Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

More on Warmack

Posted September 4th, 2017 | 107 Comments »

Chance Warmack made the Eagles roster. He also got an extension.

On the surface, that seems crazy, but the Eagles do have a plan.

They haven’t made this public, but if you study their actions the plan is to move Isaac Seumalo to C next year and then Warmack will compete for the LG spot. By giving him a deal structured this way, it sure seems like they think Warmack would be the LG.

Warmack was a terrific prospect coming out of Alabama. I had him as my top rated OG and he was taken 10th overall. He started 46 of the first 48 games he played. Warmack had some good moments, but was inconsistent. He only started two games in 2016 and got hurt. He didn’t play well when he was healthy so the Titans let him walk.

The Eagles signed him for depth and as a reclamation project for OL coach Jeff Stoutland, who had coached Warmack at ‘Bama. The hope was that reuniting with the coach who got the most out of him would make a big difference.

Warmack played LG and RG this summer. He was up and down. He is a good run blocker, using his size and strength to control defenders and get movement off the ball. Pass protection is where he struggles. Warmack can look really good when he’s playing with balance and gets his hands on the defender. He has 34 3/4-inch arms and can use that length to keep rushers from getting into his body.

The pass protection struggles are due to a couple of issues. Warmack doesn’t always use good footwork. He can get off-balance and then ends up reaching for the defender. That negates his size and strength. Warmack also doesn’t always use his hands well. He has a bad habit of grabbing the rusher. That leads to holding penalties and missed blocks.

If the Eagles can clean up his pass blocking by next spring, Warmack could be a solid starter. There are no guarantees that will happen, but he is a talented player. This isn’t a complete reach.

https://twitter.com/IgglesNest/status/895916870745767936

Doug Pederson likes big, physical OL. Warmack is exactly the kind of blocker he wants. I prefer more athletic OL, but I do appreciate that Pederson has a specific type of player he wants. That indicates a plan, a philosophy, the kind of long term thinking I like in a coach.

Time will tell if the plan for Warmack was smart or simply chasing the past.

*****

I haven’t addressed the Mike Lombardi-Doug Pederson comments yet.

Brandon Lee Gowton has Lombardi’s comments here.

Lombardi is a blow-hard who says over the top things to get attention. Frankly, I don’t understand why people keep giving him a job. There are times when he says things that are factually incorrect. He rarely offers truly insightful comments.

His comments on Pederson leave out a lot of key points. The team declined as the season went on…it almost seemed to coincide with the Lane Johnson suspension. Hmm. All Lombardi saw was the losing streak (9 of 11). God forbid you put any context into your research.

There are plenty of reasons to be critical of Pederson and I’ve got concerns on whether he’s good enough to help the Eagles become a serious contender, but Lombardi’s comments are dumb.

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2017 Practice Squad

Posted September 3rd, 2017 | 108 Comments »

Meet your 2017 Eagles practice squad.

QB Nate Sudfeld
RB Byron Marshall
WR Bryce Treggs
WR Greg Ward
TE Billy Brown
OL Josh Andrews
OL Dillon Gordon
DT Justin Hamilton
LB Nate Gerry
CB C.J. Smith

You know 9 of the 10 players listed because they were on team already. Nate Sudfeld is the only outsider. He was recently cut by the Skins. Wait…you’re telling me an NFL team signed someone from their upcoming opponent? Shocking. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing.

The Eagles obviously like Sudfeld as a player, but the fact he comes from the opponent in the opener doesn’t hurt his value. You know the defensive coaches will be picking his brain over the Skins playbook, looking for any small nuggets that might help. And the offensive coaches will want scouting reports on the defenders he faced every day in practice. You never know when what seems like an innocent tip will help on a key situation.

As for Sudfeld the player, this was his second season out of Indiana. I was not high on him as a draft prospect. Some quick notes from the Shrine Game.

QB Nate Sudfeld was erratic, which is how he normally plays. There were some terrific throws he made. You see those, combined with his size and other physical traits, and you think he can be an NFL starter. Then you see him bouncing the ball to WRs to his right side multiple times and you think…what the hell was that? I’m not a big fan of his. Mike Mayock finds him intriguing, but the inconsistency bugs me.

Good size. Good arm. Erratic passer.

This summer he was 33-56-360 with no TDs and no INTs. The WAS offense was a mess overall and the numbers for him aren’t good.

As a rookie he was 28-53-238 with 3 TDs and no INTs.

He does have potential.

https://twitter.com/Lennyfrigginleo/status/899093914128441344

https://twitter.com/QBFilmRoom/status/895862450465243136

And a highlight from his IU days.

https://twitter.com/Lennyfrigginleo/status/887122171755102209

There aren’t a lot of good QBs on the market right now. The Eagles will get an up close look at Sudfeld and see what they think of him. They’ll likely look to draft a QB next year to develop as a backup behind Wentz. For now, they need someone for practice. Sudfeld can play the role of pocket passer for the defense as they prepare for upcoming games. Greg Ward can play QB in practice for any situations against scramblers.

Onto the rest of the squad.

Marshall could step in and play if needed. He’s also very versatile, which helps in practice.

Treggs should be on a roster. The Eagles are lucky to have him on the PS. That gives them great WR depth. Ward is here to develop for the future. He is a pure slot receiver, but is still raw as he makes the transition from QB. A year of practice will be invaluable to him.

Brown could have made the roster. The Eagles can now develop him for the future. He needs to learn the subtleties of playing TE and his blocking needs a lot of work. He will also need to embrace STs. Backup TEs are crucial to good STs units.

I’m surprised the Eagles only kept two OL. Andrews broke his hand this summer and didn’t play much. The coaches love him, which tells you he does everything he can behind the scenes. Smart. Hard-working. Reliable. Andrews could play if needed, but has a limited ceiling.

Gordon failed to build on the promise he showed last year. Essentially, he looked like the same guy. He still has potential, but he just didn’t play well enough to deserve a roster spot. It can take OL several years to develop so the Eagles are smart to be patient with him.

Hamilton had a terrific summer and should be on a roster somewhere. The Eagles had questions at DT in the spring and it is now one of the deepest areas on the team. Crazy.

Gerry will spend the next year continuing to learn how to play LB. He showed good potential this year, but just needs a lot of reps. Practicing and learning for the next 17 weeks is just what he needs. The talent is there.

Smith failed to win a roster spot as the CB group got more talented this summer. He could play if needed, but isn’t a guy you want on the field in a real game right now. Has a limited ceiling, but worth developing for one more season to see if he can win a job in the future.

Do remember this is written in pencil, not ink. There will be changes. A lot of changes.

The NFL season is a marathon.

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