Eagles Notebook
Posted June 11th, 2023 | 5 Comments »The Christian Elliss hype train is running at full speed this spring. He was a key STer and became a good role player last year. He now has a chance to compete for a starting LB spot this year. At the least, he could be the top backup.
Elliss picked off multiple Jalen Hurts passes in the OTAs. He did a good job of playing the passing lanes and showed good cover skills. There was no hitting or tackling so we can’t get too excited about a LB, but Elliss made the plays that were there to be made. That’s what you want to see.
If Ellis becomes a key backup or even starter this year, who would he remind you of?
Most people instantly say TJ Edwards. I’m going to disagree with that. Edwards was signed by the Eagles as a UDFA and started 4 games as a rookie. He started 43 of 45 games after that. The Eagles could see right away that Edwards was a talented player with a good future.
Kamu Grugier-Hill might be a better example. He was signed by the Patriots as a UDFA in 2016. They cut him and the Eagles claimed him. He played in 12 games and became a core STer. He then played all 16 games for the Super Bowl team in 2017 and was a role player/STer. KGH then started 10 games in 2018. He’s bounced around since then, starting 28 games.
If Elliss were to become a solid starter, you could go old school for a comparison. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He got mixed in on defense the next couple of years, but was primarily a STer. He played more on defense in 2006 and even started a game. Mikell then started for the Eagles for the next 4 years.
Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They cut him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the practice squad for most of the year. Elliss played in one game. He really struggled in the 2022 preseason and got cut. He was signed to the practice squad for most of the year, but did get elevated for multiple games. The Eagles finally added him to the roster in December. Elliss played in 6 games and really made an impact on STs.
Now Elliss is pushing for more than just a roster spot. He wants playing time. He wants a chance to start.
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Jimmy Bama wrote a piece on Elliss.
I don’t want to put words in Jimmy’s mouth, but the summary is basically that Elliss is a cross between Ray Lewis and Joe Mays, with a dash of Andy Studebaker thrown in.
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More about the Vikings planning to release four-time Pro-Bowl RB Dalvin Cook, via @SeifertESPN:https://t.co/99Tkq2yEWt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2023
The Eagles don’t need Cook. They have veterans in Rashaad Penny and D’Andre Swift. They have a young guy in Kenny Gainwell. They have Boston Scott for depth. And Nick Sirianni continues to talk up Trey Sermon.
I do not see Cook being of interest at this point. If someone gets hurt and he’s on the market, that could change. No for now.
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There is a lot of hype with Nolan Smith right now. People are excited by how fired up Smith has been about learning the playbook and doing everything he can to get ready for the season. There is no doubt that Smith is an easy player to like.
https://twitter.com/greenlight/status/1663700110201569280
You want LBs/pass rushers to be a bit crazy. You want them to be aggressive. Mean, might be a better description. It sounds like Smith has the right mentality.
It has been fun to watch clips of him from the OTAs. You can see what a powerful, explosive athlete Smith is.
Everyone is excited to see what Smith can do. He’ll be a backup behind Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, but if Smith is good enough, the coaches will find a way to get him on the field. It is good that the Eagles don’t have to count on him. All signs are pointing in the right direction now, but real football is very different from spring football. We’ll have to wait and see just how ready Smith is for the real thing.
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Vic Fangio was asked if he’d be the Eagles defensive coordinator if it wasn’t for the Jonathon Gannon situation: pic.twitter.com/IPmuWHAz5Q
— Kendall Beck (@KBeckEagles) June 8, 2023
It will be really interesting to see what happens with the Eagles defense in the coming years. If Sean Desai does a great job, we might be thankful that Vic Fangio ended up in Miami. If Desai struggles and Fangio is great for the Dolphins, we’ll be saying “What if” for a while.
Andy Reid wanted to hire Marvin Lewis back in 1999. Lewis turned him down so Reid had to settle for a guy named Jim Johnson. That worked out pretty well. There are other times when you miss out on your primary target and end up paying for it.
Desai vs Fangio will be something to keep an eye on.
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Baseball players are just different.
https://twitter.com/accnetwork/status/1667656393229303808
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[…] Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzIf Elliss have been to turn out to be a strong starter, you can go old skool for a comparability. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He bought blended in on protection the subsequent couple of years, however was primarily a STer. He performed extra on protection in 2006 and even began a recreation. Mikell then began for the Eagles for the subsequent 4 years. Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They lower him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the follow squad for many of the yr. Elliss performed in one recreation. He actually struggled in the 2022 preseason and bought lower. He was signed to the follow squad for many of the yr, however did get elevated for a number of video games. The Eagles lastly added him to the roster in December. Elliss performed in 6 video games and actually made an impression on STs. Now Elliss is pushing for greater than only a roster spot. He needs taking part in time. He needs an opportunity to begin. […]
[…] Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzIf Elliss were to become a solid starter, you could go old school for a comparison. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He got mixed in on defense the next couple of years, but was primarily a STer. He played more on defense in 2006 and even started a game. Mikell then started for the Eagles for the next 4 years. Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They cut him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the practice squad for most of the year. Elliss played in one game. He really struggled in the 2022 preseason and got cut. He was signed to the practice squad for most of the year, but did get elevated for multiple games. The Eagles finally added him to the roster in December. Elliss played in 6 games and really made an impact on STs. Now Elliss is pushing for more than just a roster spot. He wants playing time. He wants a chance to start. […]
[…] Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzIf Elliss had been to turn out to be a strong starter, you can go old skool for a comparability. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He acquired combined in on protection the following couple of years, however was primarily a STer. He performed extra on protection in 2006 and even began a recreation. Mikell then began for the Eagles for the following 4 years. Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They reduce him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the observe squad for many of the 12 months. Elliss performed in one recreation. He actually struggled in the 2022 preseason and acquired reduce. He was signed to the observe squad for many of the 12 months, however did get elevated for a number of video games. The Eagles lastly added him to the roster in December. Elliss performed in 6 video games and actually made an impression on STs. Now Elliss is pushing for greater than only a roster spot. He desires enjoying time. He desires an opportunity to begin. […]
[…] Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzIf Elliss were to become a solid starter, you could go old school for a comparison. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He got mixed in on defense the next couple of years, but was primarily a STer. He played more on defense in 2006 and even started a game. Mikell then started for the Eagles for the next 4 years. Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They cut him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the practice squad for most of the year. Elliss played in one game. He really struggled in the 2022 preseason and got cut. He was signed to the practice squad for most of the year, but did get elevated for multiple games. The Eagles finally added him to the roster in December. Elliss played in 6 games and really made an impact on STs. Now Elliss is pushing for more than just a roster spot. He wants playing time. He wants a chance to start. […]
[…] Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzIf Elliss were to become a solid starter, you could go old school for a comparison. Quintin Mikell was signed as a UDFA in 2003. He was a STer as a rookie. He got mixed in on defense the next couple of years, but was primarily a STer. He played more on defense in 2006 and even started a game. Mikell then started for the Eagles for the next 4 years. Elliss was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2021. They cut him and the Eagles signed him. He bounced on and off the practice squad for most of the year. Elliss played in one game. He really struggled in the 2022 preseason and got cut. He was signed to the practice squad for most of the year, but did get elevated for multiple games. The Eagles finally added him to the roster in December. Elliss played in 6 games and really made an impact on STs. Now Elliss is pushing for more than just a roster spot. He wants playing time. He wants a chance to start. […]