Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

A New Factory?

Posted June 27th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

Howie Roseman has had the golden touch in recent years, making good picks, signings and trades. He is on top of the NFL world. Things haven’t always been so perfect. After drafting Jalen Hurts in April of 2020, Roseman referred to the Eagles as a “QB factory”. He caught a lot of flak for the comment and regretted it by the next day.

To be fair, the Hurts pick turned out to be brilliant. The Eagles drafted Tanner McKee a couple of years ago and he looks very promising. If this year’s QB addition, Kyle McCord, has a good summer, the nickname might be accurate.

There is another position that could merit the factory nickname. Could the Eagles become a LB factory?

That sounds borderline insane to anyone who has been a fan for a while. The Eagles have struggled mightily to develop LBs for a long time. That changed last season and it could be that way for a while.

The Eagles signed Zack Baun and he became an All Pro player. They signed free agent Oren Burks. He had to start three playoff games and finished third on the team in postseason tackles, helping the Birds to their second Super Bowl title. Nakobe Dean started 15 regular season games and had a breakout campaign before getting hurt in the playoffs. Rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr started the season finale and showed good potential.

With Dean hurt and Burks gone in free agency, the Eagles decided to add more talent to the LB pool. They spent pick 31 on Jihad Campbell, a Top 10 talent who fell due to possible injury concerns. Campbell has the potential to develop into a difference-maker. On Day 3 the Eagles took Smael Mondon, who some thought might be the best cover LB in the whole class.

Ben VanSumeren was part of the LB group, but there was so much depth that he got moved to fullback.

It is crazy to think that a team that was desperate for any hope at LB in 2023 (remember signing Myles Jack?) was able to have good depth last season and potentially even better depth this year. The Eagles have drafted well and made good pro additions. Give the personnel department a lot of credit.

We also have to give credit to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and LB coach Bobby King. Fangio has had stud LBs from Sam Mills and Vaughn Johnson to Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis to Roquan Smith to the current bunch. Fangio knows how to put guys in good positions and he’s got an eye for talent. King has done a good job of teaching the Eagles players the subtle skills that help players to succeed.

Did you ever think you would see this?

It really is crazy to think how far the LB corps jumped in one single season. It is also exciting to see what the future holds. Campbell has special potential. Dean really emerged last year. Trotter and Mondon both have a lot of potential.

*****

In my previous post I used a quote from former Dolphin OL Kendall Lamm. Lamm has come out to say that quote isn’t real. I got it from what I thought was a reliable account on Twitter. I have no idea who put the bogus quote out originally.

The quote being bogus actually doesn’t change much of what I wrote. Culture has been a strength for the Eagles. It is Nick Sirianni’s best skill and has helped the team win a lot of games under him. Culture has been an issue for Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins. If you watch the clip from him that I posted, McDaniel talks about players being late several years into his tenure and how that is an issue that must be solved.

As Sirianni says, your culture is your habits. If Miami guys can’t show up on time, that’s bad culture.

*****

Jimmy Bama just might get that Pulitzer he’s been chasing.

Great work.

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More Than A Word

Posted June 23rd, 2025 | 2 Comments »

I don’t remember the first time I heard the word culture in regard to a sports team. I feel like it is a recent development, at least for it to be so common. And boy is it common. Every team in every sport will talk about culture.

Nick Sirianni takes culture very seriously. He puts actions behind his words. Sirianni will never be mistaken for Bill Walsh as an offensive genius, but Sirianni does understand how to get his football team to buy into to core principles and come together as one. Do not understimate how important that ability is, especially in the modern NFL.

The Dolphins are an interesting contrast to the Eagles. Miami coach Mike McDaniel is one of the best play designers in the league. When his offense is clicking, it can do special things. Remember them scoing 70 points on the Broncos? McDaniel is a young coach who tries to bond with his players and develop tight relationships with them. That all sounds great, but can McDaniel be tough and truly hold people accountable? It sure doesn’t sound like it.

Being a brother or the fun uncle is different from being a tough dad. McDaniel hasn’t gotten to that point yet.

Sirianni has a tight bond with a lot of his players, but he can be tough on them. He’s able to hold his players accountable, on and off the field. Sirianni’s quote is “Culture is your habits.” That sounds simple, but is so true. Do players show up on time? Do they workout the way they are supposed to? Do they pay attention in meetings? Do the players connect with one another in a genuine way?

Football games last for three hours. That leaves 165 hours in the rest of the week. That time is wasted if the team isn’t doing the right things to be ready for Sunday. Eagles players know Sirianni’s mantra. Tough. Detailed. Together. He beats that into their heads and the players buy into those words. They bring them to life.

Some might argue Sirianni has the most talent so culture is overrated. I would disagree with that. Culture is what helps the players to accomplish what they are capable of. Miami is a talented team, but they have had culture issues for a while. The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. Not a single game. The Eagles won four playoff games last year. That’s mind-blowing when you think about some of the talent that has been in Miami.

Culture matters.

Sirianni is lucky that the Eagles have generally had good culture for a while. Andy Reid laid that foundation when he was hired in 1999. Reid did things the right way and brought in the right kind of people. Things went a bit astray during Chip Kelly’s tenure, but got back on track when Doug Pederson took over. Sirianni has taken things to the next level.

I think Sirianni being the son of a coach had a huge impact on his ideas on how to run a team. Then he went to Mount Union to play college football and was heavily influenced by Larry Kehres. Sirianni worked under Frank Reich in the NFL. Those three coaches were the men who taught Sirianni that coaching is more than calling plays. How you run the team will decide a lot more games than if you use more motion in your offense.

Sirianni’s culture is part of what makes the 2025 Eagles so fascinating. You have a team coming off winning a Super Bowl. They know what it takes to get the job done, but they also have a target on them. Every opponent will see the Eagles as a special game. The team has to be focused to handle that kind of challenge. Sirianni has already told his players to put the celebration behind them. Don’t look behind you. Don’t look ahead.

Focus on today.

The Eagles have a strong coaching staff and a great roster. If Sirianni can get the culture right again this season, this team could very well go out and win another Super Bowl.

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