Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Camp Thoughts

Posted July 29th, 2023 | 4 Comments »

We’re only a couple of days in so we don’t know anything definitively yet. It has been encouraging to see some of the young guys flash and offer real hope for the upcoming season.

Nolan Smith is generating a lot of buzz so far.

He isn’t doing anything to surprise people. We knew he was a great athlete. We knew he was highly competitive and would go 100 mph in practice. Still, it is fun to see it actually happen. You don’t have to be surprised by something to appreciate it.

If this keeps up, we’re due for a slew of “Why did Smith fall so far?” stories. He is undersized and he had so-so production. Kudos to the Eagles for focusing on what Smith can do and how talented he is. His potential is through the roof. When you have a chance to add someone that good and he’s a scheme fit, go get him.

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Smith’s buddy Jalen Carter is also living up to the hype so far.

Carter seems to be a man on a mission. He slid down to the 9th pick and had to deal with some tough situations. Now he is back on the football field and is doing what he does best…wreaking havoc. Carter will make his share of plays, but he’ll disrupt even more. Other guys will make those plays, but Carter will be the reason they didn’t work.

There was legitimate concern that the off-field baggage might get in his head and affect what he does on the field. That hasn’t been the case so far.

Carter says his goal is to be the defensive rookie of the year. That is tough for a DT. Those guys normally need a season or two to adjust to pro football. Carter is good enough that he might be an exception. I like the fact he’s got lofty goals. I am more impressed with his focus and level of play to this point.

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Another player off to a good start is DT Jordan Davis. There is something these guys all have in common. If only I could put my finger on it…

Here is a blurb from Jimmy Bama’s Friday practice notes.

Jordan Davis was active in the middle of the defense. He got free and into the backfield on a number of pass plays. His most impressive pass rush of the day looked like a push-pull move, in which he dominated the lineman opposite him. (I didn’t catch the number of the O-lineman, but it was one of the second-stringers.) Davis dusted himself off in celebration after the play.

We know Davis can play the run. He’s powerful and can eat up blocks. He must be effective as a pass rusher to stay on the field and really impact games. Sounds like he’s in great shape and is learning how to get after the QB. In the NFL, you can’t just rely on size and strength. You need skill.

Davis does have special size and strength.

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Not much being said about Nakobe Dean. Is that a concern? Not for me. No off-ball LB is generating much buzz right now. These haven’t been overly physical practices. Dean’s time to shine will be when there is more contact. LBs need to be able to really hit and tackle to stand out.

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Marcus Mariota stunk in the first practice but was better on Friday. Some guys will take a day or two to get going. Mariota is a veteran, but he’s new to the Eagles and new to this offense. He might need some time to get where he needs to be. I still think he’ll be a good backup QB this year.

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CB James Bradberry has been terrific so far. We all wondered if he would peak in 2022 and then decline a bit this year. Maybe Bradberry is locked in and being part of a winning organization has brought out the best in him. The defense needs another strong year from the corners.

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There was some question about bringing in Matt Patricia when there was a known feud with Big Play Slay. It sounds like that feud is a thing of the past.

My guess is that Patricia apologized for his comments from their Detroit days. Patricia was probably trying to channel Bill Belichick and motivate Slay by ripping him. Bill can get away with that stuff because of all the success he’s had. It didn’t work for Patricia (not much did in Detroit).

Thankfully the past stayed in Detroit and the two are focused on winning in Philly. That stuff from Detroit is now water under the dam, if I can steal the immortal words of Bruce “Socrates” Smith.

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It is funny to watch Sean Desai talk to the media. He’s not as smooth and polished as Jonathan Gannon, but he’s so much more real. He’s not saying “Good question” over and over. He’s not throwing these strange blanket statements about his players. Desai comes across as genuine. And that matters in coaching.

I think Desai realizes he got a great opportunity when he got the Eagles job. I’m excited to see if he can help this group go to the next level.

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Camp Notes – Day 1

Posted July 26th, 2023 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles had their first Training Camp practice on Wednesday. All of our favorite beat writers were on the scene to let us know what happened. And Jimmy Bama was there too! Let’s jump right into the action.

There was no star of the day. The first day of camp is usually sloppy and it sure sounds like Wednesday was no different. It takes time for guys to shake off the rust and get used to playing football and not just working out.

Chris McPherson wrote about DT Jalen Carter.

Jalen Carter, the team’s top draft pick – No. 9 overall, earned reps with the first-, second-, and third-team units during the final team red zone period. Carter helped stonewall quarterback Marcus Mariota on a run attempt on a fourth-and-goal snap. He also generated pressure using a swim move to gain leverage.

“There was a practice rep later on in the day, the last red zone period, where you feel him make a drastic inside move. We’re talking about him. I’ll be interested to really look at the tape and see what it looks like and continue to watch him,” center Jason Kelce said.

Carter has big time ability, but rookie DTs can struggle at times. It will be fun to see how Carter performs this summer. Adjusting to NFL blocking isn’t easy. Carter will lose his share of battles. He’s so talented that he should win his share as well.

Some guy named Fran Duffy wrote about Nolan Smith.

Fellow first-round pick Nolan Smith got reps with both the first- and second-team units on Wednesday. A couple of things that stand out while watching him. First up: his athleticism. He’s an extremely fluid mover who is fast off the ball and really easy and smooth in transition. Second, his hands. For a “smaller” rusher off the edge he has violent, heavy, purposeful hands on contact. Lastly, his effort. Numerous times I took note of Smith chasing plays to the flat along the sideline. He’s going to put himself in position to force or recover a fumble or two this season.

More than a few people were posting rave reviews of Smith on Twitter. He has the skill and motor to shine in this setting. Haason Reddick didn’t practice so that meant extra reps for Smith. It still blows my mind that he fell to 30th. I think a lot of teams will regret passing on him.

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Now onto Mr. Bama’s notes.

The MVP of media-attended OTAs was LB Christian Elliss, who intercepted Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota during the spring. As we noted above, Elliss got some first-team reps to start training camp, and he picked off Mariota in the end zone. We published a film review of Elliss earlier this offseason. I thought he looked good in the regular defense last season, albeit in limited action. He could very well start this season.

The starting LBs were Nakobe Dean and Nick Morrow. Elliss got some reps in place of Morrow. The coaches want Dean on the field. They are going to let the other players battle it out. May the best man win. Morrow has the edge in experience. Elliss is bigger and has played in this system. Sean Desai won’t run the exact same defense as Jonathan Gannon, but there will be a lot of similarities. That should benefit Elliss.

Coaches love to talk about stacking practices. Have a good day. Then another.  Then another. Elliss was good in the spring and now he’s off to a good start in the summer.

The Eagles have a logjam of backup TEs. Who will emerge to be the primary backup or to claim the #3 spot?

The other standout tight end was… Tyree Jackson. His highlight of the day was on a throw by Marcus Mariota to the back of the end zone. Jackson went up high for it, and toe tapped for the TD. When you have a 6’7 dude in the back of the end zone, an accurate high pass is pretty hard to stop. He also made a catch in some traffic, and moved well after the catch.

Jackson was an “out of nowhere camp standout” in 2021, before a back injury late in camp kind of ruined his season. In 2022 he missed camp while still recovering from a torn ACL. This camp might be his last chance to stand out like he did in 2021, and he’s off to a good start.

It would be cool to have Jackson bounce back from a disappointing 2022. He has good size and athleticism. The former college QB would make a good story and add an interesting piece to an already talented offense.

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Brandon Lee Gowton wrote about the OL.

As expected, Cam Jurgens was the first guy up at right guard. The second string offensive line looked like this:

LT Roderick Johnson – LG Sua Opeta – C Brett Toth – RG Tyler Steen – RT Jack Driscoll

I’d guess it won’t be long before Dennis Kelly, who only just re-signed with the team, supplants Johnson at left tackle there.

Jurgens being with the starters initially makes sense. He knows the offense. He’s been in the league for a year. You want to give him the first chance to win the starting job. Steen makes more sense long term, but you have to let the two players battle for the job.

I am interested in Kelly as the backup LT. He’s played there before. I thought he would be a better fit on the right side, but Jeff Stoutland must want Driscoll right and Kelly left.

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Bo Wulf has some misc notes.

• Your four punt returners at the moment: Britain Covey, Greg Ward, Olamide Zaccheaus and Quez Watkins.

• Day 1 of the punting battle looked like a decisive victory for Arryn Siposs over the young contender Ty Zentner. Siposs’ punts were both higher and deeper. You’re welcome for the analysis.

• Janarius Robinson stood out a few times, not the least because of his impressive size. For the good, he used his size to bat down a Mariota pass after a low Toth snap. On the bad, he committed one of the pre-snap penalties that halted practice when he jumped offside. Also responsible for a penalty during that tense period of practice was Steen, who jumped early and later failed to touch a defensive lineman who had crossed the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped.

No surprise on the PRs.

The punting battle will take time. Rookies struggle with adjusting to the NFL ball and the speed of the pro game. Give Zentner some time to see if he adjusts.

Robinson is interesting. The Eagles are loaded at Edge, but they kept him around a lot last year so they must like him. He’s big and athletic. And young and cheap. It will be interesting see if he can flash this summer.

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Jeff McLane offered some Sirianni “highlights”.

I can’t imagine Nick Sirianni expected his squad to run like a well-oiled machine on the first day — especially when he had so few workouts in the spring — but the mistakes piled up as team drills periods extended late into practice. I counted, all told, six pre-snap penalties. There may have been more, but I was situated on the left sidelines near the field judge, who gave his right arm quite the workout from all the flags he threw.

Sirianni exploded several times. The Eagles don’t want reporters quoting coaches and players directly from practice, but Sirianni’s language was colorful as he lambasted rookie guard Tyler Steen for a false start, defensive end Janarius Robinson for jumping offside, and even new defensive coordinator Sean Desai when his unit kept making errors.

Sirianni doesn’t want the Eagles losing their edge. If that means him riding some guys and chewing people out, so be it. He preaches focusing on the day, winning the day. The players have to embrace that message and play like it.

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This is very intriguing.

https://twitter.com/WordOnTheBirds/status/1684236420381020161

If he’s in great shape and ready to roll, watch out.

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