BRINGING in Byron Marshall and Donnel Pumphrey was a mistake. In the last two years, the Eagles have brought in two players, who’s specific purpose (ostensibly), is to replace RB Darren Sproles when he leaves the Eagles. The mistake wasn’t the Front Office adding Marshall or Pumphrey. The mistake was the mission to replace Sproles in the first place. Everything we add to that mission only makes it worse.
Let’s start with the question that only I seem to be asking:
“Why do we need to replace Darren Sproles?”
When Sproles leaves, we’ll need another RB. One who can catch and make you miss in the open field, isn’t a bad thing to have at all. However, why is it that when we look for a replacement, we look at WR/RB tweeners and not genuine RB’s? Is there some rule that says that a 3rd down back must be slight of frame? Is there some rule that says that a 3rd down back is barred from being a dependable option at RB, should the starter go down? That seems to be the type of guy the Eagles want replacing Sproles.
How about a 3rd down RB like C.J. Prosise, or T.J. Yeldon, or Duke Johnson? Is there some reason that Corey Clementcan’t be our 3rd down back? He would certainly offer schematic versatility. Seriously, what’s wrong with being THREE legit RB’s deep? Considering the abuse that RB’s take, real depth (not specialists) at the position would be a major asset.
What really irritates me about the entire process of replacing Sproles, is that it probably can’t be done. Darren Sproles is an anomaly. Think of another 190 pound RB who can contribute on offense, and scare an opponent every time a punt touches his gloves, while playing at 30+ years of age. Go ahead. I’ll wait….
Sproles is rare from the get-go, but that never seems to get acknowledged. Spending a draft pick on trying to replace him, is like blowing a paycheck on water, to practice turning it into wine. Trying to duplicate a miracle through mundane means, is the worst indication that you don’t know what you have. For the Front Office to not realize such specialness in a player, it is nothing short of a football tragedy.
There is ONE Darren Sproles. Just one. He isn’t duplicable. He isn’t replaceable. Further attempts at trying to do either, will likely just result in more disappointment. Let’s appreciate Sproles while we still have him here, and when he leaves, let’s focus on adding a good football player and not an after-market part.
WELL nobody who counts, got injured. Do we get a trophy for that now, or…. how does that work? I guess I’m old. I remember when the point of training was training, not avoiding getting hurt in lieu of training. (Soldiers, fire fighters and cops, you may want to talk to your supervisors about not doing things the old way anymore.)
EAGLES 10 – Jets 16
We held the Jets (and ourselves) to one touchdown. We also held the Jets (and ourselves) to under 100 yards rushing for the game. We put up 181 passing yards (net) to their 140. In four quarters of football, QB Carson Wentzwasn’t hit, hurried or sacked once. Yet somehow I don’t feel the protection plan we used for him vs the Jets, will help us at all vs the Redskins next week. Did I mention that we lost?
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well Billy, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.
So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?
1) Does Warmack earn a chance:G Chance Warmacklooked like a starter playing against back-ups out there. He looked composed and fully in control in pass protection, and in the run game, his man frequently went backwards. The coaches saw enough, and he was pulled before the half. (DONE)
2) Coming up big: RB Donnel Pumphrey once again looked like a boy amongst men whether he was running (7 – 10 – 1.4 – 0 – 0), receiving (1 – 3 – 3.0 – 0) or punt returning (5 – 9 – 1.8 – 0). He however, did look decent on kickoff returns (3 – 80 – 26.7 – 0). The Eagles may stash him on IR or the Practice Squad, but he’s done nothing to truly earn either. (NOT DONE)
3) Cherry picking a LB: LB Don Cherry(3 – 0 – 0 – 0) made a few stops, and got beaten by a bigger, faster player for a touchdown pass, despite playing coverage as well as he could have in that situation. That said, he didn’t do anything in this one that would get a coach pounding the table to keep him. (NOT DONE)
4) Groom a great Dane:Finally the Eagles got a sample size (in terms of downs) from QB Dane Evans (11 – 23 – 47.8% – 110 – 1 – 1) , to match that of QB Matt McGloin (14 – 21 – 66.6% – 90 – 0 – 0). Evans showed some real niftiness on a couple of plays, especially the 41 yarder he threw as he stared down a defender who was expecting him to keep running. Evans was also the victim of a bogus interception that was clearly dropped and trapped, but for some reason THAT turnover wasn’t reviewed. (Aren’t they supposed to review ALL turnovers?) In any case, while Evans may not make the roster, he did play an entire half, and we were in the game in large part, due to him. (DONE)
So this week’s mark is 2 of 4, which brings the preseason total to 7 out of 16. Here’s hoping that our record this year doesn’t match. Speaking of which, the next Four Things will be for stakes against a division rival.
On The Whole:
Every now and then a low scoring, defensive slug-fest is nice to see. That kind of football, (not this high-flying, 60 pass per game stuff), is primal football. It’s throwback football. Every now and then you need to see a game like that.
This game wasn’t that. This was just two offenses groping for a light-switch in a coal mine. There were several moments where I wondered if these guys even knew what sport they were supposed to be playing. There was no fuzzy-fuzzy, feel-good about this game. For the most part it was like chewing tin foil.
My hope is that our (very well-rested) offensive starters, don’t continue this trend next week.
GIVEN how spotty the Offensive starters have been, it’s hard to get a real grasp of just who we do or don’t need further down the roster. Our coaching staff is however, more concerned with potential injury, than they are with players getting their shit straight. So instead of starters playing a couple series, they’ll sit. This is hilarious given the fact that we were one of the earliest teams to begin hitting in camp.
Normally this would be the game where coaches looked at the deep end of the roster, to see if guys “on the bubble” made the most of their last opportunity, but this is an unusual year. Nothing (big picture) seems to be at stake here, on either roster. Both teams are just playing out the string. That means the Eagles can get to trying to win the NFC East, and the Jets can get on with tanking in 2017.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on for this week versus New York Jr. :
1) Does Warmack earn a chance:I was big on G Chance Warmack before he was drafted, and I still hold out some hope for him to make this roster. That said, I want to see him look like a starter against the Jets back-ups.
2) Coming up big: RB Donnel Pumphreyhas so far made the stereotype for smaller RB’s look 100% true. Rushing, receiving, punt returning…so far he’s looked like a boy amongst men doing all of it. He needs to show that he belongs.
3) Cherry picking a LB: We’re thin at LB. Not in number (8), but in terms of playmakers. The fact that Najee Goodeis still here, proves that. Last week however, Don Cherry (out of Villanova) gave me reason to hope, with his 42 yard return (no score) of an interception. A strong showing this week could cement a spot for him on the active roster.
4) Groom a great Dane:If you look at QB Dane Evans numbers (0TD, 2INT, 36.2 rating) you think “Yech, yikes and yuck”. Watching him play on the other hand, tells a much different story. We’ve gotten an extensive look at the decidedly underwhelming Matt McGloin. In fact, he leads the NFL this preseason in attempts, completions, and is tied for the lead in interceptions, despite only throwing 1 TD in 3 games. We need to see at least a half from Evans.
If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:
We’ll get to see some guys make the team, and others blow their opportunity.
GETTING it right. That’s always the most important part. I could have put out a Draft Report on Sunday, but I wanted to make sure I got it right. So I took my time, and I went over every pick again. Repeatedly.
Often times, people base Draft grades on whether or not an NFL team got good college players, instead of if those players stand a chance of helping the team that drafted them. After all, addressing weakness really is the point, right?
Weaknesses. We headed into the Draft needing a starting Cornerback to help our pass rush, or a bell-cow Running Back to loosen things up for QB Carson Wentz. We could have also used an Outside Linebacker who isn’t a liability in coverage, even against Running Backs. Yet we got none of those things.
So what DID we get?
1st round/ DE – Derek Barnett.
Barnett sets the edge and generally doesn’t end up on the ground vs the run. That’s basically what you want from a DE, but he wasn’t brought here to just play DE, he’s here to be a dominant pass rusher. However, when I look at this game vs Alabama, I don’t see a quick get-off. I don’t see great change of direction. I don’t see him using an array of moves to win early against offensive linemen. Name one great pass rusher in the NFL who lacks all of those tools. You can’t, because there aren’t any.
I’ve read that his hands keep him from being blocked long, but I couldn’t find any game tape (games, not highlight reels) that show him doing it consistently. So far I see a guy who will have an NFL career, but I don’t see 10-12 sacks per year from him at this level. If he proves me wrong, AT THIS LEVEL, great. But until then… Grade: C
2nd round/ CB – Sidney Jones.
We needed a CB immediately. Taking one this high was the right move to make. Totally made sense. What would have made more sense, would have been selecting a player who isn’t already sidelined for 2017. Word around the Training Room is that next year, after he rehabs his torn ACL (CORRECTION: An alert reader (thank you Bobby) pointed out that it’s Jone’s Achilles, not ACL that tore. My apologies for the error), Jones will be as good as he ever was. Might even be a steal. That’s the talk.
On tape here, you see a CB who even from a cushion will begin to concede a lot of real estate before the snap. College will allow DB’s that flaw, but in the NFL it’ll quickly earn you a target on your back. Also his man-press doesn’t seem to lead to significant redirection of his assignment. Luckily, these are things which can be corrected with coaching. Provided (as hoped) that he didn’t leave any of his athleticism in the operating room. Grade: C
3rd round/ CB – Rasul Douglas.
Douglas has good size at 6’2, but his near 4.6 speed causes me to question if he can play on the outside at this level. Also on tape you see he can be beaten badly on quick routes inside. That’s alarming because for a 209 pound CB, his press at the line is lacking. (There were two videos I could have chosen to show, but the other one was played in snow. That’s not a fair condition to assess players.)
The plan may be to move him to Free Safety as an insurance policy behind Rod McLeod. However, right now it seems like the Eagles spent an early pick on a guy without a true role. Grade: C
4th round/ WR – Mack Hollins.
I flat out hate this pick. The Eagles went out and drafted a Special Teams coverage player, in the fourth round. Drafted him! Smart teams wait until after the Draft to get those guys. On top of that, as a WR he shuffles his feet at the snap and doesn’t attack his blocking assignments. Grade: F
4th round/ RB – Donnel Pumphrey.
We supposedly got him to replace Darren Sproles at some point. Then again we were sold the same bill of goods last year, regarding Byron Marshall, remember? To his credit, Pumphrey catches the ball pretty well, and is very nimble. If he can get the ball in open space, he can be an asset. Then again that statement likely would be true for most RB’s. Grade: C
5th round/ WR – Shelton Gibson.
I like this WR far more than the first one we selected. Although Gibson is also a drafted Special Teamer coverage guy, aspects of his game that say he may actually be able to contribute as a WR. He doesn’t hesitate at the snap and he aggressively gets into his blocks. (Which could help Pumphrey.) I think you add ST coverage guys after a Draft, but if Gibson can contribute as a WR and help return kicks, then this was a really nice place to take him. Grade: B
5th round/ SS – Nathan Gerry.
This is another horrible pick. Too often he slows down to a jog before the play is even dead. He misses tackles. (Did you see that last part where the QB ran him over?) He can be seen being “extra” after plays, instead of being adequate during them. Grade: F
6th round/ DT – Elijah Qualls.
No penetration. No ability to win one-on-one. Ends up on the ground in a number of ways. Maybe if we tape a cheeseburger to the QB or cover him in BBQ sauce, Qualls might not end up being redirected so easily. I have no idea how this guy got drafted by anyone. I doubt he even makes the practice squad. Grade: F
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Last year we finished in the middle of the league with 34 sacks, which was 14 sacks behind the leader who had 48. DE Brandon Grahamled the NFL with 40 hurries, more of which could have been sacks if we had CB’s who could cover last year. The problem wasn’t our Defensive Line’s ability to get to the QB, it was that they weren’t given the time to do so. So of course we went out and got a starting CB, right? Wrong. We got a DE.
Our CB play was so bad last year, that we got rid of both Starters. While Sidney Jones may or may not become a perennial All-Pro after 2018, that still leaves us with questions about CB in 2017.
We needed to upgrade at WR, so we added two Free Agents, after Howie Roseman said no more “band-aids”. Then we waited until the 4th and 5th rounds to draft Special Teamers.
We needed a bell-cow RB and instead we drafted a player to someday replace a situational player.
Considering that we ended 2016 with a few needs (OLB, OT, RB) that we didn’t address during Free Agency, it’s hard to call this a good Draft, when we continued to ignore those needs.
The question isn’t about whether or not we drafted guys who can play. That really isn’t the question. It really isn’t the issue. The real issue is whether or not we fixed the holes that teams exploited against us in 9 losses out of 16 games last year. The answer is that we didn’t fix those holes. We didn’t utilize this Draft properly. So the truth is, while this was an amazing Draft for Philadelphia, it was a wasted Draft for the Eagles. The Front Office didn’t get it right.
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