Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Man

Posted March 29th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

One of the best things about winning the Super Bowl is the endless amount of articles and videos that come out, allowing fans to soak up every angle and every moment. There is a new video out as of today.

The mini-movie is a 52-minute recap of the season. You’ve seen the vast majority of the material, but I think there are a few new clips or soundbytes in there. No matter what, it is worth watching.

My biggest takeaway is that Nick Sirianni isn’t getting enough credit for the coaching job he did.

Saquon Barkley had one of the great seasons in NFL history. Jalen Hurts came up big when the team needed him. Zack Baun became an All-Pro linebacker. Jalen Carter did his impression of a one-man wrecking ball. Player after player had amazing seasons. Those guys deserve a ton of credit.

Vic Fangio turned the 30th ranked defense into the NFL’s best. The assisted coaches did a great job with player development. Kellen Moore, known for his love of the passing game, ran one of the best running attacks in NFL history. Jeff Stoutland worked his usual magic. The coaching staff deserves a ton of credit.

Howie Roseman and the front office put together the best roster in football. They had one of the best offseasons in league history. They deserve a ton of credit.

The movie shows Sirianni speaking to the team before and during the season. Time and time again Sirianni had the right message. He was able to keep the team focused, when they were struggling and later when they were red hot.

Sirianni took this collection of players and got them to connect. You had rookies and long-time vets. You had free agents like Barkley and Baun become key players and even team leaders. A guy like Mekhi Becton really bought into being an Eagle. You could see how emotional he got multiple times during the year.

I think sometimes we overlook how hard it is to get the most out of a team, even one with elite players. Kyle Shanahan led SF to two Super Bowls over a five-year span. The Niners blew leads in both of them. They are now re-tooling their roster. Sean McDermott has led Buffalo to 10 or more wins in six straight seasons. He hasn’t been able to get the Bills to the Super Bowl. John Harbaugh has taken the Ravens to the playoffs in 6 of the past 7 seasons. They have a grand total of 3 postseason wins in that span.

Sirianni has two Super Bowl trips in three years. The Eagles won it all this year and probably would have won in 2022 if the field wasn’t an ice skating rink. Sirianni has a 6-3 record in the postseason. Mike Tomlin has coached the Steelers for 18 years. He has a total of 8 postseason wins.

Sirianni has beaten Andy Reid twice. He’s beaten Harbaugh and Shanahan. Sirianni has beaten Sean McVay multiple times. He’s beaten Dan Campbell twice.

There are times when Sirianni undermines all of his success with poorly timed comments and some over the top behavior. He is aware of this and has talked publicly about the need to tone things down. He has to balance that out with the fact his players love for him to be emotional. That’s part of how they connect with him.

Forget about what you and I think. Sirianni’s players love him.

Hopefully people will start to truly appreciate him and what he’s done for the Eagles.

*****

In case you missed them, here are some great SB LIX videos.

Mic’d Up

Turning Point

Guaranteed to make you happy.

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Another Biggie

Posted March 27th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

The Eagles lost a big dude when 6-7, 360 Mekhi Becton left in free agency. We know Jeff Stoutland likes big blockers so it isn’t a surprise that the Eagles signed 6-7, 330 Matt Pryor on Thursday.

Pryor was drafted by the Eagles in 2018. He started 10 games in 2020, when the Eagles OL was a disaster due to injuries. Pryor was…not good. In the summer of 2021 Pryor was traded to the Colts, where he started 14 games in two years. Pryor went to SF in 2023 and then the Bears last year. He started 15 games for them, playing both RG and RT.

Why would the Eagles want Pryor? He is a better player now than he was back then. Pryor started 29 games and got valuable experience. He is a functional RG. With his size, he can be an effective RT, but would need help. He’s not someone you want starting multiple games out there. You wonder if watching Becton at RG made Stoutland want to get a bigger body in there.

I’m unsure of how to project the Eagles OL right now.

LT – J Mailata … K Lamm
LG – L Dickerson … K Green
OC – C Jurgens
RG – T Steen … M Pryor … T Keegan
RT – L Johnson … D Kinnard

This isn’t really a big deal. 4 of the 5 starters are set. There will be 2 or 3 guys competing for the RG spot. The other players can be shifted around to find the best group of 10 and the best way to use them. Jeff Stoutland likes versatile linemen. That’s part of the reason he likes Pryor, who can line up at OG or OT. Green has played LG and RG. He played some OT in college. Steen can play OG or OT.

While Green was a disappointment in Houston and Pryor isn’t anything special, it is worth noting that Becton played his best football on the Eagles OL. Good coaching and good players around you makes things a lot easier. You can count on your teammates to do their jobs. You will all be on the same page. You just have to do your job. That set-up makes helps bring out the best in players.

I like the addition of Pryor. He’s cheap and checks a lot of boxes.

*****

The Pryor move doesn’t mean the Eagles are done OL shopping. We found out they will be bringing Donovan Jackson from Ohio State in for a visit. Jackson would make a lot of sense. He has solid size at 6-4, 315. Jackson played LG until LT Josh Simmons got hurt. Then he shifted outside and took over at LT.

Jackson could play OT in the NFL, but he probably has more upside at OG. Jackson isn’t a great athlete and doesn’t have great length. He is technically sound and is a powerful blocker. He’s tough. Jackson is an Eagles type of OL with his versatility and willingness to do whatever the team needs. He could be your long term answer at RG. He will likely be a first round pick.

*****

The Eagles have shown interest in RB Jaydon Blue. If you want help in understanding why they like him…

Don’t think of Blue as just a RB. Think of him as an offensive weapon. Nick Sirianni obsesses on explosive plays so it makes sense that he has interest in a player with Blue’s ability.

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