Covid Strikes the Eagles

Posted: July 29th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Covid Strikes the Eagles

We knew this would happen at some point.

We don’t know what is going on with Gerry and Mailata.

Lane Johnson spilled the beans on his situation.

Johnson is young, healthy and in great shape, but Covid can have long-lasting effects on anyone. This goes beyond football. Let’s hope the best for Johnson as he deals with this situation.

In terms of football, the good thing about this is the timing. Johnson could still be ready to go by the start of the padded practices. The Eagles need him back with a new LT and Jason Peters making the switch to RG. They need the returning starters to stay healthy and play well. Johnson is arguably the best RT in football. The Eagles need him to be a force up front if the offense is going to thrive this season.

The team does need to figure out who the backup RT is going to be. If they are going to use a swing tackle, they need to make sure to get that player reps on both sides. Dillard last year focused on LT and when he had to play on the right side it was a disaster.

Mailata and Gerry are young players who need every rep possible. Hopefully this is just a precaution with them and they can return quickly.

Mailata is especially in need of reps. This is his third season and he has yet to carve out a real role on the team. Injuries have limited him the first couple of years so it is crucial for him to stay healthy and show progress this season.

The NFL seems to be handling these situations well. They need to if they want to have a 2020 season.

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Cool.

The Eagles have a young set of receivers and those guys need all the help they can get.

Avant is the kind of former player you want as a coach. He was a good slot receiver, but not overly gifted. He carved out a career by being smart and tough. He ran good routes and learned how to get open. He was also a good blocker.

Some receivers are divas. Avant did all the little things well and can help teach those things to the young receivers.

Eagles receivers have not gotten very good coaching since 2017. That could change this year with Aaron Moorehead taking over the the receivers coach and Avant lending his time/talent this summer.

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The NFL Network has released its Top 100 players list. Some people get really ticked off at how bad the rankings are. For example:

73. Fletcher Cox
51. Todd Gurley

There is no planet in the universe where Gurley is a better player than Cox. This is beyond ridiculous.

Just as crazy, Carson Wentz didn’t make the Top 100. That is pure insanity.

Rather than being offended, this is simply a sign not to take the rankings seriously. They are a popularity contest among NFL players.

In case you’re curious, here is the Top 10.

That is a reasonable list, with the exception of Mahomes at #4. I’m guessing the rankings were done before the playoffs. I don’t see how anyone could have watched the postseason and put Jackson ahead of Mahomes.

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