Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Dynamic Duos

Posted July 17th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles have had some amazing players over the years. They have also had some dynamic duos, guys that played together and brought out the best in each other. Let’s take a look at some of them.

I’m going to avoid the last decade or so and focus on older players.

Ricky Watters and Charlie Garner

Garner was drafted in 1994 and showed flashes of greatness. But he struggled to stay healthy. The Eagles signed Watters in free agency in 1995 to give the team a good pair of RBs. They became known as Thunder and Lightning.

Watters was the workhorse back. He was about 220 pounds, which gave him the size to be a good inside runner. He also had the wiggle to get outside and create big plays. Watters had been a WR in college so he was a gifted pass catcher. Garner was small at 5-9, 185. He had an explosive burst. Garner got limited touches, but made the most of them.

The best game came in 1995 when they combined for 259 rushing yards and 3 TDs as well as 92 receiving yards. That was a fun game.

Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent

The Eagles drafted Taylor in the third round in 1995, hoping he would give them a big cover corner. They needed someone to slow down Michael Irvin. Joe Banner worked some contract magic in the 1996 offseason, making an offer to Troy Vincent that Miami couldn’t match. Jimmy Johnson wasn’t happy about that. Eagles Nation sure was.

Vincent and Taylor played together from 1996-2003. They gave the team a pair of outstanding cover corners. The Eagles had multiple Top 5 defenses with those two manning the corners. Taylor was bigger and stronger. Vincent was the better athlete and better overall player. My favorite memory of Taylor was the MNF game where he blitzed off the corner and sacked Troy Aikman twice.

Al Harris played with them from 1999-2003, giving the Eagles a Terrific Trio.

Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan

Many young fans will find it hard to believe this, but there was a time when the Eagles struggled to have good OT play. They tried free agents, draft picks, developmental guys…nothing worked. That changed when they drafted Tra Thomas 11th overall in 1998. Andy Reid took over the team in 1999. He knew Thomas was half of the solution. The other half came when the Eagles made Runyan the highest paid OL ever in March of 2000.

Runyan and Thomas formed a great pair of OTs. Thomas had great feet and was a natural pass protector. He had excellent size. He was a skilled blocker. Runyan was even bigger than Thomas. Runyan wasn’t a dancing bear. He was the bear that mauls you. He blocked to the “echo of the whistle”, which pissed off opponents throughout his career.

Runyan had additonal value. He was a good leader and brought a real edge to the Eagles OL. He was a big influence on the guys around him and got the overall line to become a physical, nasty unit. Thomas and Runyan helped the Eagles reach 5 NFC championship games and one SB in their nine years together.

Wes Hopkins and Andre Waters

Hopkins was the 35th overall pick in 1983. He started 14 games as a rookie and showed tremendous potential. Andre Waters was undrafted in 1984. He spent two years on special teams before becoming the starting SS in 1986. The two of them played together for a decade, but injuries affected both. The Eagles only had each of them start double digit games together from 1988-1991. The Eagles were a playoff team from 1988-1990. In 1991 they were on one of the greatest defenses in the history of the NFL.

Hopkins was the great athlete who could cover ground on the deep end and make big plays. He had 30 career INTs. Hopkins could also be a devastating hitter and outstanding tackler. Waters was like a human torpedo. He was a great run defender, coming up aggressively and exploding through his targets.

I know Brian Dawkins is worshiped by Eagles fans. Wes and Andre weren’t as good, but they are special to me and my favorite pair of Eagles safeties ever. Sadly, both of them have passed away.

Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams 

Barnett and Williams were both drafted in 1990, in the third and fifth rounds respectively. Mike Bellamy was drafted in the second round. He never caught a pass in the NFL. Luckily the Eagles hit on both Barnett and Williams.

Barnett was nicknamed Arkansas Fred, a fantastic moniker. He had outstanding speed and was a gifted downfield receiver. He averaged 15 yards per catch for his Eagles career. Barnett had a distinct style of running and catching. He looked a bit herky-jerky, but it sure worked well. Williams was smaller. He was more of a possession receiver. Williams ran good routes and was a polished receiver.

You may have seen that play a time or two. It is one of the most amazing moments in Eagles history.

Nnamdi Asomugha and his car

Some of you will get this reference…

*****

I left out Reggie and Clyde because I wanted to focus on others.

I thought about safeties Greg Jackson and Mike Zordich, but they only spent two years together, 1994 and 1995. The Eagles defense was 4th in yards allowed in both seasons.

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Ranking Mailata

Posted July 16th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

Lane Johnson is the best offensive lineman in the NFL. Some might have him down at second or third, but everyone agrees he is a great player who will be headed to Canton when he retires. Jordan Mailata is a more complicated evaluation.

Mailata has moments of dominance.

He also has some moments where he’ll struggle.

The good moments far outweigh the bad ones. Mailata has developed from a solid starter to a very good LT. OL guru Brandon Thorn does annual rankings on OL positions. He just released his rankings and Mailata made a big jump. Mailata was the #11 LT a year ago. Now he’s up to 6th.

6. Jordan Mailata – Mailata is coming off of a 12-start, Second Team All-Pro season in 2024. It was the best year of his career, despite the fact that he missed four games due to a hamstring injury. At 6’8”, 360+ pounds, Mailata is a startlingly smooth mover, special run blocker and has increasingly improved in pass protection to the point that his overall game belongs firmly in tier two. Mailata will still struggle to mirror against adept counters and inside moves, but this issue arose at a lower clip in 2024 than any point over the last three seasons. It’s important for context to note that he plays next to an elite-level left guard in Landon Dickerson, and Philadelphia ran the ball more than any team in the league last year. This resulted in the O-line’s percentage of pass blocking snaps (46%) being lower than any team in football by a wide margin. Mailata has had the luxury of operating in as close to ideal circumstances as possible since becoming a starter, which has been critical to his rise. Considering his obscure background, he remains one of the most impressive developmental stories in NFL history.

Thorn studies every OL in the league. He writes about OL and DL year round. He doesn’t have casual rankings that are based on highlights and big games. I put a lot of stock in what Thorn has to say. You might disagree with his evaluations, but there is a lot of work that goes into them and he works diligently to make sure they are as accurate as possible.

ESPN has been releasing their rankings of players. These are done by “surveying execs, coaches and scouts”. That sounds great, but not all of those guys have studied every position thoroughly and you never know if someone has an agenda.

These rankings have Johnson as the #3 OT in the league, which feels low, and Mailata as #5, which feels high. That’s overall OTs, not split by sides.

There has been no tangible drop-off in Johnson’s play after 12 seasons. In fact, Johnson ranked among the best — again — in run block win rate at 80.2.

He has proved durable in his early-to-mid-30s, logging at least 15 games in each of the last three seasons on his way to consecutive Pro Bowls. These factors helped Johnson narrowly edge Trent Williams for the third spot.

“He’s kind of the gold standard now — technique, smarts and probably the most instinctive of them all,” an NFL personnel director said. “He’s a perfect product of that system. He’s dealt with a lot, from mental health to injuries, and he’s come out of it better than ever.”

Just about everyone lauds Johnson’s overall game, from his second-level mauling in the run game to his footwork and discipline in the pass game.

To give you an idea why I trust these rankings less, one evaluator had Johnson as the #10 OT in the league. That borders on insane.

Here are the notes on Mailata.

Mailata is well known for his rare combination of size (6-foot-8, 365 pounds), agility and violence at the line of scrimmage. Now, he’s known for other things – such as a Super Bowl champion and a second team All-Pro.

Mailata allowed 1.5 sacks in 2024 per Next Gen Stats, tied for the fewest among tackles with at least 350 pass-blocking snaps. Couple that with his running game prowess and the Eagles have a long-term solution at left tackle.

One NFC exec called Mailata’s ascension “astronomical.”

“One of the most unique players in the NFL,” a veteran NFL personnel executive said. “Has really improved year-to-year. Only thing that holds him back from the others at the top is they probably have better instincts.”

A different personnel executive man with an NFC team loves Mailata’s game, but kept him out of the top four because he’s “still improving and becoming more sound, but there’s still enough ways to get him off balance.”

The evaluators worst ranking for him was 7th overall.

It really is amazing that Mailata has gone from a fun draft story to a borderline great player. The best part…he is still improving. He is getting smarter and more technically sound each season. The size and athleticism has always been there.

I will never get tired of moments like this.

*****

CJGJ talked to Ryan Clark about a variety of things. CJGJ ripped Eagles management for being “scared of having a competitor” around. He made mention of a practice fight that he was involved with in the postseason and how that was blamed on him.

I have no idea if the Eagles just wanted him gone or if it was a financial move. Howie Roseman said it was about money. I tend to trust Howie since they acquired CJGJ twice. If they didn’t like him, why bring him back?

CJGJ said the Eagles wouldn’t win a Super Bowl without him. He then decided to retract that.

He’s frustrated. CJGJ wanted to stay with the Eagles. I completely understand his frustration. I will say that I think there are more holes in his game than he would like to admit. But he is a physical player and a playmaker. And his fiery personality can be good for a defense that needs a boost. I wish him well in Houston.

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