Players

FOR FANS OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2015/01/14
Posted in: Fans, Players, Rants. Tagged: , . 10 Comments

fans

IS Nick Foles a franchise QB? This time last year, some fans of the Philadelphia Eagles said “YES!” while others said “NO!”. For my part, I said I’d let the evidence of at least 15 starts in 2014 make the case. Foles did not start 15 games. Instead he was injured for a 3rd straight year. That has to be a knock against either Foles’ durability or our Offensive Line’s ability to keep him healthy. 

Personally I’ll take either since I’m not as high on our O-line or our QB situation, as some are. Last year I wanted us to draft a Guard. We didn’t. How’d that work out? Here’s how it worked out: We lost studs and had to replace them “just some guys”. Some upper level talent on the interior line would have been great. But what can you do?

And THAT fellow Eagles fans, is pretty much what we’ve been reduced to. Step back for a second and look at what’s going on with us:

Today we argue about whether or not a 3rd round QB (drafted as a project), who’s been up and down his whole career, is our long-term answer. Used to be a time when we would have demanded consistent high level performance from year to year. Now we’re arguing over, and willing to settle for, mere glimpses of intangibles while trying to ignore massive faults.

Those who aren’t arguing for Foles, are arguing for Mark Sanchez. Once upon a time either one of these guys as OUR guy would have been unacceptable. Sanchez played great for a back-up, but hitching our wagon to him would be an act of desperation.  

We have back-up O-linemen who can’t even run block, yet nobody (except me) made any noise on the subject. Once upon a time Eagles fans demanded toughness from our players. Today the idea of linemen who can be pushed around, barely raises an eyebrow among fans.

After being stuck with Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, instead of DeSean Jackson and Maclin, people are actually applauding Chip Kelly getting more say. (Somewhere in my head the words “All he does is catch touchdowns” is echoing.)

Our best pass rushing Defensive Lineman is a back-up. Yet for all the ire it raises, he may as well play for another team.

In an off year, our starting RB LeSean McCoy still put up 1,319 yards, logged 314 carries and played every game for a second year in a row. This despite the enormous workload he’s had over that period. But the Eagles won’t commit to bringing him back, even though he’s willing to restructure his contract. I’ve been being largely mum on this point to see how many of fans would SPEAK UP on this subject. The only thing I’ve heard on it so far have been crickets. Meanwhile all signs point to second year in a row of  losing an All-Pro talent with no one to fill his shoes when he goes.

How many times do we get slapped in the face before speaking up again? It’s YOUR money that fuels that organization. It’s YOUR passion. It should be YOUR standards that they have to meet. Instead you’re settling for theirs.

We used to have higher standards. What happened to us? What happened??

FELLOW FANS:

YOU pushed Andy Reid into getting us a WR. The result of listening to us was a Super Bowl appearance. Then management fucked that up. Probably because we were quiet.

YOU pushed Jeffery Lurie into finally firing Reid. The result was a division win and a playoff berth.

Here is something that you all need to understand: THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM US! Not just me. US! When we shut up, they fuck up.

Make your voices heard. In Philadelphia of all places, the words “We The People” should mean as much as they can anywhere on face of God’s Earth.

We aren’t just the audience for the Philadelphia Eagles, we’re the FANS of the Philadelphia Eagles. And it’s high time that we remembered what that means.

REPLACING LESEAN MCCOY

Posted by The BEAST on 2015/01/09
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

card-chrispolk

THE idea of trading away RB LeSean McCoy is just speculation at this point. In all truth, there’s been more talk of cutting him (because of his salary) than there’s been of trading him. For his part, McCoy has said he’d like to be back but “I can’t control it”. Whether he’s traded or simply released, it’s important to have a plan to replace him.

Keep in mind, the idea of replacing McCoy is just about getting a guy who can create problems for a defense. It not about getting a clone of the guy we lost. We didn’t replace Brian Westbrook with a Westbrook, or Duce Staley with a Staley. Yet both times we were in good hands, as players already on the roster stepped up. So let’s see what we already have on the shelves!

RB Darren Sproles is a nifty player, but he’s 190 pounds and will be 32 when next season rolls around. Last season McCoy carried 312 times, and in 2013 he carried 314 times. Sproles’ career high is 93 carries. In 2009. And his game logs from that year show that he was less effective when given more carries.

RB Chris Polk is intriguing. While he’s played 29 of 32 games in the last two years, and has looked good when he touches the ball, he carries the knock of being fragile due to a mysterious shoulder condition. I say mysterious because running down clear information about Polk’s shoulder was annoying and repetitive. But I DID IT. It’s DONE.

Let me nutshell it for you: (In 2011 while in college, Polk had labrum surgery. NFL teams were concerned about his shoulder having a degenerative or chronic problem, so Polk had it looked at by renowned sports surgeon, James Andrews. The good doctor said that there was some scarring (meaning tissue not skin) from the surgery, but that there was nothing chronic or degenerative. Many teams said “Yeah. Right.”  and Polk went undrafted and signed here.)

Polk had major shoulder surgery in January 2014, and while nowhere can I confirm if it’s the same shoulder, it would be somehow worse to find out that it isn’t. In the event that it is the same shoulder he had labrum surgery on in 2011, it would lend credence to teams worrying about his durability, and would raise questions about whether or not he could be the guy to replace McCoy.

Recently the team re-signed RB’s Matt Tucker and Kenjon Barner (I shit you not)  to the reserve list, but it’s a long way from off-the-street, to 300 carry a year starter.

Then of course there are various RB prospects in the Draft, but I’m going to save that until after Free Agency (March 10th). Right now I’m mostly going to pay attention to what we already have in the cupboard and Unrestricted Free Agents.

THE (LOL) LAST WORD

Posted by The BEAST on 2015/01/03
Posted in: Coaching, Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), Players, Rants. Tagged: . 1 Comment

chip rub

SO Chip Kelly now has the final say on personnel decisions. Really? (LOL.) Lots of fans (the ones not as smart as us), have gone all frothy over that news. Functionally speaking, how is that different from a week ago? While others had input in those decisions, ultimately the guys we brought in, were Kelly’s guys.

The biggest difference between now and last week is, no one will argue with Kelly over “This player instead of that former Duck player” or “That player over this PAC12 player”. Now Kelly gets the final say without any argument first. It’s more of a stress saver for both he and Howie Roseman, than it is any actual, functional change.

What has me cracking up, is seeing people who are actually excited that Kelly has the reigns now. Like he’s been held down or was oppressed since he got here! Seriously. Show me another NFL roster with FIVE Oregon players on it. The closest is the giants with 4. Only one of those were drafted (in the 7th  round), by the giants, (2 were veteran FA additions, 1 an UDFA).

We drafted 2 (Josh Huff  and Taylor Hart  ), in the first 5 rounds just last year alone. For the last two years we’ve had Jeff Maehl  and Brandon Bair  taking up roster space. That’s it for Ducks if you don’t count attempts to shoehorn players like QB Dennis Dixon, RB Kenjon Barner  and WR Will Murphy  (who in three seasons at Oregon, totaled 24 receptions, 240 receiving yards, and one touchdown in 30 COLLEGE games and still collected pro money from US), onto this team.

Remember last year when Kelly hugged Taylor Hart and told him “We’re putting the family back together”? Brother, you had better believe it.

I included links in their names so you could see the level of talent we “kept from falling into enemy hands”. (LOL!) The only Duck on this roster prior to Kelly’s arrival was LB Casey Matthews. Long considered a flop by fans, Matthews has so far, been BY FAR, the best Oregon player Eagles fans have seen in an Eagles uniform.

And it’s not just the Ducks. It’s all the soft, candy-assed players who’ve come aboard since Kelly got here. We weren’t exactly brimming with roughnecks under Andy Reid either, but these last two years have been flat out ridiculous, and the on-field results are telling the tale.

Last year we had O-linemen who struggled to run block. RUN BLOCK! Please, if you played O-line before, weigh in and tell your fellow fans how ridiculous that is. I sound like a blowhard when it’s just me doing it. Somebody else please, if you played or coached it; tell people just how silly it is that your O-line can’t open a hole on a 22 Dive, on 2nd and 6. It goes right to the heart of the issue!

But now Kelly has full control so it’ll be different, right? Food will taste better, the sun will shine brighter, sex will feel better… MY ASS! This “promotion” changes nothing except who gets the shit shoveled onto their plate if it doesn’t work. By the way, there’s a reason I put the word promotion in quotation marks. It’s not a sign of disrespect at all, and when I bring it up again, you’ll see why and you’ll agree with why I did it.

CHIP KELLY IS AN IDIOT.

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/23
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), Players, Rants, Roster. Tagged: , , , . 9 Comments

kellyore

FIRST off, I wasn’t a fan of his hiring to begin with. So before your mouth begins to form the word “bandwagon” you can just dry swallow that.

Here is an excerpt from Monday’s press conference when Chip Kelly was asked about playing his back-ups:

“It’s not about trying to see what the future is,” Kelly said. “It’s about we got a game. I would not be fair in any of my beliefs and I would not be fair to any football player right now if I said to some guy, ‘Hey, I know you’re a better player, but I’m going to play a younger guy now.’ That’s not what we’re all about. If you want to go do that, go somewhere else. That’s not us.”

So we’re gonna play to win. That’s right EAGLES faithful; we’re gonna get one more long look at QB Mark Sanchez (expiring deal). “OLB” Brandon Graham (expiring deal). WR Jeremy Maclin (expiring deal). CB Bradley Fletcher (expiring deal). SS Nate Allen (expiring deal). DE Cedric Thronton (expiring deal). Naw. No need to get an extended “live” look at the guys behind those guys though.

So instead of getting a long look at the depth on our roster, we’re going to be playing to win. WHY!? Of what POSSIBLE benefit could a win by our starters be NOW!? If our back-ups can win a game, then maybe we don’t need to draft so high, but starters winning tells you nothing. It nets you nothing. Apparently picking 20th in the Draft isn’t low enough for Kelly’s taste. We’ll be looking to deliberately dig our hole deeper.

Here’s the deal: You get to be an arrogant dick when you WIN playoff games. Not when you get manhandled by a finesse team like the Saints one year, and then utterly fucking face-plant while running away with the division during the following year. He is one more bushel of Oregon bench-warmers away from setting this franchise back 4 years, after his bitch ass goes 8-8 next year and he bails for the comfort of the college ranks.

“It’s not about trying to see what the future is,” is a direct quote. Right out of his mouth. He just doesn’t fucking get it. The future is literally half of this game. It’s what the film study is for. It’s why scouts work year round. It’s why teams trade picks sometimes years in advance. Then again, not looking ahead may be why his draft record is so shitty. It would explain why the EAGLES Draft board was in so much disarray this year, when a couple of guys they wanted were off the board already. For a college coach Kelly certainly has no feel for young players.

Seriously, name one player drafted here in the last two years who developed into an NFL starter with a dramatically better game than they had coming out of college. The closest you get is Bennie Logan. Our last 1st round pick, sucks too bad in practice to even play. He’s making 1.5 million to watch football games. Us they charge for the same thing. But this is who Kelly wanted. Because the future. “That’s not what we’re all about.” You said it, Chip.

START MATT BARKLEY

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/22
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , . 3 Comments

Card-matt barkley

THE 2014 EAGLES season is over. This next game is a preseason game with stakes. Or it should be. If Chip Kelly has any sense at all, he should start Matt Barkley. It’d be smart to know if our second year QB can serve as a viable second stringer in his third year, or if we should free up the cap and roster space for someone who has a chance to be of use to the team.

Now is the time to get a look at our roster and see who can deliver when the lights come on. All indications are that we’re going to lose some key players this offseason, so it’s better to know before Free Agency and the Draft, who is and who is not for real.

Not only should Barkley get to start, but so should:

  • CB Jaylen Watkins. This kid may have been a college CB, but he’s an NFL FS. Regardless, until he gets some playing time, he’s just a wasted pick. Be nice to see Malcolm Jenkins take this kid under his wing.
  • OLB Marcus Smith. He’s made 1.4M$ to do nothing this year, and next year is on tap to pull down 1.7, on a 4 year deal worth a fully guaranteed 7.99M. Even if we cut him today, he counts against our cap for at least one more year in dead money. And that’s space we can’t afford to waste. Not to mention the roster spot. Time to see if this guy has anything to contribute.
  • WR Josh Huff. Give the guy a whole game. Let him be the guy who has to erase his mistakes. Let him learn the progression of why things in this game happen, not just what things happen. He plays like he doesn’t recognize moments, or situations. This throw-away game is a perfect laboratory for him. He’d have a number of plays that he can get wrong and also get right, so then he can compare him vs him in both instances. Let him mature himself this offseason, and maybe he’ll make fewer boneheaded mistakes in 2015.
  • SAK Trey Burton. He’s the anti-Josh Huff. He just makes heads-up plays when called upon. Undrafted, unheralded, nobody’s darling, a total dark horse to make the team. I was rooting for him in the preseason even though I didn’t think the guy stood a snowball’s chance in Hell of sticking. Kelly surprised and impressed me by keeping him. Burton’s a (SAK) Swiss Army Knife who plays QB, TE, WR, and RB. He’s already logged 5 carries for 10 yards this season, and I’d like to see him get a few more of those.

Week 17 finds us standing knee-deep in the debris of what was (not that long ago), a successful 2014 season. However, despite the wreckage that surrounds us now, this season could have one more gift to give down the line. When the dust of 2014 finally settles, things heading into 2015 could be clearer than they ever were heading into 2014.

ME AND BRIAN DAWKINS ARE PISSED

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/16
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Players, Rants. Tagged: , , , . 5 Comments

BDAWK

EAGLES future Hall Of Famer Brian Dawkins, took issue with the way Dez Bryant was covered during our 38-27 loss to Dallas this past Sunday. While he did point the finger at the Secondary for not communicating better, he was very upset by the coaching and game plan. He went as far as to say that the EAGLES “gave [Bryant] the opportunity to do what he did, in my opinion, by continuing to single that dude up left and right, by himself, over and over again with no help at no point”. 

Now granted, I’ve been bitching about Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis since the EAGLES first announced that they were even interviewing him. Where most EAGLES fans had no idea who the guy was, I was already familiar with his work and his concepts, (since my best friend is a 49ers fan). I also knew about his failure Arizona. I wrote that every defense he coaches is worse in the second year. It was true in San Fran. It was true in Arizona. It’s now true here in Philadelphia.

His 3-4 concept DOES NOT WORK AGAINST GOOD TEAMS. His underneath coverage is highly susceptible to Crossing routes. TE’s can expect clean releases off the line. And due to all the Single-high Coverage, opposing QB’s generally know where the one-on-one is as soon as the huddle breaks.

While it’s one thing for me to rant about this stuff, it’s quite another to have a guy like Dawkins voice the same concerns. And while yes, he’s only talking about this one game, what we saw out there is characteristic of what we see every week out of our Secondary. What Dawk and I are most incensed about isn’t that a guy will get beat, or that the game plan may have holes; it’s the total lack of being able to make adjustments.

Dawk played for Jim Johnson who was The Master of in-game adjustments. To see Davis be unable to even make basic ones is enough to make your nose bleed from stress. It’s the New Orleans playoff game all over again.

I saw this mistake (hiring Davis) coming before we made it. I’ve been pointing these faults out in detail for two years. But to now have some validation from a player of Dawk’s magnitude…I wonder if anyone else is as pissed as we are.

EAGLES FANS: QUIT PANICKING

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/15
Posted in: Fans, Players, Reviews. Tagged: , , , . 11 Comments

CHOW BABY

WE were asking too much. We were all hoping that we’d wrap up the NFC EAST with 2 weeks to spare. And why not? We decimated this team two weeks ago, with everyone from that game playing in this one. And don’t hand me the “back-up QB” excuse for this game, because it was this same back-up QB (Mark Sanchez) that gutted our rival just two weeks ago. So we generally figured we had this.

Even if we didn’t blow them out, why would anyone expect to lose to a team that we had just systematically dismantled? We didn’t expect a loss. Granted most of you expected a close game, but no one was worried about a loss.

For my part I didn’t think it would be as close as the last time. CB Bradley Fletcher didn’t get ass-raped the last time we played, so why would he now? Our Offensive Line kept Sanchez upright and made bigger holes for RB LeSean McCoy the last time we played, so why wouldn’t they now? Same guys against the same guys, right? In fact, the law of averages said that the deck was stacked tougher against our opponent this time. It was simple.

And that’s where I fucked up. I treated an EAGLES/COWBOYS game like it was just another game. I overlooked one important law:

IT IS NEVER SIMPLE WHERE THE EAGLES AND COWBOYS ARE CONCERNED.

For the last few years (unless it’s a year where one of us goes 4-12 or 6-10), for one of these two teams to win this division it generally goes all the way to Week 17. And it’s that way again this year. Even if they lose next week and we win, we still have to win Week 17. And if we win next week, they can’t clinch until Week 17. And that’s only if they win. It’s NUTS!

I said back in April that our schedule was a set-up. I referred to it as a “a road straight through Hell” and as a “meat grinder”. As a former player, I hated this schedule the moment I laid eyes on it, yet I still didn’t grasp the entirety of what I was looking at. The only comfort I take now, is that at least our rival is getting a fraction of what we’re experiencing now.

There was never going to be an easy end to this. That just means we have to scrap until the end. So don’t let last night fuck up your process. “It always ends like this.” 

EAGLES/COWBOYS PREVIEW

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/11
Posted in: Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , . 12 Comments

12.14.14-Wk15

SUNDAY 8:30 Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

SHOWDOWN

THIS is the biggest game of the regular season. Not because it’s against the Cowboys, but because it’s one of three division games at the end of the season. As long as two teams in this division were still alive in the race to win it, there was ALWAYS going to be a fight somewhere during these last three weeks.

Personally, I’m glad it’s the Cowpies. If we can string this and the va-giants game into wins, we can rest our starters in Week 17. If it were us and the Foreskins, we’d have to run hot the whole time, which might burn us out for the playoffs.

 

EAGLES

Defense

Except for the inability to contain Russell Wilson last week, our Defense was what I expected it to be against the Seahawks offense. Dallas plays with a similar mindset (pound the ball, draw teams into the box, hit’em up top vs 1-on-1 coverage), but Dallas’s QB can’t run around anymore. Somewhere out there DE Vinny Curry and OLB’s Brandon Graham, Trent Cole and Connor Barwin are licking their chops.

Then of course there’s the fact that this Defense took away all of Dallas’s weapons last time we met. It’s not like the Cowboys had anyone out on injury or suspension when we did that. They weren’t playing on a slick field that hampered their running. Conditions will be similar this time around. Except colder. Windier. And the crowd won’t be neutral this time. It’ll be downright unfriendly. Expect the Defense to repeat what it did two weeks ago.

Offense

QB Mark Sanchez cut Dallas’s defense up like a fork-tender steak the last time he saw it. And RB LeSean McCoy ran through their defenders like he was coated in Ex-lax. The excuse from Cowpies fans last time around was that they only had 4 days rest. Translation:

 cowboys ready

Fuck outta here, you whiny bitches. It was the same 4 days of rest we had, plus WE had to travel.

If you take Dallas now having to travel east to play outside in cold air (making breath harder to recover, trust me, I know), and add it to the fast paced Offense we tired them out with two weeks ago;  it might have these guys on the sidelines wearing oxygen masks like they’re playing in Denver.

 

COWBOYS

Defense

Really? They have one?

Offense

My instincts say that with the colder, windier weather that will make the ball as hard as a brick, Dallas won’t want to throw the ball around too much. Especially if fans are loud enough to make it hard to hear in the huddle. (And just so you know: Run plays usually have short names like “23 Trap” or “31 Dive”; whereas pass plays have names like “Spider 2 Y Banana” or “Spread RT X Left Zoom Post 269”. So the louder fans are, the harder it is for an opponent’s passing game to be in synch.)

Basically this next game will be them attempting to get RB DeMarco Murray on track early. As long as we realize that and focus more on limiting him and don’t over-commit to stopping him altogether, we can throw a wet blanket over their whole offense again.

 

BOTTOM LINE

Dallas plays a style of ball that currently can’t beat us on offense and can’t keep up with us on defense. The only way we lose this game is if we’re careless with the ball and maybe not even then.

PREDICTION

EAGLES 40 – Cowboys 6

HITTING THE HOLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/10
Posted in: Defense, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , . 16 Comments

article regular-NFL Draft.640px.espn

 

WITH all the talk going on about which QB we want to win with or whether or not Chip Kelly (actually Howie Roseman) will draft a QB in 2015; what we haven’t really discussed is what we actually need. There’s been no real discussion on how to fill the holes on this team. Or even what those holes might be.

Let me get started by picking up where I left off:

GUARD: Last year I said the EAGLES needed to draft a young Guard. A real inside mauler. Just a big ol’, Popeye’s chicken eatin’ sumbitch. I know, I know. Our scheme is predicated on getting linemen in space, and running around in tutus and shit. That however is exactly why we do so much east west running. That’s cute in college, but in the pros, you need to be able to move the line of scrimmage. For that as you’ve seen this year, you need a mauler. So no more Tackles converted to Guard!

STRONG SAFTEY: We could also use a Strong Safety with some real speed. Even if employed in a Cover-Two, SS Nate Allen has been easy to run by for YEARS now. With a Safety being your last line of defense, he’s got to be able to run someone down. Since we won’t be able to pry UFA Rahim Moore away from Denver, I’m thinking the Draft is where I’d head for this spot too.

CORNERBACK: This is a weird one, because I think soon to be FA Bradley Fletcher is fine at CB, but I don’t think he’s pay raise worthy out there. Before yelling about drafting someone or adding another expensive FA, it makes sense to see what we have on the roster. But things are going too well (as far as wins and losses) right now to go sitting starters down just so we can say “let me see something”.

LINEBACKER: What every defense needs at its heart is a guy or two who will not be pushed around, and who will grab teammates by their short and curlies if they get caught being pushed around. If we do cut ILB DeMeco Ryans (as my friend Chris suggested could happen) to make cap space, a sneaky good addition could be current Bronco and soon UFA, Nate Irving. He’d be both the playmaker and the vocal leader you expect from a MLB.

Oops! Did I say MLB? This is assuming that DC Bill Davis gets canned after we get shelled in the playoffs. I love my EAGLES, but come on; we aren’t exactly holding our own vs playoff caliber teams this year. Part of that is the Defense. Actually a large part of it is the Defense. What do you think of Rex Ryan? I think it’d be nice to have another Ryan coaching our Defense. But not Rob.

 

EAGLES FUTURE: SANCHEZ vs FOLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/12/09
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, trade. Tagged: , . 2 Comments

players-nickfoles.marksanchez.4712EAGLES fans are at each other’s throats in regards to whether Nick Foles or Mark Sanchez is the QB of the future for this team. Fans of one QB are outright attacking the guy who isn’t their QB of choice. It’s to the point now where fans are showing more respect for Dallas QB Tony Romo than whichever guy they aren’t backing. Let me hip you to a few things that too many fans keep missing:

  1. Both of our QB’s have won more games than they’ve lost this year.
  2. You shouldn’t be rooting against either one of them.
  3. Sanchez is here on a one year deal. While he could resign with the EAGLES next year, it is far more likely that he’ll want to go somewhere and start. Dallas, Washington, Tampa Bay and Tennessee are all far more likely to give him that opportunity.
  4. If you’ve been looking at it as “Foles OR Sanchez” as our future options, you’ve missed the point entirely.

Here’s the point: We’re drafting a QB in the Spring of 2015.

Why now and not before? 

  1. Most NFL head coaches hired out of college with no (even positional) pro coaching experience, do poorly. So when Jeff Lurie hired Chip Kelly on a 3-year deal, it was a gamble.
  2. You don’t compound that gamble by risking a high draft pick to run an experimental Offense.
  3. Every QB Kelly has had except 4th rounder Matt Barkley has been a re-tread.
  4. With Kelly doing this well in his first two years, you can bank on him getting an extension next season.
  5. That extension will NOW give him the carte blanche and more importantly the time to groom his flagship QB. And what offensive minded head coach doesn’t want that? Make a list. You’ll find way more do’s than don’ts.

I’m on record here as saying that Foles isn’t a franchise QB, and I said that because he isn’t. True franchise QB’s put in work during the offseason. Foles didn’t. The results were evident. Blame his turnovers on the line or the run game if you like, but know these three facts:

  1. Sources (that’s multiple) inside the EAGLES say that GM Howie Roseman and others soured on Foles  even before his injury.
  2. Kelly may control the roster, but Roseman controls the purse strings. If Roseman isn’t sold on Foles, he will not give him a huge deal. Roseman has made too many mistakes already with throwing money around and with the coming cap crunch, he will have to be much more cautious with every dollar he spends.
  3. With the new CBA and rookie salary cap, even an expensive rookie QB taken in the 1st round would still be much cheaper (from 2015 through 2018) than Foles would be starting in 2016. (e.g. Blake Bortles was #3 overall in 2014 and has a 4 year 20.6M$ deal.) That alone makes drafting a QB a no-brainer for us.

It’s my thinking that Kelly would want Oregon QB [Marcus Mariota] as his guy. There’s a school of thought that says Mariota would be out of our reach pick-wise. I find that hilarious.

  1. Since Kelly’s system was instituted at Oregon in 2007, every QB that started in it has put up gaudy numbers. Thing is, with the NFL long being leery of System QB’s, not one of Oregon’s was drafted high. And that’s if they were drafted at all (Dennis Dixon 5th round, Jeremiah Masoli UFA, Darron Thomas UFA).
  2. Mariota has yet to have a pro day, an interview, or a Combine showing. But I won’t bet against him. In fact, what the hell, I’m generous. Let give him the benefit of the doubt: Let’s say he does go in the top 10.
  3. Considering the teams who’ll have a high pick that could use a star player to help put asses in the seats and who also don’t need QB help (Oakland, Jacksonville, Carolina), a trade could help the EAGLES both move up significantly and save some serious cap space in one master stroke.

You have to keep in mind that the EAGLES are first and foremost a business; and that what they’re doing is investing huge amounts of money, time, and even their own jobs in human capital. There are drivers to this QB situation that go way beyond who you may or may not like.

It’s high time that was recognized.