Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Pads Time

Posted July 30th, 2024 | 2 Comments »

Tuesday was the first day the Eagles practiced with pads on. That meant hitting, physicality and more emotion. Guys are more likely to get fired up when they hit someone or get hit by someone.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

LINKS

Jimmy Bama

Brandon Lee Gowton

Fran Duffy

Quinyon Mitchell is starting to really show the talent that made him a first round pick. Jimmy Bama was very impressed.

The highlight of the day was during wide receiver / cornerback 1-on-1’s, which were in the red zone. Quinyon Mitchell was matched up against A.J. Brown, and he blanketed Brown so well that Jalen Hurts didn’t even venture a throw. (This does not happen often at all during these drills, much less with a player like A.J. Brown.)

Mitchell then stared Brown down, lol.

Soon after, Mitchell matched up with Brown again, and Brown made a great one-handed catch, but Mitchell’s coverage once again was good, and Brown could not keep two feet in bounds. The Eagles’ other defensive backs were hyped up for Mitchell’s reps vs. the All-Pro.

And

Mitchell is showing big time athleticism as well as versatility. He is covering different types of receivers and handling whatever is thrown at him. Mitchell doesn’t have much experience in the slot, but Vic Fangio has talked about wanting the best guys on the field. He may choose Mitchell’s talent over someone else’s experience.

It is so funny to think back to last year when the Eagles had one good corner. Now they have four guys who might be worthy of starting and we have yet to see Cooper DeJean in camp. Howie and his scouts did a great job of adding talent to a position that desperately needed it.

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BLG liked what he saw from Jalen Carter.

If it was up to me to give out an MVP award for today’s practice, I’d give it to Jalen Carter. The second-year defensive tackle was unstoppable. Carter destroyed Mekhi Becton on two reps. The first was in a team setting where he used a club move to swat Becton out of his way. The second was in a 1-on-1 drill where he used his power to toss Becton aside. Becton is listed at 6’7”, 363 pounds! Carter also blew up a run in the backfield, wrecked a designed QB run, and deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage. I feel like Carter is being underrated; this isn’t just a merely good player. As my friend Jonny Page said, this is an elite talent who could feasibly be Defensive Player of the Year sooner than later.

Fran liked what he saw from Carter and Jordan Davis.

Another team session is underway and a Saquon Barkley carry has nowhere to go thanks a giant wall created up front by Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Davis chased down a Barkley screen near the sideline on the next play. The offense got to celebrate on the next rep, with Hurts finding Gainwell streaking across the middle of the field for a score – Hurts excitedly sprinted to his running back after the connection. Milton Williams wrapped up Will Shipley at the line of scrimmage on a run to the inside as well. The defensive front is really flashing today.

And

A scrimmage period begins and the defense gets the better of the offense to start, forcing a three-and-out. Jordan Davis chased Hurts down along the sideline on a scramble to the far sideline. That’s the third or fourth time I’ve seen Davis chasing a play down outside the tackle box today.

Carter is a special talent. He has the ability to dominate up front and be the impact player that Fletcher Cox was for so long. Putting on pads brought out the best in him. Expectations for Carter should be sky high heading into this season.

Davis isn’t the same level of player, but he can be hugely important to this defense. Fangio likes to keep a light box as much as possible. That can work if someone like Davis is in the middle and stonewalling blockers and letting the LBs run to the ball. It is very encouraging to hear about him hustling and being active in practice.

***

Jimmy had a couple of blurbs on Cam Jurgens.

Cam Jurgens had a stellar rep in 11-on-11’s. On a screen, he blocked Jordan Davis enough that Davis didn’t sniff out the screen, and then shoved him up the field away from the play. Davis went to the ground. Jurgens then turned and sprinted up the field and blocked S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Super impressive athleticism. The Kelce comparisons are probably going to get old at some point, but he looked like prime Kelce on that play.

And

Jordan Davis put Cam Jurgens on roller skates (in a 1-on-1 drill), and walked him right back into the quarterback. Again, in fairness, Beau Allen used to do that to Jason Kelce. The center is at a particularly huge disadvantage in 1-on-1 drills. Jurgens had a much better showing in a rematch with Davis.

Jurgens is so much like Kelce that it is kinda nuts. Jurgens is a gifted athlete that can be outstanding on the move. Where he can struggle is going against a big DT 1-on-1. Kelce learned over time how to get better at that. Jurgens will adjust as well, but there will be some growing pains.

***

Good note here from Fran.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson thumps Saquon Barkley on a catch in the middle of the field, and he’s quickly greeted by Devin White for a celebration. Gardner-Johnson’s energy level is matched by White every day on the practice field. The two got together again after Gardner-Johnson broke up a third-down pass intended for DeVonta Smith inside.

I love to hear that. CJGJ and White are veteran defenders with playmaking ability. They bring a lot of energy and attitude to the defense. On offense, emotion is less helpful. There is a need for timing and precision. Defense is about attacking. Emotion is great on that side of the ball if used correctly. The defense lacked talent and attitude last year, a bad combination. Things feel very different so far this summer.

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ROOKIE UPDATE

WR Johnny Wilson has been making some plays. He has even gotten some reps with the 1’s in different looks. His unusual size makes him an interesting player that the coaches may want to use in certain situations.

OG Trevor Keegan has had some good moments. He did get banged up and have to leave practice.

LB Jalyx Hunt continues to get people’s attention. His athleticism shows up every single day. You would never know he’s from a tiny school.

***

Landon Dickerson has been dealing with a toe injury. Tyler Steen is out with an ankle injury. Trevor Keegan has been banged up. I’m assuming Gates was added to give the team more depth. It is also possible that the guys signed in the spring are not impressing the coaches and they wanted some veteran competition to add to the mix.

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How About Some Defense

Posted July 29th, 2024 | 2 Comments »

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense have been the stars of Training Camp so far this summer. That changed on Monday when a couple of OL starters were missing and  the pass rush came alive.

You never want to see Hurts struggle, but it was encouraging to hear about the defense winning the day and having their moment. It is good for the defense to have success and build their confidence. The offense has had an advantage because the players haven’t worn pads so far and that limits the physicality. Pads will be worn starting on Tuesday and that should really make things interesting.

Jimmy Bama was impressed by the guys up front.

The defensive line dominated on Monday. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams were all disruptive on the interior, and the defense also got sacks from Nolan Smith, working against Fred Johnson, and Nakobe Dean on a blitz. Smith set up Kinnard with a power rush on one play then hit him with a quick inside move that left Kinnard with cinderblock feet on the next.

Fran Duffy added this note on Smith.

Nolan Smith also joined in on the party on consecutive snaps, showcasing tremendous bend to get pressure on Hurts.

Smith doesn’t have ideal size so it is important that he’s able to take advantage of what he can do. If you watched his college highlights, the guy can bend and dip really well. That allows him to get under and around blockers who are bigger and stronger. We need to see Smith have this kind of success against starters to really get excited about him after a quiet rookie season. Still, it is great to see him having some success and coming alive.

***

BLG wrote about the CB battle.

For the third day in a row, Kelee Ringo took the first first-team cornerback reps across from Darius Slay in 11-on-11. That’s three for Ringo to one for Isaiah Rodgers. But it was Rodgers who arguably made the play of the day by knocking down a Kenny Pickett pass in the end zone to prevent a deep touchdown to Joseph Ngata. It was a good ball by the backup quarterback; he gave his receiver a chance to make the grab. But it was an even better play by Rodgers, who continues to demonstrate impressive ball skills.

Ringo was a project when the Eagles drafted him in April of 2023. A very talented project to be sure, but a player who needed to develop. Ringo got some playing time as a rookie. He flashed ability, but also looked like an inconsistent young DB. Ringo seems like a different player this summer. He is getting reps with the 1’s and has played well. He and Rodgers will keep battling to see who starts opposite of Big Play Slay.

Jeff McLane had some good notes on rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

As predicted in my Day 3 notes, Quinyon Mitchell received reps with the first unit at right outside cornerback. Kelee Ringo and Isaiah Rodgers received the bulk of snaps with the starters, but the rookie is clearly in the mix. He didn’t have any passes thrown in his direction, which is never a bad thing.

But when he moved inside to play some slot corner with the second unit, he beat wide receiver Ainias Smith when he diagnosed a run play. If Mitchell doesn’t win the outside spot, he could certainly get the slot nod. He played some inside in college. He’s going to have to show that he can handle defending the run as there are gap responsibilities in the slot. Avonte Maddox is the main guy inside through the first four days.

If the Eagles want their best players on the field, Mitchell may very well play in the slot. The coaches may prefer to go with a veteran like Maddox there, at least initially. Playing in the slot is tough and can give young DBs fits. Mitchell has shown impressive athleticism so far in camp.

***

RG Tyler Steen and RT Lane Johnson missed practice. That allowed Mekhi Becton to get snaps at RG. Fred Johnson took over at RT. Becton will get a look at RG since Steen will be out for a bit. Nick Sirianni wouldn’t give a timetable, but sure sounds like at least a week. Becton has size and strength. He has NFL experience. He doesn’t have much OG experience. He will be learning on the fly. The good news for him is that he’s learning from Jeff Stoutland and has some good players to help him out.

Becton certainly looks the part. It will be interesting to see how he does against Carter, Davis and Williams, the Eagles athletic IDL.

***

Will Shipley got more reps with Saquon Barkley missing practice (personal reasons…don’t worry). Shipley had another strong outing and is showing the coaches that he can be part of the passing game this year. Fran had some thoughts on him and Kenny Gainwell.

With Barkley out, both Shipley and Gainwell had the opportunity to shine in 7-on-7 action. Both backs came through. Shipley catches the first pass of the period from Hurts along the sideline before getting shoved out of bounds by Devin White, but he bounces back immediately on the next play and catches a perfectly placed wheel route down the near sideline for a huge gain. On the next rep, Hurts hit Gainwell on the same exact route for a touchdown. Hurts would hit Gainwell again underneath before finding A.J. Brown for a pair of receptions to end the first-team offense’s set of plays in the session. Shipley got an additional rep with the second-team offense and won on a route from the backfield, carving up the linebacker in the process.

Shipley has made some really impressive plays. And I don’t think this is a Lorenzo Booker situation. Shipley feels legit.

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