Mike Vick when he was at rock bottom, but he was also a bargain in terms of cost. The Eagles could cut him at a moment’s notice because they had nothing invested in him. Winston would cost a 1st round pick. He wouldn’t make huge money, but wouldn’t be cheap per se.

If Winston goes #1, you have a slew of Top 10 teams ready to take Mariota. I could even see the Giants considering him. Eli is in the final year of his contract and he’s not getting any younger.

I think it is important that Chip Kelly and Ed Marynowitz figure out other QB plans. Do they draft Brett Hundley? Or Bryce Petty? Or Garrett Grayson? Or do they take a flier on a small school guy like Brandon Bridge or Bryan Bennett?

The Eagles will talk to teams about potential deals in case Mariota does fall, but don’t get your hopes up. Look at other draft prospects. Or look at NFL guys. Do you bring back Mark Sanchez? Colt McCoy is an interesting name on the market. There is some talk that KC could cut Chase Daniel. He could be an interesting option.

You can also hope like heck that Nick Foles takes a big step forward. He’s hard working and has to be incredibly motivated by his mediocre play and then watching the final 8 games.

Just in case, someone make burnt offerings to the Football Gods. Better safe than sorry.

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Q & A

I’ve gotten quite a few questions in recent days and haven’t had a chance to answer them. So let’s do that here.

* Someone in the Safety post asked my thoughts on the play on Malcolm Jenkins. They thought ripped on Jenkins in a recent podcast. So what are my true thoughts on him?

I don’t recall my exact words in the podcast, but I think I was trying to point out that Jenkins had not been a Pro Bowl player in 2014. Early in the year Jimmy Bama had listed him as a possible Pro Bowler. Jenkins had several INTs at that point and was playing very well. He did have a good year for the Eagles, but did not play at a Pro Bowl level. There were too many dropped INTs that came in crucial moments. Jenkins hit and tackled well all year. He struggled in man coverage against WRs, as most Safeties do. I thought he was up and down as a centerfielder, although he didn’t do that a lot.

Jenkins gave the Eagles their first legitimately good Safety play in a while. I never expected him to come in and be Dawk Jr. Jenkins is a good player, but there is nothing special about him. I’m very happy with him and hope he’s here for the next few years.

* Did your post on the Safeties mean that the Eagles need a great player to go with Jenkins?

No. Great Safeties are hard to find. The Eagles need a good starter to pair with Jenkins, who is also a good starter. I’d love for the Eagles to find a great S, but that’s a heck of a lot easier said than done.

* In my post on Brett Hundley I talked about how he hadn’t done anything special in college (big wins, key comebacks, Jan 1 bowls, etc). Someone pointed out Mariota was similar to Hundley in this regard.

I strongly disagree. Mariota led Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl as a Redshirt Freshman and they beat #12 Kansas State 35-17. The Ducks finished the year #2 overall. This year Mariota got Oregon to the national title game. He won the Heisman Trophy. This year Oregon hosted #7 Michigan State. The Spartans got out to a 27-18 lead in the 3rd Qtr. The Ducks scored 28 straight points and won 46-27. MSU finished the season as the #8 defense in the nation.

Mariota had better coaching and better talent around him. That has to be factored into the accomplishments. But that also affects the kind of player someone becomes. Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler were talented SEC QBs. Manning was surrounded by NFL talent while Cutler carried Vandy on his back. Cutler took a beating as he played behind a mediocre OL. You can see pocket awareness issues to this day. Manning had a great OL. He learned to be comfortable in the pocket. You still see that to this day.

Mariota was placed in a favorable situation and delivered great results. Oregon did amazing things on offense. They won big games in the conference, out of conference and went 3-0 in bowls. At his best, Mariota was a dominant player.

There are still questions about how Mariota will translate to the NFL. No one will dispute there are concerns with that, and that some of those concerns are similar to the ones with Hundley. I do think Mariota was a better college player and is more likely to pan out in the NFL.

* Several of you asked about Safety Ron Parker as a potential free agent target.

I have not studied Parker’s tape. He will turn 28 this year and is coming off a breakout season. Guys like that do make me nervous. Here is a KC article pointing out his strengths and flaws.

If the Eagles go FA, Rahim Moore from Denver would make a lot of sense. He is a natural FS. He also played for Cory Undlin last year, who is now the Eagles DB coach.

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