THE TRUTH BEHIND ALL THIS.

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/23
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.). Tagged: , , , . 4 Comments

red-pill-blue-pill

PICTURE if you will 2015. The Eagles have concluded 2014 without a Super Bowl win. Whether we finished 0-16 or 16-0, Chip Kelly will get a 3rd year. There will be no new coach. The roster will have no reason to be torn up. Fans will expect a good showing in the upcoming 2015 season.

Enter 17 players out of 53. They and their 2015 (rounded down) salaries are:

                           (running total)

DJax- 12M            (12M)

McCoy- 11M        (23)

Peters- 10M         (33)

Willams- 8M         (41)

Mathis- 6M           (47)

DeMeco- 6M         (53)

Barwin- 6M           (59)

Kelce- 6M             (65)

Jenkins- 5M          (70)

Cooper- 5M          (75)

Lane- 5M              (80)

Herremans- 5       (85)

Celek- 4M             (89)

Casey- 4M            (93)

Cox- 3M                (96)

Sproles- 3M          (99)

Carroll- 2M         (101)

17 players, $101 million dollars.

Assuming a generous 10% cap jump to 146M in 2015, that only leaves 45M for the remaining 36 players (avg. 1.25M per player). This also assumes Trent Cole and his 11M salary are already gone. If he stays then its 18 players at 112M, leaving 34M for 35 players (971K per player)

If the cap stays in the vicinity of 133M like it is this year, with or without Cole, the Eagles cap management will be a nightmare. I didn’t even mention Jeremy Maclin, Bradley Fletcher, or Chris Polk , all of which will be Free Agents.

The Eagles financial house could be in ruins for the first time since before Joe Banner took over. You remember Joe Banner. He’s man they ousted in favor of Howie Roseman.

Between Roseman’s Dream Team free agent signings, lackluster Drafts, awarding overblown contracts, and unnecessary surrendering of Draft picks; Jeff Lurie is set to wear quite a lot of egg on his face for sticking with Roseman over Banner, since Roseman has so far failed in every aspect of his job.

Now Roseman has to find a way to erase mistakes (like DeSean Jackson‘s contract), to afford depth so that Chip Kelly doesn’t have to head into 2015 (possibly his last year depending on 2014), with a stripped down team.

Howie Roseman has to save his job, and he only has 2014 to do it before things escalate beyond the Eagles control. Things can’t be re-negotiated and put off, because beginning in 2016  Nick Foles will command north of $12M annually. So the future is already tapped out. Unless the sacrifices are made today.

This is the real reason behind the sudden need to move Jackson. Whether they want him or not, a $12M WR is a luxury that Philadelphia can no longer afford. Jackson will be leaving.

And now (gasp) there is even word that Jackson will be released if he can’t be traded. This surely lowers his trade value and almost guarantees that we get nothing for him. That’s not Jackson’s call. It’s not even Kelly’s. But it’s kind of frustrating right?

So then why are they letting Eagle fans stew with constant empty reports of a trade that they won’t even confirm they have interest in making? The reason is simple. It’s to deliberately frustrate you. To make you tired of hearing about it. To make you want SOMETHING to be done. It’s to drive you nuts, and to get you used to the idea, so that when (one way or the other) the trigger is pulled, you exclaim “FINALLY!!!” You’ll be so glad that it’s over, you won’t even realize that you just watched the Eagles do what the Cowboys just did with DeMarcus Ware.

Oh yes. That’s what Roseman is doing now.

Step back. This story could have been killed weeks ago. But they’re just letting it fester. No one in the organization is speaking on it. It doesn’t appear on the website. Just empty report after empty report. One tweeted rumor after another of a source close to a source. And it’s maddening.

The truth is they need your anger and frustration right now to help lubricate the next move. Drive up public ire, sample only those quotes/tweets/blogs that bad-mouth the player, then put it on your website, so it looks like the FANS made the case for whatever becomes of Jackson.

Because if they had simply surprised us with trading DJax, fans would have burned something down by now. Even the ones who are now claiming to be sick of him.

Now imagine that they had simply released him last month. Would you have been angry? Yes. You would have. And by now you still wouldn’t have gotten over it.

There’s a lot going on under the surface my friends. It is a very deep rabbit hole indeed.

*Note: It’s 1:12 a.m. I’m about to post this and STILL there is no word of this situation on the Eagles website. There is a story about Vick signing with the Jets, and not ONE word to address the Jackson Situation.

NEITHER KELLY NOR JACKSON IS TO BLAME

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/22
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.). Tagged: . Leave a comment
Image courtesy of Katchop.com

Image courtesy of Katchop.com

THIS is one of those times when the Head Coach of an NFL team should have something to say.

Right?

Instead we’re left mostly with Chip Kelly’s media silence. As if he has no opinion on what the Front Office may or may not do with one of his key weapons. Like he is not at all concerned with the idea of losing a game changing player. I can’t speak for you, but I am far too smart to fall for that.

But because of his silence, there is a mob forming. Today fans and media sources are already grumbling that if we trade DeSean Jackson, Kelly will be to blame. The easy answer for fans is to blame either Kelly or  Jackson. And while I can understand why fans would do that, it’s a knee jerk reaction to the roar of the mob around them.

So let’s shut the door for a moment and block out the screaming of that mob. So you can hear. And so you can think.

What if I told you that if Jackson goes, Kelly should be absolved of any blame? What if I told you that trading Jackson has more to do with Howie Roseman himself, than it does with Jackson, his contract, his behavior, and Kelly combined?

Would you be willing to listen? Would you hear the truth?

Then tomorrow. We’ll meet back here, and I will show you just how far the rabbit hole goes. But for now I will leave you with this:

The growing fan frustration is neither accidental, nor coincidental. 

WHAT I THINK ABOUT TRADING DJAX

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/20
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Players. Tagged: . 2 Comments
Photo: Michael Perez

Photo: Michael Perez

TRADING DeSean Jackson doesn’t have to hurt.

Chip Kelly’s Spread Offense as its name indicates is more horizontally based than vertically based. To his credit, in 2013 Kelly did a good job of transposing Jackson’s skillset over his existing system. Due to what Jackson could do, the coverage shifted and the impact was felt on the opposite side of the field as well as in the running game.

That being said, at its heart this is a horizontally based running system. It doesn’t require a guy like Jackson for it to run effectively. He’s a nice option to have out there, but the reality is, his abilities fit a mobile QB much better over the long haul than they do a pocket passer.

If this system is going back to its roots, then Jackson won’t even require replacing. You replace something when the replacement is supposed to do what the old part did. If you swap out the old part for a part that works differently, it’s usually referred to as upgrading.

That may be what the Eagles feel they can do here. This is a place where a rookie could be drafted whose skillset is entirely different from Jackson’s but better fits what Kelly wants to do.

I also already indicated how the Sproles Effect could easily offset the loss of Jackson, even if they simply cut him. (Pray that Howie Roseman isn’t that stupid.) If the system doesn’t need the top taken off the defense to make plays, your need for guys who can do that diminishes. Even if you still want one, lo and behold there’s a Draft coming up.

So a trade really comes down to getting value for him. In the end, aside from losing a player who gave us a few truly awesome memories (The New Miracle at the Meadowlands; falling backwards into the endzone against Dallas; a bomb for a TD as the first play of a record setting Monday Night game against the Redskins; the sideline bump with Andy, to name a few), perhaps this doesn’t have to hurt at all.

I just somehow can’t help thinking AND feeling, that it will.

HOW I FEEL ABOUT A DJAX TRADE

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/19
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Offense. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Image courtesy of instntrply.com

Image courtesy of instntrply.com

MUTHAFUCKA, are you high!? A 3rd round pick?! For DeSean Jackson?!

I got my Ray Rice mask and I’m waiting in elevators for Howie Roseman.

I was good, wasn’t I? They signed Special Teams players while other teams signed starters, and I let slide didn’t I? “Maybe they have a plan!” I said to myself. “Perhaps there is a diagram. Let us be patient as we partake of our beverage.”

I played it cool.

But if they trade DJax for chicken feed, I live near the Girard Street on-ramp to 95, so the NovaCare Center is less than a 15 minute ride from my house. I’m not above shouting at the building from Broad Street from the roof of the Jeep. Oh man, I’m goin’ through it! I’m not even putting up a poll today, because I can’t narrow the field of questions down.

Look, I’d already written two articles already about trading DJax. Today writing about ‘how I FEEL’ makes a third, and tomorrow writing ‘what I THINK’, will make a fourth. So I’m open to discussions on moving any player. But like when we unnecessarily surrendered a 5th round pick for what would have been a free Darren Sproles, I don’t like the notion of my team getting hosed. It would make more sense to move him for a player than a 3rd round pick.

I also don’t like the impact it could have on Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. DJax kept Safeties out of the box and helped to free up Riley Cooper. If we get rid of him it’ll fundamentally change what Foles is expecting in 2014. That could hurt the Offense. Or maybe not. (More on that one tomorrow.)

But right now…this situation has me hotter than fish grease.

HERE’S WHY 2014 COULD BE MAGIC

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/18
Posted in: Offense, Players. Tagged: . 1 Comment
Image courtesy of Eagledelphia

Image courtesy of Eagledelphia

THERE is plenty to be excited about if you’re an Eagles fan!

Surely, most of us were expecting something a little different from Free Agency. Many of us were expecting a big defensive signing. We wanted a statement to be made.

What we got instead was a Safety in Malcolm Jenkins who possesses the type of coverage skill that we’ve lacked for a half a decade at the position. This is an improvement.

Then there’s the Darren Sproles trade. His presence is going to do things specifically for this Spread Offense, that may change how teams draft and formulate their depth charts.

Allow me to show you a magic trick:

Sproles table 1

That guy right there is Sproles. Notice how he’s lined up behind Brent Celek? Not an accident that he’s there. You might have also noticed that DeSean Jackson is not on the field. I did that to point out that the Sproles Effect is not contingent on Jackson still being here. It’s deadlier if he is, but if he isn’t we’re still golden.

Sproles table 2

Now we pick our bitch. I like Player “A” (the OLB) for this. Player A’s primary duty is to set the edge and not let the TE establish underneath.

Sproles table 3

We’ll put Sproles on a simple Shoot route to the flat. Player A now has to release the TE immediately to Player B (the SS) and cover Sproles himself. Otherwise there’ll be a quick completion to Sproles, in space and with a blocker out in front.

The counter to this of course is to walk the SS down to cover Sproles at the snap. One problem with that. Look all the way to the right. That’s Jeremy Maclin  in one-on-one out there. With no help deep.

I promised you a magic trick right? It’s a draw to LeSean McCoy. Behind Jason Peters and Evan Mathis with no backside pursuit, because it’s all running the other way. Wait it was a fake! Nick Foles is out the backdoor! Or Foles could sit and throw the ball, since it’s all one-on-one anyway. Oh you didn’t notice that? In the heat of the moment neither did the defense.

And that’s just ONE play.

So while Free Agency didn’t quite turn out the way we’d have liked, let’s not forget to be thankful for what we DO have here. Because fellow fans, it could be better than the “crazy” that Sproles suggested.

It could be downright magic.

THIS PISSES ME THE F#@% OFF!

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/17
Posted in: Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Players. Tagged: , . Leave a comment
Image courtesy of Fansided.com

Image courtesy of Fansided.com

NATE Allen got a 1-year extension today, and at first it pissed me off a little. Then I gave it some thought.

At which point it pissed me off a lot.

Keeping around a guy who’s been a sub-par NFL Safety for the last few years now, is bad enough; but what message does it send to young players like Earl Wolff or free agents who don’t know the team culture? How do you tell THEM that that they have to elevate their play, if you keep shelling out for what you brought them in to replace? 

Did Allen get an extension to sit the bench? Likely not. If he starts and we still suck vs. the pass, worse still if it costs us games, many fans will blame Allen for that. Not me. 

This one is squarely on the narrow little shoulders of Howie Roseman. He talked a big game about getting a player at that position this off-season, and to be fair he got us a decent cover Safety in Malcolm Jenkins, but when the moment came to do something big, he bitched out. Now we have this crap load of back-up Safeties. These Special Teamers with “upside”. Man fuck outta here! MAKE AN EFFORT! 

Special Teams hurt us in the game against New Orleans, no doubt. But you know what hurt us more? Getting the ball run down our throats, by a PASSING TEAM! Having the league’s leading rusher fairly bottled up by a defensive front that pushed our Offensive Line around. Having the NFL’s Most Over-paid Player blanketed by a 3rd round draft pickalready on his second team. THAT’S what hurt us.

We need some NEW STARTERS. Notice the capitalization of the words “new” and “starters”? That was not a mistake.

This signing on the other hand, is.

THE EAGLES FUTURE. (Updated!)

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/15
Posted in: Draft, Front Office (F.O.). 2 Comments
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

BEFORE I get into talking about the Draft (written since this was first posted), I want to get us all on the same page,  so that what I say next won’t seem like it comes out of left field on you.

Before we get into who to pick, we have to understand why we should pick them, or what we need in the first place.  I looked over the entire roster and broke it down, factoring in also long term considerations.  And let it be known how much I hate this time of year; because guys with absolutely no shot at making the team, clutter up the roster and artificially inflate many fans perception of depth (e.g. the current roster stands at like 64 or so players.) That all having been said, here’s The Chart (2nd ed.):

chart2-2014

Now you know why you’re going to read some of what you’re going to see in my next article.

If you see something I missed, or you simply have a better idea,  below here is a COMMENTS section. Don’t be shy.

DARREN SPROLES AND NOLAN CARROLL

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/13
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Players. Tagged: , . 1 Comment

nofear

ADDING CB Nolan Carroll was a solid Day Three move. I like his resume his, size, and his age. I also like the notion that he’s going to be pushing for a starting role. I can’t see the point of adding a back-up early in Free Agency.

Darren Sproles on the other hand I’m less thrilled about than everyone else. It’s not that I don’t think he can play, because I think he can. I don’t like the idea that we PAID for something New Orleans was about to give away, and I’m not sure how much football 3.5 million will buy you behind LeSean McCoy. My guess is we’ll see him on screen and screen decoys.

On the whole it’s better than adding Special Teams aces, but I’m still waiting for them to do something that changes signals that we’re better armed than the team that got out-muscled by the Saints.

BUT I’M NOT PANICKING!

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/13
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Players. Tagged: . Leave a comment

panicbutton384px

 

FREE Agency began with the Eagles grabbing a solid FS in Malcolm Jenkins, from the Saints. One of the reasons Chip Kelly wanted him was his versatility as he has also played CB. Considering how badly we needed to upgrade at Safety, that was kind of a weird thing to hear.

But I let it slide. By “let it slide”, what I mean is I didn’t get online, and do a full-scale freak-out over one little sentence. I waited to see what happened next.

What happened next was we added another Safety. When I first heard that, I pumped my fist, certain that the Safety was T. J. Ward. It wasn’t. It was Chris Maragos. Another fist p− Wait. Who?

He’s a Special Teams “Ace” with zero career starts. Hold on, an undrafted Special Teams ace. With zero starts. In four years.

BUT HEY, IT’S ONLY DAY TWO! Don’t panic. I’m sure we’ll get a−

Norman Braman?? Ah, Bryan Braman! He’s an OLB?! Cool! We could use another passru− Huh?  Another Special Teams “Ace”? With zero starts?  In three years? Well what round was he dr− Oh, so he was also undrafted? Motherf− You know what? Okay. Alright. Uhhhhh…So when are we gonna− Denver did what? New England signed who? But I thought they were broke?!

Yet fellow Eagles fans, amid the hell of the last two days, there is a glimmer of hope.

While we haven’t gotten much better, neither has Washington. And while New York appears to have taken a step back, Dallas is clearly worse now than they were when they finished 8-8 this past season.

If things keep going the way they’re going, we’ll easily win the NFC East again in 2014. And get shit-canned in the first round of the playoffs.

Not panicking yet, but something had better happen soon.

THIS EAGLE IS NO SAINT

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/12
Posted in: Defense, Players. Tagged: . Leave a comment

player-malcolmjenkins470p

EARLIER this year on my Wishlist, I wrote that if we can’t get Jairus Byrd I’d settle for Malcolm Jenkins. Well we ended up with Jenkins instead of Byrd, and I for one ain’t cryin’about it.

Some of you may be less familiar, or completely unfamiliar with Jenkins. So let me hip you to what we have here.

While Jenkins has not been a Pro Bowler, since he became a starter the Saints defense has been one of the top units in the game (with the exception of 2012 and the suspension of the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator).

Jenkins was a very good college CB who was seen as a tweener in the NFL. Due to his willingness to stick his nose in there against the run at CB, New Orleans decided to roll the dice with him at FS.

Though he’s willing to hit and play physical, the strength of his game is in his ability to match-up well with WR’s that aren’t burners. He can run better than anything we have at FS, but his discipline is I think his best attribute. He is the last line of defense and he plays like he understands that. He doesn’t gamble. He doesn’t freelance.

I read recently that he’s also a “film rat”. That explains so much of his game. He’s a vet who believes in independent mental prep. What we have back there my fellow fans, is a pro.

With the Saints as one of my fantasy defenses over the last 3 years, I watched a good number of Saints games. Based on what I’ve seen, Eagles fans should be pleased by the improvement in our deep coverage, even if some still want to look at N.O. and envision that any play Byrd makes should have been a play he was making for us.