EAGLES, PLEASE DON’T DRAFT…

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/04/01
Posted in: Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Rants, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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PLEASE don’t draft a QB in the first round. Sam Bradford 36M dollars (26 in 2016). Chase Daniel 21M dollars (7 in 2016). This team has already committed itself to 33M dollars worth of QB this year. So why dear god, would they Draft a QB in the first round this year? It just wouldn’t make any sense.

First of all, this is not a great year for QB’s in the Draft. While it totally makes sense to grab a franchise QB while you have the positioning to do so, you should also make sure that what you’re getting is franchise caliber. In all truth there are a couple of guys that can be developed in this Draft, but every QB with a 1st round grade on him this year, comes with obvious flaws if not outright red flags. This is not the year to go all in early on a QB.

Secondly, if we grab a QB early, who is his mentor, Bradford or Daniel? Captain Checkdown or the Clipboard Commander? Or do you start the rookie and sit about 20% of your salary cap on the bench, with no plans to do anything more than just sit it?

Understand, I’m a HUGE fan of the idea of drafting a QB this year. I happen to think that this Draft will be a failure if we don’t draft one. That said, the sort of QB we need is one we can develop, and you don’t draft a project in Round One. We should draft a QB, just not early.

If we can move Bradford in a trade, and draft a guy high, that wouldn’t be the worst move we could make, but that would assume that Bradford possesses a level of trade value that has so far gone undocumented. I mean when was the last time you heard that the Eagles were offered anything at all for him? Besides, haven’t we already had hopes of trading Bradford blow up in our faces during the last Draft? Let’s not be Charlie Brown AND Lucy for a second year in a row.

The smart move is to add to the group of men who are charged with keeping the QB upright. My mind goes back to a thing that Eagles fans have no experience with. Dan Marino. He was sacked 31 times over the course of a 48 game span (6 times in 1988, 10 in 1989, 15 in 1990). Eagles fans have no idea what that kind of protection looks like, but it’s high time that we did. There are better things that we can do with that #8 pick, than select a QB.

So I’m begging you, Jeff Lurie. I’m pleading with you Howie Roseman. Please DO NOT draft a QB in the first round.

GETTING DRAFTY IN HERE

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/27
Posted in: Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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BEFORE everyone starts crowding the air with pick predictions and such, let me get some names out there of guys who’d fit well in an Eagles uniform. This is my Wish List. It is not a prediction list.

Right off the bat I want to say that I don’t see anyone that I love in Round One. If we grab RB [Ezekiel Elliott], no one in his right mind could argue the pick, but the idea is to add firepower to multiple positions. So trading out of the first and picking up some extra picks wouldn’t be a bad move this year.

I’m not a fan of trying to pick guys according to where they’re “supposed to go”. Stop worrying about where you get a guy and just make sure that you get the one you need. Just get the guy you need, with your pick. If that means grabbing a guy projected 7th rounder in the 5th, then so be it. This isn’t about making Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper look good, it’s about getting people who fit, and getting them before anyone else can. That’s the mission. That’s the point.

Normally I stop at the fourth round, but since we have two picks in the fifth this year, I feel it would be irresponsible not to at least mention guys we should grab there. I’ll start from the bottom (5th round) and work my way up.

C – AUSTIN BLYTHE: C Jason Kelce misses significant time every other year and last year he played all 16 games. So having a solid back-up is a must, not a luxury. Blythe is nothing flashy, but he gets his man blocked and generally eliminated from factoring into the play. He has issues with speed rushers as a Guard, but as a Center that would hardly be a problem. He has a sixth/seventh round grade on him, but I’d nab him with our second pick (27th) in the fifth to ensure that we get him.

DT – MATTHEW IOANNIDIS: I like him as a rotational DT/DE. Ioannidis is about power and hustle, and that’s a great second-line weapon to have. Watching film of him made me think of another high-effort former Eagles DT named Andy Harmon. If this guy is still on the board when we make our first pick (14th) in the fifth, this is the guy to use that pick on.

QB – BRANDON ALLEN: Last month when I wrote that we should draft a QB, I also outlined what we should look for in one. Allen fits the bill to a “T”. I’ve seen him with as low as a 7th round grade on him, but that was prior to the Combine, so who knows where the hype (if he gets any) may take him. In any case I’d jump on him several rounds early. By several rounds early, I mean like fourth round (2nd) early. Everything about this guy SCREAMS steal.

OLB – JOE SCHOBERT: We need a weakside LB. While that may get addressed in Free Agency with guys like Zach Brown or Nigel Bradham (who I wanted us to draft), I really think the guy we plug in should be a younger guy who will more readily defer to Mychal Kendricks as the leader of the LB’s now that DeMeco Ryans is gone. A high-priced veteran might balk at that. Schobert, (unlike too many of this years OLB’s) can also cover, and is not just an extra pass rusher. He has a fourth round grade on him, and we have two third round picks. I’d grab Schobert with our second pick (16th) in that round. Note: I started putting this list together in late February, and I nailed the shit out of the Bradham signing. Feels great after blowing the Bradford prediction.

DE – SHAWN OAKMAN: DE is not really seen as an area of need for the Eagles, but watching some video of Oakman, I saw something in him that you usually don’t see. Check out most DE and LB Draft highlights and you’ll see guys making sacks or tackles for losses where they’re untouched or barely touched on the way to the ballcarrier. Oakman is different. He’s beating blockers who get squared-up blocks on him. Sometimes he beats two at a time. In the NFL, Defensive Linemen won’t be allowed many free shots, and Oakman already doesn’t need any. He already plays a man’s game. I’d lay hands on him with our first pick (14th) in the third.

OG – JOSH GARNETT: He has a late second/early third round grade on him, so trading out of the first round, and grabbing this guy early in the second would be a solid way to go. Garnett is a mauler inside who keeps his hands on his man and drives him back, instead of just settling for getting in a defenders way. He’ll help give us a solid interior for years if we added someone like 26 year old free agent G Kemechi Osemele. Or, since Lane Johnson is already making LT money and since he’s moving there one day anyway, why not move him there now? Jason Peters has another 1-3 good years in him if he’s moved inside to LG, and he can also mentor Johnson to boot. Either way Garnett at RG is a piece to build on, and 4/5 of our O-Line is done before Day Two of the Draft. If we can’t pick up a second rounder another way, trading down to get this guy would be a great start to the Draft for us. Note: We got Brandon Brooks instead of Osemele. Meh.

You might have noticed that there are no WR’s or DB’s on this list and there are three great reasons for that.

1) There was no point in adding WR’s. What we lack at WR is a guy to take the top off of defenses and there aren’t many of them this year. To get one we’d have to grab him way early and ignore our glaring need for O-Line help. Not just that but the couple of guys who do fit the bill look more like role players than starters.

2) We’ve been collecting DB’s for the past three years now, and we have more than enough of them. Our issue isn’t numbers and it’s not even talent. It’s coverage scheme. Spending a Draft pick won’t fix that. That said, the Eagles will almost certainly waste a pick on a DB. I just hope they wait until the sixth to do so.

3) Our team needs an image makeover. While none of the guys listed above are “thugs” or “card carrying tough guys”, they all bring the game to their opponents. It’s lunch pail group of guys whose tape shows fire in their bellies. It’s a list of guys who excelled in today’s game by playing throwback football. And throwback football is what wins you playoff games. You bring these guys in and then you add to them in 2017, and let throwbacks teach throwbacks. Soon you have a Football First culture, instead whatever candy-ass “culture” TIK(The Idiot Kelly) infected our team with over the last three seasons.

So this is my Wish List for the first 5 rounds. Not predictions, Wish List. To hell with where a guy is predicted to go, just get us the guys we need. 

EZEKIEL ELLIOT IN PHILLY

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/12
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 5 Comments

1eb

PICTURE [Ezekiel Elliot] making a career out of running over Cowboys, leaving countless Redskins grasping for air, and making giant after giant realize that the only thing about him they can remember is the way his last name looks on his jersey. Can you see that? Fellow fans, that may be mere weeks away from happening.

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Elliot being targeted by the Eagles would make complete sense of their recent moves at the Running Back position. Trading RB DeMarco Murray away to the Titans, and not replacing him with a top Free Agent was a bit of a head-scratcher. Considering the track record for RB Ryan Mathews, there is no way the Eagles could be serious about making a run at the playoffs with Mathews as the bell-cow. Compounding that, is the fact that behind Mathews we don’t have a player who could step in and start 3 to 5 games reliably.

Trading up from 13th to 8th could be an interesting move, if the Birds do in fact draft Elliot. Taking Elliot 8th overall would be a statement by this team, and there are no two ways about it. The Eagles have a handful of promising Wide Receivers, but we lack a true deep threat that we can use to warp coverages. We could get that player if we were willing to reach and take a guy like WR [Will Fuller] early. However, if we left that kind of speed on the board and grabbed Elliot instead, it would be sending a distinct message about who the Eagles Offense wants to be under new Head Coach Doug Pederson. Probably a little something like this:

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So far aside from a mock Draft or two there is no solid indicator that the Eagles favor Elliot over another position. On the other hand, this time last week we had a 1-2 punch at RB, that has now been cut in half with no move to shore it up whatsoever. Not even for depth purposes. They have subtly declared that we aren’t even going to fuck with a FA RB. From a pure common sense standpoint, it looks like the Eagles have settled on the idea of drafting a RB and going with that guy and Mathews.

While it’s far from a sure thing, I have to say, all signs right now point to Elliot wearing silver and green. And I for one wouldn’t mind that at all.

HOWIE’S DOING SO FAR

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/10
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . 10 Comments

no ragrets

ALMOST a month ago I nearly put out an article saying how much I was looking forward to Howie Roseman returning to the role of General Manager. But it was early and so I didn’t want to jump the gun. I’m glad I waited, because right now, I have some seriously mixed feelings about the job he’s done so far. Before I get into giving the world my two cents, I think it’s important that we go over the facts to make sure we’re all on the same page.

THE CUTS:

It’s important to get rid of players that are bad apples, players who don’t fit your scheme, or players who are no longer productive. We started off by shedding WR Riley Cooper who’s productivity has always been questionable at best, and who was clearly not worth the weight of his contract. Soon after followed ILB DeMeco Ryans who was not only a bad fit for the 4-3 system we’re implementing, but who would have also been in the way of budding star Jordan Hicks. Ryans contract was simply too heavy to sit him at that price. These moves made sense. If anyone can find the fault in them, I’d be interested to hear it. Logic however says these cuts deserve a top grade. (A)

RETAINED FREE AGENTS:

Before you reward a stranger for things he hasn’t done for you, it’s pretty smart to reward the guys you drafted who have performed well. RT Lane Johnson‘s durability and consistency were worth rewarding. TE Zach Ertz has improved his production every year of his career so far. You reward that. DE Vinny Curry‘s production has consistently out-paced starters on this team. TE Brent Celek has been a good soldier for this city since the day he got here. SS Malcolm Jenkins is a leader on and off the field. You reward those things. QB Sam Bradford had half of a good year. You rew- Wait. Hold on. The guy puts up pedestrian numbers in a high powered offensive system and it makes him worth bring back? Especially now that he’ll be back to running a more traditional system, which he’s been mediocre at over his whole career. 5 out of 6 equals an 83. (B)

TRADED PLAYERS:

We gave away ILB Kiko Alonso and CB Byron Maxwell to move up five spots in the 1st round of this Draft. Yes that move clears cap space, but it also widened our hole at LB without getting much in overall return. The move up is to get what? A QB? There is no franchise QB in this Draft. Granted, some of these guys look better than the other guys, but you wouldn’t put any of them against Andrew Luck the year he came out. You wouldn’t put them against Cam Newton, or Eli Manning the year they came out either. This years QB crop is far from great, so moving up to get one would be stupid. Oh yeah! We also gave away RB DeMarco Murray to swap 4th round picks with the Titans. So instead of a depth and a 1-2 punch at RB, we now have to cross our fingers that when RB Ryan Mathews gets injured again (and he always does), it won’t be for too many games. We got hosed twice. (F)

SIGNED FREE AGENTS:

At the time that this is being written (4:28am 3/10/16) the Eagles have so far added FS Rodney McLeod, CB Ron Brooks, OLB Nigel Bradham, QB Chase Daniels, and G Brandon Brooks. This is largely a shrug inducing list. (Though I’ve been big on Bradham for years now. In fact I was hoping that we’d get to draft him.) Bradham’s experience with the system run by Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz should help the team right from the get-go. From what I hear McLeod is pretty good too. Ron Brooks and Daniels are career back-ups, and finesse blocker Brandon Brooks offers us nothing that Allen Barbre wasn’t already giving us. Which was clearly not enough. Given that by the time you read this, we could have signed two more guys, I won’t put a grade on this section. But let me tell you, it wouldn’t be a high grade if I did put one on it. (-)

On the whole, we’re no stronger than we were the day Chip Kelly came to work and saw Jeff Lurie throwing his shit out of a second story window. I mean just look at the talent we added or lost, position by position.

QB – We’re no better

RB – We’re less talented

WR – No better

TE – No better

OT – No better

G – No better

C – No better

(Defensive grades are not adjusted for the new system. This is just about player talent.)

DE – No better

DT – No better

OLB – Clearly better

MLB – No better (We had Hicks last year)

SS – No better

FS – Questionable (Thurmond was very good for us last year)

CB – Less talented

So far our 7-9 team has gone backwards in terms of talent. For that we can (SO FAR) only blame Roseman. That being said, this is a highly fluid situation and a couple of moves one way or the other could stand the whole thing on it’s ear. Still, I’m glad I waited on that article.

EAGLES TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE FOR LINE HELP

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/07
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

1eb

THUS far I’ve seen a couple of reports linking the Eagles to Chiefs FA Guard Jeff Allen. That wouldn’t be a bad signing, but I’d at least like to see the Eagles make a serious offer to Ravens G Kelechi Osemele.

Osemele is a young Pro Bowl caliber G and so is worth a big investment on those points alone. The sticking point is that due to another player being injured this year, Osemele filled in at LT and did a good job. With as valuable as LT’s are in this game, Osemele may be thinking that if he can switch from G to LT, that he’ll get the significant jump in pay that goes with it.

At the very least he has to be thinking that he needs to ensure that some team doesn’t sign him as a G and then “suddenly decide” to play him at LT. For him, signing a big deal now ensures that things are already on the up and up, regardless of whatever might happen down the line.

Richie Incognito is another guy I’m big on. He has the reputation of being a bully, but then again he’s made millions of dollars as a man who physically imposes his will on alpha males. An NFL Offensive Linemen is more or less a top-shelf professional bully. Every time they beat a Defensive Lineman, they’re making it harder for him to negotiate more money on his next contract. They are literally taking those guy’s lunch money. If they could twist nipples and give wedgies, they damned well might!

So no, I have no problem with an O-Lineman who’s a bit of a bully. In fact I have more of an issue with the ones who aren’t. The knock on Incognito is that he’s 33. That same knock is shared by Jahri Evans formerly of the Saints, who I also like.

The Steelers Ramon Foster and Vikings Mike Harris are also two names I’ve heard good things about, but I can’t say that I know/remember how they look in a game. What I will say for them is that they’re NFL veterans and they’re huge Guards at 328 and 338 respectively. Harris is only 27, and just the other day was offered a 2 year deal of 3.5M, so he can probably be lured away from Minnesota.

In any case these are a few Free Agent names I’d like to see in an Eagles jersey in 2016. If I didn’t mention this or that name, then you know how I feel about them coming here.

(I’m on the fence about Alex Boone.)

TOTAL DUMB-ASSES

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/02/29
Posted in: Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . 6 Comments

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JEFF Lurie will make the Eagles look like a total dumb-asses if he gives a 20 million dollar contract to a Quarterback who has never been above .500 as a starter,  and who has only been a .500 starter once (when he was a rookie). Given Tom Brady‘s 2016 cap figure of 15M, and 2017 cap figure of 16M, you have to wonder what the point is in offering Sam Bradford a dime over the 13M he made last season. If anything, Bradford deserves a massive pay cut. 

In real terms, what Bradford makes is none of my or your business. Generally I’m all for a guy making as much as he can. However, handsomely rewarding Bradford for being a first round bust, sends all the wrong messages. Not only that but it sends them to every level of football.

How do you tell this years crop of rookies to strive for excellence as a pro, when years of mediocrity will get players top dollar? How do you tell current NFL players that being paid less for more results isn’t a sign of disrespect? How do you continue to tell fans that you couldn’t re-sign Player X, because you had to overpay Player Y? How do you tell college and high school players that playing in the NFL is a privilege when they watch a guy shit the bed year after year, with excuse after excuse, only to not only keep a career, but start and then be grossly overpaid for underachieving?

The answer is that you can’t.

Sam Bradford’s upcoming contract will invalidate anything, any coach has ever said, to any group of players taking a knee before him. Bradford is to results oriented rewards, what Tom Brady is to good sportsmanship.

Look, some idiot is going to sign Bradford to a boatload of money. That part cannot be stopped or stemmed. As a fan, all I can do is hope that we aren’t those total dumb-asses.

“WE CAN ONLY SIGN ONE”

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/02/25
Posted in: Conversations, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Rants, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 Comments

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EAGLES fans it’s time for a reality check. You either get to keep DT Fletcher Cox long-term, or QB Sam Bradford. If a long-term deal gets done for one this year, a one CANNOT be reached for the other. Let me say this plainly. We can only sign one. I say again, we can only sign ONE. The money simply isn’t there for both. The NFL will not expand the salary cap for JUST the Eagles.

Too many Eagles fans are stumbling around out there with images of Bradford as our starting QB in 2016. My guess is that those same fans either don’t own a calculator, or really don’t understand what the salary cap is. In fact, I get the feeling that some of them may think the salary cap is a type of hat.

Look, listen. Eagles GM Howie Roseman has said  that signing Cox is a priority and that he will get “great” player money. Cox is looking for a 100M+ dollar deal (with about 50M of it guaranteed). Being conservative and saying that he “only” gets an even 100M, that breaks down to 16M per year over 6 years, or 14M per year over 7 years. Given that he’s scheduled to make 7.8M this year, that’s at least a jump of 6M this year alone (depending on structure).

With cutting ILB DeMeco Ryans yesterday, the Eagles just added 3.5M to our 26.4M in cap space. That gives us a total of 29.9M in cap space. If Cox pulls down 14M this year, that would only leave about 15.9M in cap space. Bradford won’t stay here for 15.9M. Roseman has said “It’s a huge priority for us to keep Fletcher Cox”. Given that he’s uttered no such series of sounds about Bradford, I’d have to say that the Eagles have already made their choice here.

Let me sum up for those who still hold out hope that I’m wrong about Bradford: We can only sign one. Cox is the priority. Bradford won’t stay for what we can offer him. So go ahead and start burning your Bradford jerseys like you know you will, when you go from worshiping him to suddenly (and unfairly) labeling him a traitor or “just being in it for a paycheck”.

LET’S KICK THE TIRES

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/02/10
Posted in: Defense, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

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NOW it’s getting interesting! Players are staring to hit the cutting room floor of NFL teams as they start trying to clear cap space for applying Franchise Tags (beginning next Tuesday the 16th) or to sign players off the street when Free Agency starts (on March 9th).

A few of the names already to hit he ground have me raising an eyebrow in interest:

G Jahri Evans (N.O.) : He’s long in the tooth at 33 but he’s still got game, and he’s an upgrade over any Guard on our roster right now. Besides, our young O-Linemen could use a mentor; and his six Pro Bowl selections (in 10 years) and a Super Bowl win would make his voice carry a lot of weight with the young ‘uns. It would also be nice to bring home a Philly born player.

OLB David Hawthorne (N.O.) : At 30 he also has some miles on him, but there’s still some tread left on his tires. Considering how weak we are at WLB, his presence alone would legitimize any competition for the spot.

OT Jason Fox (MIA) : According to all reports he struggled this season at both LT and RT. Then again Miami is a dumpster fire beginning with the leadership and it trickles down from there. Years ago many Eagles fans thought QB Jeff Garcia was washed-up due to poor stints in Cleveland and Detroit. I said not so fast, he was just in bad situations. The he comes here and you know the rest. Same with Steve Young leaving Tampa Bay and going to San Fran. Fox is just 27 and may need nothing more than to go to a team with an actual coaching staff. At worst he’s depth.

Keep in mind that we still need to draft players at every one of these spots, but these guys here would make solid fall-back positions. We’ll re-visit this list as more players get the heave-ho, but for now this wouldn’t be a bad free agent crop at all.