Too Quiet on UDFAs?
Posted: May 12th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 313 Comments »I have written about some UDFAs at length, but not all of them. Some of you think I’m being unfair to the guys I haven’t covered.
Here’s the deal. Not all UDFAs are the same. Some have a legitimate shot at playing in the NFL. Others are essentially camp bodies. This isn’t an insult, it is just reality. Nobody will ever confuse my writing with David McCullough’s.
The other factor here is time. It takes time for me to watch tape on the prospects and be thorough with them. We also have some dead time in the next few months. I’m not going to rush out every rookie article by May 15th when I’ve still got 2 more months until Training Camp.
I think John Harris is easily the best of the UDFA receivers. Others prefer Devante Davis. Rasheed Bailey has his fans. I’ve covered Harris pretty well. I need to study Davis more closely before writing at length about him. Bailey is a great story, but he’s nowhere close to the others. Still, I’ll cover him in the future.
I want all these kids to play well and have a shot at an NFL career. I’m pulling for all of them. But I do have to be honest when assessing the players. They went undrafted for a reason. They can’t all be likely to make the roster. It just doesn’t work like that.
Every now and then you’ll hear a coach or analyst talk about how there are more UDFAs than 1st round picks on NFL teams (or some variation of that stat). Talk about lazy math. Each team gets a single 1st round pick. Each team adds 10 to 20 UDFAs. You do the math. Of course there are going to be lots of UDFAs in the league. The problem is that they tend to come and go. Jason Peters and Cedric Thornton are exceptions. The average UDFA is more like Matt Tobin or Brandon Bair.
We all love underdogs. Let’s hope this UDFA class has some good moments and gives us something to cheer for.
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Roob has a nice story up on Bailey if you want some info on him.
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Deflategate.
I just don’t care about it.
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Some of you have asked about Jimmy Bama and why he seems down on the team. Jimmy sees lots of question marks in regard to this team and he’s concerned.
Eagles over/under win total is 9, per Bovada. I'll take the under. (Hides).
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) May 12, 2015
I’m optimistic by nature. I see question marks as well, but also plenty of talent.
I stopped at the grocery store tonight on the way home. Had to re-up on my Funyuns supply. I was wearing an Eagles shirt. The guy in line beside me saw the shirt and asked “Is this the year you guys win the Super Bowl?”
I told him the key is Sam Bradford. If he stays healthy and plays well, the Eagles have a chance to be very good. If he struggles or if he gets hurt and Mark Sanchez takes over…this could be another frustrating year.
Lots of mystery with this team.
Jimmy and I are hoping to record a podcast this week. If not, early next week. We’ll recap the draft and talk about our thoughts on the team.
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#Eagles have agreed to terms on a four-year deal with #EaglesDraft DB JaCorey Shepherd. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/WDcIQvM9jK
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 12, 2015
I love the fact these guys sign so quickly now.
_
I think this team is more fragile and unproven than last year’s, but with a higher potential upside. The over/under is pretty much dead on.
If our D can hold to an AVG of allowing <17 per game i'll take the over.
Hell, if they can hold to <24, I'll take the over.
Depends on how many points per game Sanchez gives up with pick sixes…
I’m disappointed in you. It’s like you have no faith in Sam Bradford’s ability to turn the ball over.
Ha! Great point! If Bradford makes it through the pre-season we’ll be playing with house money. Also, if anyone can throw game-crushing INT’s while not technically on the field, it’s Sanchez.
We all know Huff will make up for any lack of QB turnovers lol
Bradford is a projection, the veteran RBs look good but are new to the team and system, the OL is older with a gaping hole, and the WRs are inexperienced or bad. Not sure we can count on the O to carry the team every season.
< 17 points per game was always Jim Johnson's goal and that was when our defense was better, the offenses around the league weren't as good, and our offense didn't play at a ridiculously fast pace leading to more defensive snaps.
Our defense would have to be amazing this year to average < 17 points per game. If we did that, we would probably win 13+ games and have home field advantage through the playoffs.
How is this team more fragile? OL is the same, QB higher potential and not like Foles has been more healthy than Bradford in his career. Only place on offense we might be more fragile is RB, but we now have more depth (no matter how much Polk one are, he had like 56 career runs)
On defense, we bring the whole front seven back minus Trent Cole and in the secondary are we really going to be worse no matter who plays instead?
* OL is not the same, Herremans is gone and RG is open. Peters and Mathis are another year older.
* QB has higher potential, which is why I said “higher potential upside”
* You neglected to mention WR, where we’re replacing a guy with 4 years of experience with last years rookie slot receiver, this years rookie slot receiver, or Riley Cooper.
* Things can always get worse in the Eagles secondary. Even assuming Maxwell is one of the big money free agent signings that work, who is he paired with? Who is Jenkins playing beside?
I’d love to see someone step up, I just don’t assume they will.
Herremans was out most of the season and was terrible.
We just signed Miles Austin if you wanna bring up experience and Matthews, Huff and Ertz should all take up the slack from Maclin (also how are those 3 more fragile than Maclin?)
At CB, we had Toast and Cary Williams, does it really matter who is opposite Maxwell? Same do you really think any safety we start is worse than Allen?
* I doubt either of us is qualified to judge OL play but whoever replaced Herremans when hurt couldn’t do it when he was healthy.
* There’s a reason nobody was in a rush to sign Austin.
* Matthews has 1 year experience. Huff has almost 1 game. Ertz couldn’t win a starting job.
* Where did I say WR specifically was more fragile?
* The Cowboys signed the top free agent CB, Brandon Carr, in the hopes that it would fix their secondary issues. They also drafted a CB in the 1st round that year. How did that work out?
* Unless they’ve signed a quality safety I missed, the guys competing for a spot couldn’t take the job from Allen.
You do make some good points, but that is simply not true:
Trust me, I’m not a Nate Allen fan. I mean, not at all. But while we have a lot of bodies and competition, on a quantitative level, there is no proven Safety next to Jenkins on the roster. One of the many players could step up, no doubt. But it’s also possible Biggers or Prosinski turn out to be the best of the group. And guess what: they would be worse than Allen. I don’t even want to think about one of those proven scrubs (on Defense) to be a starter for us.
I do think we upgraded corner. We’ll see if Maxwell is a top 10 corner or not, but he’s more than a capable starter in this league. Only because Nnamdi was horrible doesn’t mean a big name FA CB has to play horrible. Maxwell is a scheme fit, also.
We have Rowe, Thurmond, Carroll, Shephard and Boykin battling the other spots out. Of course, those guys are probably not Revis or Sherman, but one of them should be able to play CB #2. There is potential, at least.
“Deflategate.
I just don’t care about it.”
Amen, Tom.
If it wasn’t for 2004, I’d be right there with you.
Understandable.
The NFL (and the society it reflects): Lie, cheat, steal, rape, pillage, murder? It’s okay, #justwinbaby. Probably beyond the scope of an eagles’ fandom blog, so I can understand Tommy’s lack of interest, but some values really are more important than winning a game.
Sure but I’m tired of hearing about it. The Pats are cheating scum and I dislike them very much, they took away our Super bowl.
Davis and Harris are kind of similar. I just hope one makes it. The more I watch Harris the more I think both are decent and would give us another red zone threat. I think that’s what Kelly is trying to do, get as many big, tall WR as UDFA’s and hope one of them becomes a good RZ target/blocker, a la Pooper, except……. better.
Davis really does have some nice hands. He is who im pulling for.
I don’t agree with Jimmy’s pessimism. And this is coming from someone who likes and respects Jimmy as a writer (Hides).
This team is clearly deeper and more talented than last year’s. Especially the defense. Alonso, Maxwell, and even Rowe are huge upgrades to the defense. Barwin and Cox are already legitimate studs who other teams covet, while the rest of the front seven is nasty. The offense is where I’m concerned, but given that Chip is calling the shots there, I see the offense at worst playing like it did the second half of last season. At best, it could be as good, maybe a little better, than the 2013 offense. I don’t see a Super Bowl this year, but a playoff win or two is a real possibility. If things click with the roster as it is now, this season could set the Eagles up in 2016 to make a Super Bowl run.
Even the depth in the secondary is better and has gotten better every year. Long gone are the days where Roc Carmichael would line up during a crucial play against the Saints during the playoffs. We knew where the ball was going, Brees knew where the ball was going, hell even Carmichael knew where the ball was going and still it was a completion. I’ll say it again, REALLY looking forward to Shepherd’s progression.
Agreed. Maxwell, Rowe, Thurmond, Boykin, and Carroll are the top 5 corners as of now. Shepherd could make it too. That is light years better than what last year’s group was.
Not to mention the DL remains deep and the ILBs are a deep group too. We’re seeing Chip get the roster deeper each year and I’d expect to see OLB, OL, and/or safety be a priority next year. I’m beginning to see the big picture of what Chip has in mind.
I began being an Eagles fans in the early 2000’s when I was a teen, mostly because of Dawkins. I didn’t really get into the Iggles until late 2000’s. I honestly can’t remember us having more depth in than we do right now. I will defer to some of our more experienced commenters.
2002-2004 had very deep teams. More than the current team. Naturally, they went deep into the playoffs. There were some years when the offense was very deep (2009, 2010) or the defense was (2008), but not really both. Now, the offense needs some more depth, but it’s definitely getting there.
As far as depth on the offense. I think we are set at WR after this year with the addition of Agholor, Huff and Jmatt returning and possibly one of these UDFA’s making the roster. QB wise, we have the depth, as of now, but possibly not health factor. RB looks good now. The only thing lacking is OL, which is concerning and I wouldn’t really be mad if Chip went OL 1-2 in the next years draft.
My bet is Chip does draft multiple OL early next year. I am less optimistic about WR and I say that as someone who loves Agholor. I like Matthews, but wonder if he’s already hit his ceiling. I remain skeptical on Huff, seeing as he did absolutely nothing as a receiver last year. If Huff can’t pan out this year, I still consider WR a need for next year.
Well, if Agholor is your #1, which I think we can agree he can be. Matthews makes a great #2 with, especially if he can improve on production from last year. While Huff didn’t rack up a ton of yards, he still showed that he can be a shifty RAC kind of guy. There’s your #3. That’s a pretty decent set right there. Like I said, if we can just get one of the many UDFA WR to pan out and be a good #5 this year and jump up to #4 next year, we are in pretty decent shape.
IMO Huff is a major projection. He had less than 100 yards last year. I’m not ready to anoint the guy as a starting caliber player yet.
You think Jordan Mathews hit his ceiling after his rookie season? WTF?!?!
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Expect a MONSTER year two leap out of the kid. SEE the difference between Alshon Jeffries in year 1 and year 2
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It’s friggin IMPOSSIBLE for a rookie to have reached his ceiling…
We do indeed have depth, but it’s widely spread around specific positions. F.e.: while we will simply make our 3rd round pick a starter if TWO ILB are hurt (two out of two starters, if you will), we absolutely have zero depth for the OL. Even the biggest Barbre or Tobin fan can’t deny that. Gardner just doesn’t has it, he’s at best a journeyman. Molk was terrible. Even if you really trust Barbre and Tobin (and I’m not in this group, yet), we have 6 guys who can play. That is, with the oldest left side of the line in the league, a huge risk.
And we do have to hope that MSII makes a huge leap and that Long comes back at full strenght, because we will have problems in our OLB rotation if not.
Rome wasn’t built in da day. But it is a strange roster.
QB: one of the best back-ups in the league behind a fragile starter. +
RB: basically three guys who could start in this league, two of them behind the leading rusher a year ago. +
WR: should be enough, especially if one of the UDFA can make the roster
TE: not much after the two who see meaningful snaps, but should be ok and we do have big receivers in case of an emergency
OL: nothing depth wise, at best (!) a solid RG and a solid 6th man —
DL: should be ok
OLB: there is hope, but not much in terms of proven NFL players behind the starters. –
ILB: crazy depth +
CB: good depth +
S: many players, but nothing proven except Jenkins. Could be ok if Wolff, Watkins or Couplin make a leap, could be a disaster if Prosinski or Biggers turn out to be the best of that group
The only way this could be true is if you’re either Chip Kelly or Nostradamus. So, which one is it?
This is a complete projection. We all hope Maxwell is worthy of his contract but that’s not yet a reality, and after him there’s nothing but questions. The guys in the running for a starting safety spot couldn’t beat out Nate Allen.
I understand being optimistic about the potential, but assuming every new addition will work out is unrealistic.
Wait, what is a projection? The depth? I would go as far to say almost every CB we have this year is better than Curtis Marsh, Roc Charmichael, Jordan Poyer etc. At least the guys we have now have played at a decent level or we have high hopes for them a la Shepherd and Rowe. So, no its not a complete projection.
Are they better than Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher? I’m hardly a fan of either but they have at least started for multiple NFL teams.
Rowe might be good, though you don’t generally want to depend on a rookie to win and keep a starting job.
Curtis Marsh was a third round pick. Roc Carmichael was a fourth round pick. You have high hopes for Shepard, a 6th round pick.
Yes there are players in this team better than both Fletcher and Williams. The only reason Shepherd fell was because of a crappy 40. He is better, right now, than either Roc or Marsh.
Harris def has the inside track, Davis not far behind. Both even both of them need to flash big time, unless the inevitable happens and the human hamstring pull that is miles austin pulls a hammy early on in TC, then combined with his lame STs skill he will be out of the picture rather quickly. but thats when chips sports science comes into play, but miles really is the human hamstring pull and i doubt even chip can keep him healthy. plus i dont like him and dont want him on the team.
Article idea, what about the 2014 draft? Not just MS2 but several players saw little or no real playing time. Which could still be stars? Which busts?
Tune in two years from now to find out!
Look at Baloophi . . .
playing the Batman card (from the ’60s TV show).
The players will decide their futures.
MSII has all the ability in the world. If he puts it all together he can be a 8-12 sack a year guy with plus coverage ability.
Matthews we know.
Huff has a skill set that makes him an attractive option. Get him the ball in space and let him make plays. I don’t know that he’s going to be some great superstar, but a good WR 2/3 who puts up 600-700 yards and 5TDs a year, is a great locker room guy and works his ass off is a good return for a third round pick.
Watkins is an X factor. Great athlete, great character, should push Wolff for the job. Problem is his versatility is a double edged blade. He’s a bit of a jack of all trades master of none as a DB. Once again if you have a guy who can help out a little bit everywhere and contribute for the 4 years of his rookie contract, from a 4th round pick? That’s solid.
I think Reynolds isn’t long for this team. Everybody wants to point to his gaudy interception total his sophomore year, but if you look at draft trends the safety graveyard is littered with guys who burst onto the scenes with a ton of picks as an underclassman, had a down season the next year, teams took a flyer on day 3 and they are never heard from again. (It’s why I never got the Derron Smith hype this year).
Hart I think develops into a solid rotational DE this year. I would have had no problem with him playing last year and while everyone wants to freak out becasue he didn’t play (and duckbias), but that’s just one of those things. We were deep at DL, but OL and LB got decimated. If it had been the other way then Hart would have been able to contribute. I think depending on how things shake out with Thorton’s contract situation (and I freakin adore Ceddy but a 2 gap 34 DE is probably a place you can skimp on resource allocation).
Allen has already been a great find. To get a solid roational NT in the 7th round is a “W” any day of the week.
Smith was a good player, just a bit undersized. His team took a dump because Carr and Adams left. I stick behind Smith.
Undersized, gambling, and lacking great range.
I’m going to have to politely disagree.
I agree completely on the draft picks. I still like Smith (failure to trade down and take him later and get an additional pick aside), agree on Matthews, like the skill set on Huff (he needs to eliminate the dumb mistakes however), have great hopes for Watkins, hear you on Reynolds, share the optimism for Hart being a rotation guy, and really like what Allen adds.
Thought this was interesting:
Zach Whitman@zjwhitman
One of my big predictions for the 2014 draft was that Seattle would take Beau Allen and put him at guard.
Zach Whitman @zjwhitman May 11
Schneider all but admitted that Allen was stolen by Philadelphia. I still think he would’ve been an OL in Seattle.
Zach Whitman @zjwhitman May 11
There’s an interesting dynamic in converting DL to OL. DL typically thought of as aggressors and OL the reactors, so DL more athletic.
Belichick —
You always provide us with something new, fresh, and insightful in your posts — long or short.
I love The Beau/Bennie duo….Beau shows up like Vinny in limited chances when I am watching games…. plus Beau Knows.
The tough thing with the Eagles over / under for win totals is figuring out the question marks on the roster vs. the ease of the schedule.
Outside of New England, the 2015 schedule is full of garbage.
Washington is hot garbage. The Giants still can’t defend or block. Eli doing chuck and duck to ODB a few times a game isn’t going to sneak up on anybody this year. Dallas remains the massively flawed team the Eagles spanked on Thanksgiving, so barring additional gutless chokes the Eagles should pile up some division wins with ease.
Again, New England is a great football team. The Jets, Dolphins, and Bills however are not teams I fear. Playing the AFC East isn’t exactly a murder’s row.
The NFC South sucks. Scam Newtwon’s is garbage and the Carolina Panthers are garbage; and the other 3 teams are worse. New Orleans is a rotting carcass of a team, Atlanta is putrid, and Tampa is a flat out embarrassment.
Detroit is far from good, especially given their disappointing playoff work against a trash Dallas roster.
Arizona has lost players on D yet again and Nate Allen isn’t here to single-handedly lose us that game for two seasons in a row.
I don’t see us anywhere near 15-1 this year, but New England is the only team we play who I respect.
So I like the over on 9.5 wins.
Man do you underestimate Dallas. I hate them as much as the next guy, but they are the team to beat in our Division. We spanked them on Thanksgiving, but it’s not like they didn’t spank us in the re-match.
They have a huge question mark at RB, no doubt. But they have the best OL in football (after they added Collins, I don’t think that’s even a question). They have the best QB in the division. The best WR in the Division and Top 3 in the league. They improved their DL. They get Lee back at LB. They improved their secondary with Jones, who we had interest in, too.
Not saying you can’t beat them. But it sure as hell won’t be easy as long as Romo stays healthy.
I actually think Eagles and Giants are the best teams in the division this year.
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giants added 27 new players last year, it was obvious they were going to struggle. Now that they gelled. And guys are comfortable with the new offense, I’m betting it comes down to Eagles vs. giants for the division.
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A lot had to go right for Dallas. Demarco hid so many of their flaws. I expect a regression to their mean… No team wins the NFC east two years in a row, dallas isn’t the team to do it…dallas hid its flaws by using run game to make romo a game manager and keep the over rated defense off the field.
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I think it’s laughable to think they can upgrade an OL spot, replace Demarco with Randle and McFadden and expect business as usual with no drop off.
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My money’s says the division will be contested between the Eagles and Giants…. But who Knows..
I didn’t know anybody rated the Cowboys defense let alone over rated lolz
Grass is always greener. If we had the Dallas roster here in Philly, the blogs would be tearing apart how paper thin it is. Everything broke right for them once the season started. Not likely to happen again. Callahan was a big loss, and even if that line performs up to last year’s level it’s just a matter of time before Romo goes down, even with his high pain tolerance and ability to play drugged up. Season has to be played, but I look forward to some sad Dallas fans when reality sets in.
Well said…. Dallas will finish behind the Eagles and Giants. They certainly aren’t good enough to be one of the rare teams that ever manages to win this division two years in a row
No matter how much you dislike them, they have a statistically meaningful chance of winning the division in a 4-team division. But no way I would trade our roster for theirs, and certainly not our coaching staff. I like them being built up just because it’s always fun to hear Dallas “fans” whine and make excuses. Or reminisce about the last millenium, back when they really were good.
No matter how much you like the cowboys and dislike the Eagles and giants, they have a statistically meaningful chance of winning the division.. So what’s your point? That statement can be said about any team..
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I don’t believe dallas was as good as the showed last year. I think a ton had to go right for them to finally have a good year, and demarco masked a bunch of their flaws… Demarco is gone, it’s laughable to replace him with Randle and McFadden.. Romo is a year older, his back is q year older.. Sooner or later his body won’t be able to keep holding up. Demarco protected him all year and turned him into a quasi game manager.. Now that is gone. Romo will have to go back to needing to do more, demarco isn’t there to buffer Romo and Dez… DEZ and Romo will need to do more, Dez is probably more whacky then ever playing on a 1 yr deal..
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It’s not like I think Dallas is the Redskins, I just think Eagles and Gianta will finish with a better record. When we play Dallas it’s still going to be a dog fight. It will be hard to win both games and not do the usual 1-1 split.. Dallas IMO won’t be an improved team, they will take a step back, while Eagles and giants take a step up
WHAT IF…..Dallas were to trade for A.P.? Would that change their chances of winning the East in your opinion? To me, there’s still a chance they get him, so that’s why i ask.
Absolutely.. Fortunately AP will remain a Viking… It would epically suck is AP became a cowbitch
Agreed!
That would certainly change things.
I like your thinking, just not saying that Dallas is certainly not good enough to be one of the rare teams to repeat as Division winners. At least a 20% chance of that happening. Even though we both like their chances less than the media seems to, there are too many variables that affect an NFL season to be confident they can’t repeat.
I totally agree. I went through each game on the schedule and counted 12-4, but just to be conservative I’ll say 11-5. I think 9 wins would be a disappointment.
I think we are a team with a big range of variance – think if everything goes right we can win 14 games – if things don’t work out then we could get only 7/8 wins.
Personally i take the over on 9 wins pretty easily – IMHO this is the most talented roster Chip has had, and while people look at ?? marks over starters in a range of area’s, the roster is deep at almost every position except O line (and Tolbin or someone else could step up to improve that).
Going to be fun. I want training camp already to be honest – other than the NBA draft lottery next week nothing to look forward to sports wise in this town for a long time :/ (Phillies Suck and it angers me they have not cleaned house yet)
Excited for next weeks draft lottery. Heading to my buddy’s house to hang out for it. If the Flyers somehow land Babcock, that’s going to be something everyone should look forward to.
The bad news? As long as David Montgomery is allowed to make management decisions, we’re going to get more of the same. I don’t see a cleaning of house at CBP for a few years when the owners finally get a clue to get an entirely new management staff.
I can’t trust 12 just yet.
Question New England’s roster.
If you could build a team from Eagles and Patriots roster combined, how many Eagles players vs Patriots players do you end up with?
That is a really interesting exercise.
Thanks Tommy for addressing the Jimmy Bama pessimism. Your courtesy is much appreciated.
Re Rookies signing so quickly these days. What is the worst rookie holdout by an Eagle you can remember?!
Bunkley was bad. He came in late and fat, which made him a non-factor for 2006. And that team needed DT help in a huge way.
Ugh. They could not stop the run at all in the playoff game against the Saints that year.
That was one of the worst and most frustrating Eagles moments that I can remember. Beside the botched hold on the potential winning FG against the Cowboys by Mr. Hutton.
I cried after that game
Me too, mate, me too.
Wow. That still seems like yesterday. He started off in Jim Johnson’s doghouse. I can remember wondering why JJ wouldn’t let him play more, but it seems the guy was just lazy(as he showed in colllege at times). After the combine showing, I thought Bunk was Corey Simon 2.0. Turns out he was one of those guys that worked his azz off for the combine and hardly worked before or after that event. Disappointing.
Didn’t he also miss the flight to an away game because he was late and had to pick up fried chicken for the defensive line?
Yes. Chicken run.
Then he contributes for the Saints in the playoff game. Ugh.
His one shining moment came in the 2008 playoff win against the Giants when he spearheaded two drive-killing fourth down stops in the fourth quarter.
All around frustrating player. Clearly had the talent and skills to be a pro-bowl DT, but was content with being a decent starter.
Agreed. Was happy to see him go.
I remember once he finally did show up him telling a story of how a little girl he ran into on the street told him he needed to get to camp. Damn right.
Typical FSU effort level.
Seems like the optimism/pessimism dichotomy is largely based on personal evaluations of Bradford. I hope he’s healthy enough to make some people happy by proving them wrong.
Some poster here blamed Jimmy’s love for the average age and depth of the Eagles starting O Line. I think he just hit the nail on the head.
Could be. I don’t know that there are many teams who can handle multiple injuries on the OL for an extended period without a dropoff. Part of why it looks worse for the Eagles is because there are 4 studs, which almost guarantees a big dropoff. The age thing and injuries has been overblown. Certainly some increased risk, but both Mathis and Peters are in great shape for their age. Someone like Herremans is more of the poster child for aging lineman with breakdown injuries. Certainly would be nice to have solid backups waiting in the wings, but I think we need to give Stoutland at least a shot at working with what he’s got before panicking. And if backup OL is really our biggest concern…
I think looking at the average age is very misleading. Yes Mathis and Peters are “old” but Kelce and Lane are young. So 50% of the known starters are young, and the last spot has competition… I also agree with the comments Fran Duffy has been making with respect to the backups having experience after last year and therefore being improved/may even be considered proven depth.
2 months? Talk about deflating my day *sigh*.
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Gone are the days of complaining about roster spots still occupied by questionable talent. No Mathews to laugh at. No defending Nate Allens ability. No debating how horrible/good Foles is/was.
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Concerns about the “O”? That’s fair I guess. I don’t have any. Young WR’s? Fine with me. Young WR’s did just fine last year. That shows me the coaching staff is doing something right with the young ones.
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Defense is leaps and bounds, head and shoulders, etc etc better than last year. To question that is just silly. Flag poles are an improvement over some defensive backs(that are now gone) and we have real live humans there. How can it not be better? To wonder if people will play up to contracts — well, one, sometimes you have to over pay for talent(another words, how can he possibly play up to that contract) and two — I trust the coaches to get everyone to play better than last year, including the new ones.
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This year, as a whole, fans seem more ‘cautiously’ optimistic. Color me a Bradford fan and expecting an exciting year from this team. Not SB bound, but enough to give us a “oh boy, can’t wait for 2016″….
How is the defense leaps and bounds better than last year?
We replaced one average cornerback with an expensive cornerback who is probably better. The other, lousier, cornerback, we threw a mass of draft picks at. We lost one average, perhaps slightly below average safety and have not replaced him. We lost a solid and very experienced DE and did not replace him. We picked up an ILB who was very good, for a rookie, two years ago, then got injured. (Our best ILB is old and will be coming off a major injury.)
If the free agents meet expectations–and to, be honest, they rarely do– and we hit on some draft picks (something that sometimes happens), sure, this defense could be better. Lot of ifs.
Maxwell is absolutely better the Williams was. I would take any of the rookies starting at the other CB position then to see Fletcher back there, plus the addition of a secondary coach that has had success will help. So yes the CBs are better then last year.
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What DE did the Eagles lose that wasn’t replaced? If you’re referring to Cole then he has been replaced by a younger veteran in BG.
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ILB isn’t much of a debate as we added talent and depth to it. Yes Kiko is coming off injury but for the moment Kendricks is still here so they’re good there. Meco will be back eventually, Goode is back from injury. Acho is still here. They also drafted an ILB in the 3rd. I would say ILB is much improved.
The front seven is the strength and with another year in the system the d-line should be nothing short of dominant.
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Safety is the only real glaring question mark. I expect Watkins to win that battle and would be very well suited to have mirror safeties.
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Overall yes this defense is vastly improved.
OMG — we drink the same Kool-Aid! Cheers!
Your fighting the tide of Kool-Aid.
what Kool-Aid? I’m not screaming this is the 85 bears. I’m just saying the D will be better. You can wank about how they are worse, I just don’t see how they can possible be worse. I’m also not screaming last years #1 pick will even break the starting line up or see playing time.
…..
You can call it Kool-Aid — I’ll stick to it as more realism…
Well — go to the numbers and find out where the Eagles finished as secondary. Can’t get any worse than 31/32. There was a reason they were that terrible. CK took care of those reasons. Those guys were beyond terrible. IF the new FA’s are 3/4 as good as they were last year, that’s an upgrade. They don’t have to be superman to be better than last years swiss cheese. The just have to be ok to solid.
…..
Front 7 is stronger(just by being here last year). I believe more in Kendricks than you do and that’s ok. I could be an optimist here — but Great play, than injured does not = Kiko stinks. IF Ryans gets hurt, Mathews is not coming in. That’s a plus.
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IF they play just “ok” – this is better. IF they play better than just ok, we’re in for a pretty good D.
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IF the new additions suck, Ryans/Kiko get hurt and no safety steps up … then we have equaled last years defense.
[…] Too Quiet on UDFAs? – Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com […]
I think one you(tommy) study/scout Bailey you will start believing the hype like I have. I will say if any of the 3 wr signings or last years
Hold Over Pratt can make the squad it’s an upgrade over maehl and smith.
When you spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd rd picks on WR’s the past two years, Probably not going to be easy for many UDFAs to make the roster at a position we already have so much youth at…Huff, Jordan, Agholor and tutu (Brad smith replacement) are virtual locks… That means, at BEST there will be 2 roster spots left for WRs.
..
riley Cooper, Miles Austin, Jeff Maehl, Pratt, devante Davis, Harris and Bailey will be fighting over 2 roster spots….and you would think they will want at least 1 veteran WR in the WR room… Doesn’t bode well for the UFDA WRs trying to make our roster, and I doubt we can get them on the practice squad without someone poaching them…
I don’t agree about Tutu. If he’s outplayed on STs, why keep him? We know he doesn’t offer much as a WR
The point is he WONT be outplayed on ST which is why he is a lock
I think we can win with Sanchez, but only if we have a dominate run game and our defense improves. I think the key to our success is defense. Obviously we need to improve our secondary, but we really need to make 3rd down stops.
No “IF” about It….defense will be vastly improved,. And our ST should give us big advantages in field position all year
2011: 2.59’seconds
2012: 2.57 seconds
2013: 2.67 seconds
..
that’s on average, how fast Bradford got the ball out of his hands so far in his young career. very excited to see how much faster this offense can run with a QB who consistently gets the ball out so fast, especially now that he is a better OL and more weapons then he has ever had.. combine Bradfords quick release with the change in Run style, and we should be moving faster tempo then ever… Demarco won’t lose yards. He never moves backwards, not to mention his physical, bruising run style combined with faster tempo, less 3 and outs, more moving the chains should wear defenses down more then ever.. So excited to see Demarco and SAM back together in a fast paced, shotgun spread, and chip kelly scheming guys open, creating defined throws thru creating/exploiting mismatches with a plethora of weapons at his disposal
..
Another stat I found interested is people rip chip for his love for Pac players, but I was surprised to see that per capita, the PAC and The BIG have produced more Probowlers then the SEC. SEC is 3rd in terms of conference that has produced the most probowlers..
I mean, Mark Sanchez averaged 2.68 one year, and that hardly helped him in our offense.
The time to release stat I think measures 2 things and adds them up. One is how quickly a QB makes the decision on where to go with the ball (which at times might be directly linked to scheme, ie is the coach dialing up a lot of short routes or is he calling longer developing routes?) and then how quick the QB’s throwing motion is.
For me the time to release stat is less important, what’s more encouraging for Bradford is that his actual throwing motion is very quick. Not sure if they have the statistic for how long a QB’s throwing motion takes listed anywhere but I bet Bradford would be ranked top 1/3rd in that department.
Bradford is more accurate and has way more arm talent then Sanchez.. Also you may not want to make difinitive judgments on Sanchez in the first 8 games ever playing in an offense like this. Sam is significantly more talented then Sanchez and Sam has more experience in a shotgun spread type offense then Sanchez had when he first got here.
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I’m not a Sanchez fan, but I doubt he has shown anything close to his best yet, in his first year ever playing in this type of offense..
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But we’ll see…
eye test is the easiest method.
Agreed, way too many factors outside of quickness of decision-making to skew data, play calling/ design, O-line performance, reliability of first read, pocket presence/other methods of extending plays. I suspect Sam will put out favorable data in this system (if healthy), will likely have to rely on the eye-test to judge if he is “The Guy”.
Don’t know if it was Shurmer, but somebody made the point that between OROY and becoming an Eagle, Bradford has undoubtedly had his confidence shaken, and that is a major consideration for the 2015 Eagles. Sam was in command of the spread at OU, and he prospered with his single year of working with Shurmer. Bradford needs to get back on the bike and convince himself, before anyone else, that he’s up to the challenge. I’m pulling for him.
absolutely agree on this. He’s a great guy and the Eagle’s season rides on his shoulders (and arm (and knees)), through varying levels of skepticism, I think we can all unite in wanting the best for him. If you ride or die with the Eagles, you ride or die for Bradford by proxy (or else have a major contradiction to deal with)
When you combine those with his air yards stat, then it makes sense. He’s dinking and dunking. You would have to be truly awful if you sit in the pocket for a long time to throw a screen.
http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/2015/02
I think if healthy Bradford could be good for us, an article I found before we found out we had him shows that Bradford under better circumstances could be a better QB (or at least that was my takeaway).
To quote:
“To successfully throw the ball deep in the NFL, you need much more than just a quarterback who can throw the ball down the field accurately. You need at least one of A) A strong running game B) An offensive line that can effectively handle four man pass rushes C) Wide receivers who can create separation and/or win at the catch point consistently… Bradford has never had any of these three key components to work with.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2361744-injuries-only-thing-holding-back-sam-bradford-from-being-rams-savior
Very excited about SAM… Much more excited about having him as our QB instead of going into the season with rookie Mariota
Amen to that.
I believe Riley Cooper will be gone and here’s why:
1)In June he’ll be a lesser hit on the cap once he’s cut.
2) Devante Davis will probably beat him out.
Argh people do not understand June 1st designation at all.
If you are cut post June 1st your prorated bonus is not accelerated on to this years cap, meaning you pay the portion of prorated bonus this year that was already aloted, and all the rest becomes dead money for 2016, rather than all remaining prorated money coming off your cap in 2015 if you cut before June 1st.
In Riley’s case because he is already FULLY guaranteed his $4m this year we will save $0 on this years cap if he is cut post june 1st. We will still have his $800000 of prorated signing bonus, and we will still have to pay him his $4m salary which still counts against this years cap.
he made a mistake. jeez.
While Lurie will probably be unhappy paying $4 million to a guy not on the team and carrying another 800k against the cap, I don’t think Kelly cares about that.
If there are 6 healthy guys better than Cooper, he’s getting cut.
Exactly. Why even scout and sign these guys is none have a shot at competing for a legitimate spot.
Because they have a legitimate shot to try and take one of 3 different vet players roster spots – Seyi Aijrotutu / Miles Austin / Riley Cooper. The first 2 are a lot easier to beat out both with their play and history with the team and more simple cap situation but if Cooper is not in the top 6 players on the roster and a UDFA guy is significantly better he will be cut.
It is hugely unlikely to happen, and it is much more likely Cooper is starting week 1 at WR than he is getting cut but it could happen.
I hear what you’re saying but unless Riley goes back to 2013 form, he’s no more useful than the bottom 3 guys we have and I want some of these guys with upside to have a shot. Riley’s performance or lack thereof last season is probably a big reason we’ve signed so many WR’s to compete. Let’s see how it shakes out. #NoFlyZone
We signed so many because we needed bodies at WR. We lost Maclin and Brad Smith… not sure what the situation with Jeff Maehl is at this point. In camp last year we cut A Benn/D Johnson/ Momah/ Cunningham/ Murphy/Boone/Pratt. We signed guys because we needed bodies for camp!
Not to rain on peoples 2015 UDFA WR romances – but they were not even the spots where we gave big money to sign – Boyko/Racett received the ‘big’ money to get them in camp showing them to be the 2 guys Eagles most project to making the roster.
Lets see how these guys play in pre season games before we start projecting them roster spots?
I didn’t see anyone award roster spots. We’d all love for Riley to come out and BALL, but if he doesn’t I won’t be shocked. I mean we all want the BEST out on the field making plays for the team we root for. Period.
In general, I agree with you. Cooper’s “inside track” is that he knows the playbook and how to practice. That gives him a few steps on anybody new to camp.
Oh, he’s white too. That’ll help #kkkulture /sarcasm
Fufina – Thanks for the math on the Coop cap hit. It was good to see the reality of a Coop cut.
However, if there is a tradeoff between a player who performs and one who costs the team a cap hit, Chip will not hesitate to cut. He needs to be consistent with his message to the team, and it is fundamentally against his nature to rule in favor of savings over performance.
Sometimes, like in the case of Shady, it is a very tough decision where other major factors come into play. Money plays a role, it’s just not high in Chip’s weighted priority list. Performance, culture, scheme fit are rated higher.
I think the major factor in the Shady trade WAS the money. It facilitated the Alonso/Maxwell haul, and it was also the main reason he didn’t retain Maclin. Yes, Chip is choosy, and yes, he demands all of those boxes are checked in his high draft picks, but he knows his team is never going to be all hand-picked drafted players. I agree that Kelly would probably not ever opt for savings over performance, but he seems to be very attentive to having options, and I doubt that his assessments of marginal differences in players would trump his ability to maintain options, if savings would afford them.
Unhinged – good points all. My understanding is that Shady was cut primarily for scheme fit and overall performance last year. The saving on the Shady cut did, as you indicate, open up other possibilities. So I guess there is a winning argument that it WAS the money.
I was going on Chip’s words when he explained his reasoning behind the trade, but I appreciate that you have your ear to the ground on all things Chip and Eagles, so I can’t challenge your take on the matter with any greater insight than what gets officially released to the public. As a wrap to free agency, Kelly re-emphasized cap space and injuries as two big factors that made his moves possible. The childish way in which Shady has portrayed Kelly recently makes me think that Shady’s trade may have been in the cards for a while. I remember Chip stating that McCoy, “has a beautiful mind.” And it’s not Kelly’s way to disparage a player, but maybe it wasn’t money or. scheme as much as culture. That is some soft persuasion you peddle. Good job.
Well, the team does need practice players. That’s what a lot of these guys are signed for -especially with all the reps Kelly wants to get the QBs.
Still, those WR spots have to be there for the taking. Otherwise, the team is setting up for second-best.
Hi Riley!!
I understand, now. With that being said, I still believe that Coop will get beat out by Davis and the Eagles will have to make a choice, which may count against Chip if his job we’re to start being questioned.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2457999-early-predictions-for-this-years-most-surprising-nfl-veteran-roster-cuts/page/7
unfortunately I hate the fact that the foreseeable future hinges on Bradford’s knee-brace investment…. so yeah I can see where JimmyBama is coming from.
I don’t see it personally.
We have an easier schedule (on paper for sure), we have a deeper roster, and the worst case scenario we already had play out last year – horrible Oline injuries and QB going down mid season, and we still came out 10-6.
Now i can see scenario’s where we only win 8/9 games – really bad injuries everywhere, better than expected NFC East and AFC East, NFL continues to adjust to Chip. But that is not >50% scenario in my mind.
The upside outcome is just as likely as the downside scenario – New secondary and upgraded ILB core and continued development from DL causes defence to be a top half/top 10 statistical unit, Bradford and our new RB group come in and improve our offence and we have decent OLine stability and we could be a top 1/2 seed in the NFC.
What is more likely with Chip: 1) Creating a franchise QB or 2) Creating a Top-3 Defense? Because you need to have one or the other to be a top contender in the NFL.
In my mind it is choice-1 and i want premium talent at QB (and availability) for Chip to mold…. me personally I just want to see Bradford blasted by a rusher right up the middle and complete a pass while getting hit and I will feel better, until then I would assume a QB coming off his 2nd ACL will be a bit gun-shy when it’s live… and Foles forget about it that guy wouldn’t know there was a train coming from his blindside let alone a defender (I thought Foles pocket awareness and internal clock were not great).
I think this was the collective thought last year on Mac coming off his ACL injury. We needed to see him take some hits and feel comfortable moving forward.
But wanted to resign a receiver with two acl’s to a +$10 million contract?
Bloody hell! I didn’t end up with any Eagles tix. The only available tickets were for the Bucs game. #lame
Come down to DC for the game. I’m sure there will be some tiks even though it’s week 4.
I just checked and I found 2 tickets (but not four) for the Miami game on Nov. 15, but I had a conflict and didn’t buy them.
That sucks. Sorry to hear it.
No worries. I will have to go down the route of stubhub again. Just like last season.
Why no opinion on deflate gate? Living in NE (though away until tomorrow) this is as worthy as any other off season non-eagles topic. When you think about Brady v manning the number one argument for Brady is SB rings. Well if they cheat to win hem all….and I just don’t think any punishment is sufficient. We would all trade the fines and suspensions. I firmly 99 percent believe th pats don’t beat the ravens in the rain down 14 without cheating. So no SB. Any pats fan that argues they deflated for the colts and not the ravens is silly.
Deflategate.
I just don’t care about it.
Is an opinion….
I asked why and explained why I have one. I didnt say he wasn’t entitled to not caring.
I also live in NE and have been enjoying Deflategate to no end. There is lots of crying and the gnashing of teeth among those who adore their fallen golden boy. I am driving the knife of justice ever deeper into their spoiled-rotten backs. With Brady announcing he is going to challenge the suspension, the fun will continue. This is turning into a great off-season
I find everyone in denial. Brady and Kraft got all defensive when his went down. They were wrong. I’d like to see them or the fan base just say my bad for once.
Thought this was an interesting tidbit. They are the only team to lose a first round pick (not once but twice if this one holds up) since 1980. Both after winning the superbowl.
I’m seeing what Brady / the Pats did to deflate balls as more gamesmanship than actual cheating, but the obstruction deserves punishment. I’d like to see Brady humble himself and admit guilt as a part of reducing the suspension or eliminating it entirely.
I just think that that org needs to humble itself when rightfully called out for wrongdoing.
Bovada has horrendous lines and even the under is only at +105. Unless you think Bradford isn’t going to be the QB and it is a year of only Sanchez/Tebow, I wouldn’t touch that line.
The line isn’t necessarily a prediction, but rather a perception of how the public views a team. It doesn’t help the bookie to make things fair for the gamblers…
I think we’re an 8-10 win team if Bradford is any better at all than Sanchez. If he’s not, or if he gets injured again, I think an ugly 8 is our ceiling.
A good rule of thumb is to filter out the opinion of any fan who refers to the team using “we”
A good guideline is to avoid using the phrase “rule of thumb” when discussing the NFL, given events in the last year.
Happy now?
Sorry. It was meant at least half-jokingly, and that doesn’t translate well in comments. I just have a compulsion to point of the history and meaning of “rule of thumb” and “money shot” whenever people use them. I think it started during an Olympics where an announcer for women’s curling managed to fit both into one sentence, and I felt pretty confident she had absolutely no clue about either phrase.
Yeah I understand the origin of each phrase – it just makes them that much more fun to use.
I prefer “heuristic”. Using it makes one appear pedantic to the uneducated, and provincially overcorrect to the sophisticated. Win-win!
A+ comment.
Well played sir
I never understood why people care about this. I think we can infer what they mean by it without taking exception.
It’s mostly a joke.
It’s not so much that I “care” about it. However, I do think in general that people who speak/think this way tend to be less informed and more emotional than logical with their analysis.
Right, I gotcha but after reading so many angry replies over the years to people that do it always kind of makes me laugh.
I’m not angry, and I realize I’m pissing into the wind here. It’s kind of the same thing as complaining about the average talk radio caller.
Maybe I’m just a little sad about the growing presence of of these kinds of posters on this site.
You mean people who post 10+ times within a couple of minutes and reply to their own posts?
I’m sensing irony here…
haha – I wasn’t expecting to have to defend myself on this point
We are not amused.
You must be one of the violators
I see what you did there
Chip-Fuscious Say: Team player WE all shall be, or door you will be shown.
I just assume whoever says “we” is on the team or works for the Eagles. Maybe as an usher or Howie Roseman or something.
Hahah I wish that was the required threshold in order to be able to throw “we” around the way some people do.
Or filer out the opinion of the sanctimonious ones who don’t care to discuss the comments on their own merit.
Do you even know what sanctimonious means?
Yes, you’re making a show of moral superiority by passing judgment on folks who show a greater level of kinship with the team than you choose to.
Good enough for you?
How does this have anything to do with morals?
Your original post attempts to denigrate the views of folks using “we” to refer to the team as less than valid.
Colloquial use of “sanctimonious” 100% applies to that comment.
Look, I don’t think using “we” automatically invalidates a person’s opinion. And I am not saying that I am better than anyone else. I just don’t like how the comments section on this board has been getting closer to the environment you might find on the Philly.com boards or BGN. I used to be able to count on finding reasoned, non-emotional analysis on this board from the vast majority of posters. It’s less that way now. Would you not agree?
I’d buy that for a dollar. I tend to stray between both camps depending on the issue. I just choose to use “we” in discussion of our region’s franchise and don’t see that term in and of itself as an exact prelude to the types of comments you’d like to see diminish.
My purely anecdotal observations have led me to conclude that the “we” posters are more likely than the rest of the population to fall into that camp.
Other ways to spot them:
-Calling someone a “dominate” player instead of “dominant” player
-any discussion about whether X player is “elite”
-“Could care less” instead of “couldn’t care less”
-“should of” or “would of” instead of should have/would have
-ANKWANN BOLDEN
All better telltales than “we.”
very true
I also think there’s a difference between using “we” when you’re discussing the fan experience vs. the moves the team is making or how the players are performing.
I tend to use it when railing against other fan bases / franchises.
FWIW I think that’s fine. I cringe moreso at the “we totally should of beaten the COwgirls!”
It is “they” when a loss happens. “We” only should be doing certain things and/or taking credit for wins.
haha that’s another way to look at it
Question for the group. Two years ago I wanted Roc Carmichael gone. Last year I wanted Cary Williams gone. This year for me is Cooper.
If you had to choose one player to cut (regardless of contract stuff) who would it be?
Does Barkley count or is he too low on the depth chart?
I think anyone counts IMO. Carmichael was a backup, but I thought he was the main one I wanted to go (even with Sconces).
I can’t really explain it, but I just hate his face. My real choice would be Cooper, but if I had to pick someone else, it would be him
Tough question to ask in the offseason, Kelly’s done a good job of clearing things out. I’d have to say coop, maehl, matty b but i’m hard pressed to come up with names — that ILB we got from GB def should go. Most of the trash left on the roster doesn’t see the field.
I think the issue is that he’s really turning over this roster from a a couple years ago. That takes time, but I think most of us can see when a player won’t work out long-term.
I think Maehl is still on the street. They didn’t announce re-signing him.
I’m with you on Cooper. If Sconces wasn’t shown the door it would still be him. Prior that probably Vick (and he wasn’t re-signed last year…).
Yeah, he rubbed me the wrong way since he was signed. I didn’t hate Vick, but I think he proved that he was no longer a viable starter in this league.
I’d have to say Sanchez. I know he is better than most backup QBs. But we saw him for 8 games last year and watching him just frustrates the hell outta me. Turnovers, no passes completed outside the numbers past 15 yards, it is just boring football. I don’t want to have to see him in any extended action this season.
Deep down, we all want to see Tebow take the field…
Amen.
lol
Brother
Honestly, I would rather see Tebow in there. We saw Sanchez last year and it was hard to watch. At least Tebow would be something new. Plus I’m sure the RZ would be more effective!
You have to look at in context though. Of course when a backup QB is in there it’s not going to be pretty.
He is one of the better if not arguably the best backup QB in the league right now. Honestly we should be grateful that we have that luxury.
When is the last time we had our starting QB start the whole season? 2011 maybe. So I would say we need a good backup QB. If he is the best backup QB there is right now then he has the right to be paid as the best.
You can complain about his shortcomings (I do to), but also recognize the good things he did. Franchise record completion percentage, at times looking really good.
No you don’t.
Sanchez Is a top 3 NFL Backup. TEBOW is a fringe talent who probably won’t beat out Barkley,..
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No we don’t.
good call, I was annoyed when they resigned him
Same here! Especially at the # they resigned him at. No way is he worth that much.
I despise sanchez, but you won’t be annoyed we signed him if Bradford gets hurt and you are stuck watching TEBOW.. Both Sanchez in year 2, and Barkley in year 3 should outclass TEBOW in his first year in this offense…
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I’m not a sanchez fan, but I can’t imagine what more you could ask for out of a backup.. Who the hell has a better backup? TEBOW won’t make this team. He won’t beat Barkley
That’s ridiculuos. Say what you will about Sanchez, I’m not a fan, but you won’t find a better backup… And while I’m not a fan of Sanchez, I highly doubt we saw the best he is capable of playing the first year in this new offense that was different than any offense he played in the past 5 years. Not only will I always assume a QB will be better year two in a scheme then year 1…Sanchez spent last year behind a messy OL and a run game that is no whre near as potent as we normally are in the run when healthy.
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sanchez year two in this offense, with a healthy OL and run game I assume will look better then ANYTHNG we saw last year, and If you aren’t happy with Sanchez as a Backup, I doubt you will be happy with TEBOW.
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heck, I assume barkley in year 3 of this offense will kick Tebows ass in year 1
How is my opinion ridiculous? We saw Sanchez play in 9 games last year and start 8 of them. He played like shit when we played the good teams and turned the ball over like crazy. You say “Sanchez spent last year behind a messy OL” but he had 4 out of 5 starters from the previous year most of his starts and we had arguably the best OL in football in 2013. This is his 7th year, he is what he is at this point. I’d rather see a young developmental QB with some potential be the backup. Let’s face it, if the backup QB is starting half of the games this season, we aren’t making a run in the playoffs.
David Molk
yeah cooper
COOPER!
Cooper
Molk by far. Get him out of here!!
The ones I really wanted gone, I think are. Cooper is fine as depth, and if he earns more playing time, then great. I don’t want last year’s Cooper but this year’s might be better.
I guess I’m praying we find some OL better than last year’s depth. Though the ones who struggled at tackle might be better at guard, etc. Maybe Molk, though even he could get better.
If I had to pick one, Tebow. I guess I’m curious to see how he looks in preseason as anyone, but I’d be just as happy seeing how Tebow looks today on someone else’s team. Unless he has dramatically improved, I might still prefer Barkley.
The answer is in your Maehl box.
All the talented black guys. .. oh wait that’s right they already are
Cooper for sure.
Andrew Gardner.
Tebow
Wow Aj feeley drops bombs..
..
Said that when he was in Miami back before teams were allowed to each play with their own balls, teams used to all use the same balls. feeley was on the bench for the Dolphins and noticed that every time the Pats were on offense, the ball boy managed to throw the old most beat up ball of the bunch of the field for the Pays to use, but when the Dolphins were on offense the ball boy pur the brand new balls on te field and it always stuck out in AJ’s mind and he even said something to the ball boy about it who played it off like he didn’t know what he was talking about…
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AJ knows Bradford well, gave a very insightful interview on 97.5 with garbano this morning. Check it out.. Good stuff
The Spags interview was pretty good too.
yeah he is high on Sammy….and now he gets to watch him light up the gmen twice a year
A lot of good intell in both interviews..
..
Feeley talked about how bad the Rams team was. Amendola and Bradon Gibson were the top WR, the OL was poor, Steven Jackson got hurt, and rookie Braford single handedly improved that team and made them competitive his rookie year
,,
Then he talked about how Shurmur left for the Browns after that year, Josh MCDaniels was hired. problem is it was the lockout year. Feeley Marveled at how this young QB was able to basically learn the Complicated Patriots defense in 3 weeks, much faster then Feeley, to the point where the young Qb was teaching the Patriots offense to the rest of offensive players
..
Both Spags and Feeley talked about how he is a fierce competitor, highly intelligent, who is a much better athlete then people realize, Feeley mentioned that while he has the size that FOLES has, he is on another level as an athlete
..
Feeley also mentioned how SAM was “licking hs chops” about playing in Chips offense when he found out about the trade. Feeley has maintained a close relationship with SAM and talked to him a lot about what he needs to expect in his transition to Philly… AJ knows this city and he seems to think fans are going to love SAM…
I don’t think Feeley would lie to Gargano or how he feels about SB. Now some might say his view is skewed because he likes the kid, but I’m excited to see what he looks like 1) healthy and 2) with CK.
I don’t think he made up stories..Bradford is a special talent, i would assume he impressed Feeley in some ways, and AJ has a relationship with Philly. He wouldn’t blatantly feed us BS… I enjoyed how sincere and open Feeley sounded, not just about SAM, but even the pAtriots deflate gate
,,
it wasn’t just a puff piece, AJ seemed honest and he even spoke about some of the things SAM has to improve on, and He did state that he was speaking under the assumption that he is healthy and back to normal
..
1) Feeley said now that he is in year 5, He wants SAM to be more Vocal, more Demanding of his team mates, Start telling everyone what he wants from them, because their performance will effect whether he is successful or not. Bradford is a good leader, respectful kid, a lot of the same endearing Qualities FOLES had, but because SAM is so sharp mentally, he will often be ahead of his team mates and he talked to SAM about wanting to see him take that Mext step as a leader and not hold his tongue, continue to be a good team mate and lead by example, but also tell everyone exactky what you want from them..
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Also mentioned that he is more passionate and fiery then people think so Philly should like that about him. And talked about how talented his arm is, and how you wouldn’t think his arm is so strong because he throws effortlessly but that he has a Cannon(everyone seems to say this about him)
..
Keep this damn kid Healthy and we should have some good times ahead,..hype for #SummerofSam..
people are going to wonder why the hell they didn’t trade for Bradford when they had the chance like we did.
there are not very many really talented qbs out there so taking a chance on some one like sam is definitely worth it..
I mean really, how unlucky can one person be? his luck is about to change!
As I’ve argued before . . .
The acquisition of Bradford falls under the “GARP Transaction Theory.”
That’s named for the book — “The World According to Garp” — by John Irving.
As you may know, in the book, Garp buys a house for his family only after seeing a small commuter plane crash into it — figuring it’s now disaster proof.
its like the best time to fly is right after a crash right?
can’t happen again so quickly…or can it.
the world according to GULP, every time he is sacked.
I hear you man… “How unlucky can one Guy be”? AMEN… His luck has to turn., and not for nothing, we are talking about a pocket passer, not some QB like RG 3 who is nothing without his speed, agility, athleticism,..
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Just need San to stand in the pocket and Dissect teams…
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Hopefully this turns out to be OUR drew Brees and Chip turns out to be Sean Peyton.. .. If we can keep him clean, and healthy in the pocket, I think we have a HELLUVA year.. After seeing What FOLES can do in this offense when healthy and the offensive line is in tact, Bradford should be able to set the league on fire in Chips offense,,.
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If Bradford can’t succeed here, he can’t succeed anywhere, How can he be placed in a better situation? We basically tried to do a pro level recreation of his glory days in Oklohoma. got him his college RB, let him play with Tempo out of a Shotgun Spread
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We got him the best offensive HEADCoach he ever had, who will make playing the position much easier then most pro style coaches. We also have Shurmur, a coach he worked well with in the past who knows him
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we got him his college RB/roommate, the reigning rushing champ, better RB then SAM ever played with (Steven Jackson was always hurt), Ryan Mathews and Sproles. basically 3 better RB then he played with in St Louis
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jason Peters, Maths, Kelce, Lane and the winner of Tobin vs. BARBRE, DRASTICALLY better then ANY OL he played with on the Rams.
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this kid was drafted on a team with scab weapons like Brandon Gibson, Ammendola before his patriots days, quick, now he will look around and see Pope,Agholor,Huff.Ertz,Sproles,Celek,Cooper,Austim?
…
THE TIME is NOW for this kid. He has the keys to a Ferrari waiting for him. with what will be the top rated Special Teams, and a top 10 defense by the end of the year. keep this damn kid upright and in the game, and I like our chances against anyone,… Injuries play such a huge role in each season. If our injury luck is closer to 2013 then 2014, should be a fun year…
He thinks Patriots were dumb to cheat. he said that he could see the advantage to deflate it if they were playing somewhere hot like Miami where the ball expands so you want to inflate it to counter balance the expansion you are anticipating but he sees no reason to deflate it in the cold. So he sounded like he thought they were stupid for cheating when they didn’t even have to. But then he remembered that it was a Rainy game, and he emphatically said they get a big time advantage playing with an inflated ball in slippery rain games…and then pulled that story out about seeing them do shady stuff with balls with His own eyes back 10 years ago
“Feeley Marveled at how this young QB was able to basically learn the Complicated Patriots defense in 3 weeks, …”
Is anyone else concerned that Bradford wasted the little time he had after the lockout learning the Patriots defense? It is impressive that he learned it so fast, but maybe his time would have been better spent focusing on learning his new offense.
its his old offense now.
he is going to pick up chips offense in seconds.
Yeah I have no idea what that comment meant so Im glad you responded to it.
I hope that’s true. I was just making a dumb joke because Geagle said “defense” when he meant “offense” 🙂
The real bomb is — take your choice:
1. While this “ball game” was allegedly happening in real time, Feeley apparently didn’t say anything to anyone except the ball boy;
2. If Feeley did tell someone other than the ‘Phins HC (Wannstadt), that person never alerted the HC;
3. If the HC was told, he apparently didn’t complain;
4. The umpire, who spots the football, didn’t notice any difference between the new, shiny football being used by Miami and the old, scuffed-up footballs being used by New England.
5. Feeley waited until May 2015 — nearly four months after the AFC title game to mention this to someone.
It’s a bomb, alright.
Can anyone speak to this?
Good article on that here in Birds 24/7
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/
I saw this, but wanted to see if anyone had any more inside info on what he’s done good or bad.
What exactly was DJ’s role with the Bears?
His title’s apparent. But what exactly did he do?
And what kind of track record does DJ have?
____________
Or we could ignore those kinds of questions and just bow at the alter of St. Mary.
LOL – my questions exactly. I haven’t been able to find anything of substance about his role other than some titles at previous jobs.
That’s the challenge for outsiders when trying to understand what people on the personnel side do based on their title — at least, regarding all the jobs that fit between GM and scout.
I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull’s ass, but I’d rather take a butcher’s word for it.
Yeah, I get blind faith.
Excuses you from having to think about decisions like bringing Bradley Fletcher to the Eagles.
“blind faith” – You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Can you name the personnel directory of the Giants when they won their SB rings? Or the personnel director of the Cardinals when Warner won the “show”? Don’t sweat the small stuff….
…..
CK – didn’t like what he saw, so he changed things. I like that he does(did) that. That doesn’t mean I think this team is going 16-0 or 12-4 or 1-15. It doesn’t mean I think CK is the greatest coach to ever live. I have no idea if his philosophy will pan out. I like the excitement and CK is providing it. This is 10X more exciting than AR and his “ground hog” day approach of the same thing year after year. I applaud CK for doing what he wants to do and for not doing what every other sheep does. Still doesn’t mean I have blind faith that CK will lead us to the promise land.
.. simply put — I’m entertained.
…..
I do have faith about 1 thing — CK will make us scratch our heads next off season as well — and I can’t wait for it…
“‘blind faith’ – You keep using that word.”
_______________
Forgive me, but I do not “KEEP” using that phrase.
In fact, I’ve never used those two words together on this blog.
Regardless, I was using the phrase ironically . . . .
You wrote something about putting your head up a bull’s ass.
If you did, you’d be BLIND.
Get it now? A pun.
AC u made me spit out my crackers!!!
Inconceivable!!
If he was responsible for Cutler then it may be cause for concern lol.
OMG I hope not!
On his resume, he wrote in bold-caps:
“ACQUIRING JAY CUTLER WAS ABOVE MY PAY GRADE”
Ha ha. That is great!
also has to duck the absolute dearth of talent on that defense.
A87:
That’s why I was wondering what exactly his role was in Chi-Town.
But without knowing his recommendations, we must trust in . . . Mother Mary.
Also this:
Adam Caplan @caplannfl 47s48 seconds ago
#Eagles also promoted pro scout Louis Clark to senior director of pro personnel. Good move. Known as a solid evaluator.
So is this because they just hired Dwayne Joseph?
Also, are these positions of scouts for NFL players only?
OD —
If you should ever hear any murmurings about the RFAs — like the center from UNH or the WRs from UT and UNLV — please be sure to share.
Will do AC.
8 teams placed a waiver claim on Swearenger, Eagles weren’t one of them..
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jordan Hicks is giving an interview on 97.5 at 4:30
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Can we realistically expect both Riley Cooper AND Miles Austin to make the roster? Or at those two big bodied veterans basically competing with each other for a roster spot? figure Pope, Agholor, Huff and Tutu are LOCKS to make the roster. I included Tutu because he should be one of of our best Special Teams players. Let alone the best ST playing WR. In Terms of Special Teams, Tutu replaced Brad Smith as one of the big guns on our Special teams.
if Those 4 WRs are going to make the Roster, there are only 2 spots left, and that’s assuming we keep 6 WR’s.. it would mean Cooper, Austin, Maehl. Harris, Devante, Bailey, and Pratt battling over 2 spots…On paper. Cooper and Miles Austin would Probably win the last two spots. problem is both Austin and Cooper probably don’t have many years left in Eagles green and UDFAs like Devante and Harris are going to be hard to sneak onto the practice squad without someone like the Browns poaching them. There is also chips admiration for Jeff Maehl… Are the Eagles going to be ok losing Devante, Harris, Bailey, and MAEHL to keep short term solutions Cooper and Austin?
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Or will,the 5th spot be filled with the winner of Coop vs. Austin vs. MAEHL
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While the 6th spot is filled with the winner of the battle of young UDFA’s Devante vs. Harris vs. Bailey vs. Pratt?
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If it does come down to only one player making the roster out of MAEHL, Cooper and Austin:
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1) coop has advantage of being as good of a blocker as we could hope for on a team that plans on running a ton, Coop is also a nice ST player
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2) Austin Probably made better catches then Coop did last year, and Austin has versatility to play outside or the slot. Austin is at a disadvantage that he doesn’t know the offense inside out like the other two , and less durable historically then Coop n Maehl
,
3)Mael might be the best ST player of the group, the worst WR of the 3, but chip seems to like the kid..
…
Really curious to see what combo of WRs chip will choose to keep. No Matter what happens, I hope we can at least get Harris and Devamte on the PS for a year without them getting poached. hate to lose young Talemt for temporary bandaids..
‘Tutu’ is hardly a lock. Special teams is very important but it depends hugely on what other players offer, since we have real depth up and down the roster with a range of experienced special teamers.
While i think if all things are equal the Eagles go with 6 WR, if things get really tight at DB or ILB or RB i think it is entirely possible that we go only 5 deep.
Call it what you want, personally I will be extremely surprised if he isn’t on the roster. His ST ability is up there with like Maagos and Braman who are complete locks soley based off ST, a level above guys like Prosinki… But we’ll see. I know nothing about his WR ability but I hear really good things about his ST play
Louis Clark promoted to Director of Pro Personnel. I find it delightfully ironic that we have a scout named Louis Clark. Hope he focuses on more than just the west…
Isn’t he originally from Oregon…?
I think he was born in St. Louis, but moved to Oregon later. Also, his middle name is Sacagawea.
I have heard rumors that he has a women assistant who does all the work, but he takes all the credit.
So, he does what any smart boss does?
Didn’t we recruit her from the Redskins?
Inappropriate!
The best at finding talent to bring down the quarterback.
Clark was promoted to “Senior Director of Pro Personnel”. Joseph was hired as “Director of Pro Personnel”. Despite the “Senior” title, per Les Bowen, Clark isn’t really ahead of Joseph in the hierarchy. Sounds like they gave him a fancy sounding title and raise to keep him but not any more authority. Which basically means they like him as a talent evaluator but don’t want him to be the guy managing the department.
Baloophi:
While your sharp humor is beloved on this blog, sadly, Art History is not.
It really is a shame. Especially considering how – much like painters in the late Middle Ages – we’re concerned about depth. With any luck, the changes in the personnel department will help bring about a solution in the same way that Filippo Brunelleschi (architect of Florence’s Duomo) figured out the concept of a “vanishing point” as later illustrated in Raphael’s “School of Athens.” Talk about a fresh “perspective.”
“School of Athens” . . . Breathtaking.
The way Bradford looks against the air.
Saw you played the Batman TV show card last evening.
You rapscallian!
We are set in the kicking game with Donnie Longball and Cody Sugarfoot, but did we add another kicker for Camp or will,Cody take all the reps? Can a kicker take all the reps or is that too much of a workload?
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I know we signed an Undrafted Punter, and we always sigń a 2nd Punter for camp, but Donnie is an older veteran, where as Cody is just a kid…
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The UNDRAFTED Punter we signed was also a FG kicker for 2-3 years, Will they have him take reps at both Kiicker and Punter?
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Would not want to over do it with our young stud kicker..Keep “Sugarfoot Parkey” fresh and Healthy. if this kid improves off his first season instead of a little Sophmore slump, our kicking game should continue to be an extremely valuable weapon. they give us a monster boost in field position alone.l
“Donnie Longball and Cody Sugarfoot” –in the name of all that kind and beneficent (PBR, Funyans and Megan Fox), please no .
Been having a little back and forth with Jimmy K regarding his dour outlook for this season, and his primary argument has been his belief of the Eagles roster being very average. So I posed him the question I’ll ask here as well:
If you were to build a team from the Eagles and Patriots roster, how many Eagles vs Patriots would you end up with?
As a help, here’s a link to Patriots and Eagles depth charts from Our Lads
http://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/NE
http://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/PHI
Our Lads has the Patriots utilizing 2WR, 2TE, 2RB (for 12 total) on Offense
vs the Eagles 3WR, 1TE, 1RB set, and a 4-3 Defense vs 3-4.
Now there is certainly some apples/oranges with the different schemes, but
going position group by position group, I don’t think our roster is as average as Jimmy K is fretting.
Think Pats roster is a bad one to work with – Somehow Belicheat makes things work with a bunch of guys who do 1 thing well and he will put them in position to do that. I look at the Pats roster and draft every year and think yuck and every year they go win 12+ games.
Yeah, the reason I chose the Pats was that Jimmy touted them over the Eagles – said the Eagles roster was Average, but the Patriots wasn’t…
Even after losing Revis, Browner etc?
I don’t understand the pessimism. I think it’s pretty safe to assume our roster isn’t overall worse than any roster in the past 3 years. I think we go at least 10 wins again and keep the trend.
I have no clue how anyone can look at this roster and not think it’s an improvement.. For starters, just the fact that we count on so many young players that will Probabky be a little better then they were last year makes us a much improved team. We play so much youth that even if we brought back the same exact roster, we would be an improved team because of the cumulative improvement of all our young players..
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I don’t get the doom n gloom about the OL especially as long as Mathis is an Eagle. The left side is still BEASTMODE. KELCE is a top Center, Lane will be more of a monster and play at a higher level then he has ever played for us…
is losing Herremans for the winner of BARBRE vs. tobin battle really the end of the world? I don’t get it.
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Our Defensive backs are more Talemted then we ever had. We should be significantly better at getting off the field on 3rd down which was the only thing keeping us from being an elite defense,.
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We have so many young players who will be better then the players we last saw: Cox, Lane Curry, MS2, KEndricks,Kiko,Logan,Beau Allen,Hart, Pope Jordan, Huff, Zack ERTZ, Wolff, Jaylen Watkins.. Most of these players should be better players than how we remember them. These aren’t maxed out players. Even a kid like Cox who was dominant last year, we Probabky haven’t seen anything yet..
.,
Our ST will still be Elite and give us HUGE Boosts
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And Chip has the most talented QB he ever worked with and Probably the #1 backüp in the NFL
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we drastically upgraded our Corner,,
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You can’t complain about losing shady when we have Demarco, Ryan and Sproles. At worse you can call it a wash
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I have no idea how you can be down on this offseason. thinks it’s by far the most talented team we have had under Chip..will they stay healthy? Will they gel? Who knows, but I don’t see how you can’t be excited about the talent of this roster. Upgrades all over the place
I don’t see positions where we got worse:
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WR: Maybe Initially we take a step back losing Maclin, but Huff and Jordam should be much better then they were last year, and Agholor a si iliar skillset Talemt to Maclim should get better as the year goes on, and if our WR can’t match Mackins production, we lean on Sproles and ERTZ more then we did last year to compensate. While we don’t have a better #1’then Maclin, we have a better WR corp as a whole., and as Agholor grows, losing Maclin wilL start to matter less and less
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losing Herremans who is another year older and replacing him with the winner of Tobin vs, BARBRE probably ismt that big of a deal. If you want to say our RG isn’t as good as Last year, FINE, but you will also have to say that the RT next to him will be much better than our RT last year. Lane is a growing Monster, you can bet he will be better then last year…so as long as we keep Mathis, can we really say the OL is worse?
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Doubt anyone with a brain will claim that Maxwell Thurmond,Rowe,Shepard are a down grade from Cary and Bradley..
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Maybe you can argue that our Safety isn’t as good as Nate, but I don’t think it will be too hard to find a young safety who can at least grow to the level nate played at, HOPEFULLY much better then Nate… Our Secondary improved too much to worry about losing Nate
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We lost Trent Cole, but I doubt COle would have even been an eagle last year if his cap money wasn’t so crazy. COle is elite against the run, but he doesn’t bring any pass rush any more. he can get a sack if curry or Cox chase a QB into his arms, or if you scheme him sacks like getting to QBs off of twists, stunts and Loops.. But it’s rare these days to see COle, flat out dominate the left tackle, beat him and get to the QB before everyone else.. BG is as good as anyne at setting the edge against the run. And I’d bet BG this year will beat more Left Tackles creating Sacks for himself then Trent Cole does for the Colts… And MS2, at the very least, is better in coverage then Cole has ever been… I don’t see how we got worse at OLB..MS2 gained 15lbs, VINNY Curry said to watch out, Marcus looking like a beast these days..Id bet BG is good for 7-10 sacks,,
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I’m a big Polk fan, and I have a personal Bias against Ryan Mathews, but I have to honestly admit that Demarco, Mathews and Sproles is better then Shady, Polk and Sproles.. As much as I despise Ryan Mathews, if you take his fragile nature and his fumbling issues out of the equation, I have to admit that he is probably an even more talented runner then Demarco… Hopefully Chip Kelly and DUCE Staley can finally get him to tap into his talent and realize his full potential. it should also be real good for Ryan to go from a chargers team that always counted on him as the man, to now going to a team where he will be sorrounded by elite veterans like Demarco and Sproles that he can actually still learn from.
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I adore Nick FOLES, but truth is Bradford has the more Talemted skll set. The questions now become:
1) can we keep Braford on the field? (Let’s not pretend Nick didn’t miss games)
2) After the injuries can Bradford stay in the pocket under fire, and show the toughness Nick showed in games like the skins game?
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3) Can Bradford have that clutch gene FOLES displayed, where he elevates his game in close 4th quarters?
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I really don’t understand. as long as Mathis remains an Eagle, I don’t see what position the Eagles got worse at, yet I see a bunch of positions I expect to be improved, by young players maturing or because of personnel moves,,
I agree with both posts GEagle. Our only risk is turnovers, which I have hope will improve. Big D is definitely better and maybe meaner.
you don’t understand the pessimism?
you’re an eagles fan, comes with the territory
Pessimism? No but having a strong feeling that this team fits in where a lot of Eagles’ teams have the past say 25 years (Above Average/Good but not Great) I totally get.
I don’t think this team can win 3 (or 4) playoff games including the SB as presently constructed.
okay but only one team can, don’t forget that.
every one of 31 teams will end the season with a loss.
Say what? Didn’t the Eagles end last year with a win?
Depends especially because severe injuries in the NFL are so random and more common than other sports. Why making a prediction until at least the 3rd/4th weak of August is tough.
10-win floor on this team seems very generous though.
High floor low ceiling prediction perhaps.
Anytime you switch out a bunch of know quantities for unknown quantities you will get this. If you got green shades on or are an optimist you will tend to think the unknown quantities will turn out better than the departed known quantities were. Skeptics will wait and see. Pessimists will predict the other way obviously.
There’s really no right or wrong until the pads go on and show us the results of what moves pan out and what did not.
There is no right or wrong? That is loser talk! This is the greatest assembly of talent since Woodstock, and certainly with less drugs.
Okay, no more drugs.
16-0. Easy.
It’s at least a greater assembly of talent than a Kenny Chesney concert (I hope)
A87:
Your comment nicely captures the “realist” view that — while hot-stove conversations about “we’re a better team based X, Y & Z players” are fun — there’s no way to know until, as you say, the pads go on.
Really good job.
The Patriots use 12 men on offense?! CHEATERS!
Brady, McCourty, Gronk, Jamie Collins
Solder or Seabass if you can play them at RG.
You could make an argument for Lafell.
That’s about it though.
Ouch . . . Belichick selling out his squad.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Who says Belichick isn’t honest?
Maybe Edelman. Guys don’t catch 200 balls over two years by accident.
Though I suppose when Brady is your QB, its a possibility.
If you didn’t take Lafell, maybeeee.
As is you have Ertz and Gronk at TE.
Agholor, Matthews, Huff at WR.
I just don’t know that it would be a noticable improvement.
Dunno. When it’s 3rd and 5 in the 4Q, Edelman has historically been a nice guy to have. Even in an offense with Gronk.
As expected of Belicheat. You would even take Brady!!
#LGR
I assume Sanchez will be better then he was his first year in this offense, especially if he gets better OL and RB play then he got last year. I’m not a fan, but I do recognize him as Probably the #1 backup QB in the NFL., and while Im pretty confident that we will see a BETTER Sanchez.. I’m very curious to see How Much Better?
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Can a better Mark Samchez, more comfortable in the chip Kelly offense,be a better backup then Jeff Garcia was for those Andy Reid playoff teams?
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Barkley will always have limitatiòns that a play caller has to coach around. for example. If he has to replace Bradford, we are talking about a Major drop off in Arm Strength.. not only does chip have to call mostly short and intermediate passes for Sanchez, but Sanchez seems like he can have his confidence rattled, which is a problem. need to keep him confidemt and let him get into a flow, making him a quasi game manager like the Cowboys did with Romo last year when they ran Demarco into the ground ..
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We didn’t see the best Sanchez has to offer in this offense. heck just THNK of the games with the messed up OL where we couldn’t even run the ball, and chip had to ask Sanchez to throw the ball like 50 times.. That’s not sanchez game, that’s not putting him in the best position to succeed, that’s Not going to show the best he is capable,,..
he isn’t the starting solution, but I wonder if he can become a reliable backup like Garcia was for us, or dare I dream, Better then Garcia?
we should probably institute a new rule that there is no sense in saying “if he stays healthy”… because no shit..
we all know the deal. demarco will be great if he stays healthy… kelce is awesome if he stays healthy… huff will be improved if he stays healthy, I hope barbre stays healthy, tobin, sproles, Jmatt, Nelson, and the qb too.
lets move it on down the line.
and lets hope chip doesn’t get the flu either
I like to use the caveat: “if he doesn’t turn out to suck…” instead.
ha now that’s something different all together.
i think he’ll be damn good though. all of them
can we still say : he would have better stats if he didn’t blow out his ACL ?
you and Bert made me laugh out loud.
freaking funny and perfect comment!!!!
im sorry but im going to have to make sure I say “if he stays healthy” EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!
sorry botto, but its a sign of respect !!!
Below is a link to the Jordan Hicks interview on the Fanactic. This should lift you up from Debbie Downer Kempski…
http://www.975thefanatic.com/teams/eagles/2015/05/13/eagles-draft-pick-jordan-hicks-joins-mike-missanelli
Thanks to GEAGLE for mentioning he would be on the Fanatic!
Awesome game! #LGR