Doug, Jeff Speak

Posted: March 27th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Doug, Jeff Speak

The owners meetings took place out in Phoenix, giving us rules changes and a chance to hear from Jeffrey and Douglas.

So there are the new rules / adjustments.

The first one listed should be called the Dallas Goedert Rule, since he lost a long TD catch and run based on a bogus call. Had that been reviewed, it is very likely the call would have been overturned and his TD would have counted.

The replay change should be called the Sean Payton Won’t Quit Bitching Rule. His team lost, in part on a terrible call. In part, being the key phrase. Several people have mentioned the hope that the Saints now lose a game where replay changes a call against them at a crucial moment. That would be oh so ironic.

I’m generally not a fan of more reviews, but getting key plays right is critical. We’ll see how this goes.

*****

The biggest bit of info is that the Ravens will come to town for joint practices before the third preseason game. Those practices can be really beneficial to both teams. You may remember that the Dolphins and Eagles practiced in the summer of 2016.

Doug had nothing but good things to say about Carson Wentz. Shocker. There was one funny moment when Doug was talking about Carson having a good year in 2018. Someone made a comment and Doug mentioned the Eagles winning games. Jeff McLane pointed out the Eagles were 4-6 when Carson got hurt. Doug was caught red-handed. Rather than getting defensive, he just smiled. He does have his moments.

Doug once again said he would like to have Darren Sproles back. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen. I know Doug loves his players, but it is time to move on from 43.

McLane talked to Doug about being less aggressive in 2018. That led to a back and forth about situations. Someone eventually asked if after studying analytics, do they become part of the gut feeling? That was really a good question. And Doug agreed. That does happen.

There was a discussion about the offense and using all the weapons. How do you spread the ball among Jeffery, DeSean, Ertz, Goedert, Agholor and the RBs and keep everyone happy? Doug talked about trusting the play. Carson needs to read his progressions and get the ball to the open man. This worked great in 2017, but it is tough to do. Doug also talked about spending time trying to improve the use of 12 personnel (2 TE sets). He wouldn’t share any details, but you can tell he’s excited about Goedert.

There was talk about the run game struggles last year. The one interesting tidbit is that Doug said teams did a good job of adjusting to the RPOs. That was a real weapon in 2017, but teams focused on stopping them last year. Now the Eagles are figuring out their counter moves to 2018.

Doug was asked about female coaches and said he’s all for it. They just have to earn their positions, as any coach would.

SalPal came over and was his usual annoying self. He did get Doug to admit that he sent a video to Bryce Harper, encouraging him to come to Philly. I’m sure that’s what sealed the deal.

*****

Lurie talked a lot about the rule changes and the importance of the integrity of the game.

He spent a lot of time talking about the importance of analytics and data. The Eagles are a very progressive organization and that really starts at the top. If you have an owner talking about physical defense and running the ball, you’re at a disadvantage.

Lurie raved about Wentz. The Eagles love him, as a person and as a player. They have a plan in place for the big contract. As Lurie pointed out, when you draft a QB high, you want him to become a star. You want to give him a big deal. The Eagles have talked about the big contract for a while.

Lurie said one of the best things going for the NFL right now is all the young QBs that are becoming stars. He only mentioned Wentz and Patrick Mahomes by name, but he’s right. The league has several young guys that look to be stars. You can’t rely on Brees and Brady forever.

There was a lot of praise for Howie, Doug and the whole front office. Lurie admitted one of the problems with winning is that teams will start coming to poach your people. That hasn’t happened yet with the front office, but he thinks it will. The Eagles have a lot of smart people so losing one or two won’t kill them. Lurie and the team have intentionally built up a large group of smart executives.

*****

As always, Sheil is the master of summaries.

_

Comments are closed.