Doug Pederson

All posts tagged Doug Pederson

TEACHING CARSON WENTZ

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/04/30
Posted in: Conversations, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 8 Comments

NFL/

BUILDING a franchise QB.

Even before QB Sam Bradford threw a bitch-fit and ran away from the offseason training program crying, falling, screaming for his mommy and blowing snot bubbles; using Bradford to be a teacher for Carson Wentz was a bad idea. Using Bradford as a positive model to teach any young QB is a bad idea. For Bradford fans who demand proof: As the starting QB you should never bail on any team activity you already showed up for. Leaders know this. Clearly Bradford is not a leader and therefore cannot instruct a youngin in this.

For a moment we’ll set aside Captain Checkdown‘s bland and uninteresting style of play. We’ll set aside his dismal record as a starter (25 – 37 – 1). We’ll look past his playoff performances. Oh that’s right, he’s never led a team to the playoffs. We’ll overlook the fact that his knees are as sturdy as the knees on a Dollar Store toy. We’ll look past the creepy eyes, and the sleeves, the hesitancy to fall on fumbles or throw a block. We’ll look past the nerve it took for him to ask for 25M$ per year. We’ll look past all of that.

What we cannot overlook is the childishly selfish and entitled behavior he has shown. What we cannot overlook is how his teammates will respond to him after simply walking away from them, over something that eventually happens to every starter to ever play this game. The lack of character. The lack of maturity. The galling lack of decency and situational awareness for such an overpaid underachiever. These things cannot be ignored. And they are why Bradford cannot be a model of success for Wentz. And we know because we’ve had better examples than Bradford.

QB

Word now is that Bradford won’t report to the team. This is bull. Unless he’s willing to retire and wave sayonara to the 35 million he just signed for, at some point he has to report to the team. Failing that, he’s risking a lawsuit and nothing he’s done in the last week would cause any judge or jury to take his side. So he’ll be here no later than Week One, but likely for Training Camp. (And he could always show up at OTA’s and blame it on the media as them making a story out of nothing.)

I’d trade Bradford. For pretty much anything I could get for him. I’d ship him to Arizona, so he could sit behind a guy named Carson. Or to Houston where their horrible offensive line just got a little worse after we raided it for G Brandon Brooks. Or to San Francisco where he would find love among his own kind. Even if it meant eating some of his 2016 cap figure it A) Is less than eating all of his cap figure; and B) Gets rid of a locker room cancer.

If Head Coach Doug Pederson still wants to develop Wentz behind a veteran, we still have Chase Daniel. Not that I think that Daniel has a lot of wisdom to impart either, but at this point Sam Bradford has invalidated himself both as a professional and as a man. That is not the sort of person we want leaving any fingerprints on our next franchise QB.

SAM BRADFORD CAN HELP US.

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/04/25
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Draft, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

supergreen

BUTTHURT. That is the way I felt when the Eagles decided to go against all common sense and re-sign “quarterback” Sam Bradford. I’d predicted all the while that Bradford wouldn’t be our QB in 2016. I was so sure. There wasn’t a single reason to bring Bradford back. Not one. So when it was announced that we’d done it anyway, I was mad enough to shit myself two new assholes.

His contract had expired! We had been freed! Logic had already applied a thick layer of grease to the streets of Philadelphia. All anyone had to do was give Bradford the slightest shove, and he’d have slid all the way from his locker to the airport. But General Manager Howie Roseman chose to re-sign him. And then gave away the farm to to get the number two pick in the Draft to try to replace him. This left us all saying “Wait. What??”

My thinking is that Roseman could have moved up to that number two pick without tying up so much guaranteed money in a guy he didn’t want to keep anyway. Then again I’m not an NFL GM. What the hell do I know, right? And don’t even get me started on Chase Daniel. Remember him? Well if you do, that probably means you’re somehow related to him, because to this point in his “career” he’s been utterly forgettable.

The idea here was to draft a QB and let him sit behind Bradford and learn for bit before taking over, like Donovan McNabb did behind now Head Coach Doug Pederson. Like Bradford, Pederson was a lackluster NFL QB, but it worked out for McNabb. Then again McNabb’s Head Coach (Andy Reid) was (and still is) an offensive mastermind. Whoever sits behind Bradford would be sitting behind a mediocre QB without an Andy Reid on the staff. So be prepared for this time around to work out somewhat differently. (If indeed the Eagles do select a QB with that pick. There’s some back-channel chatter.)

The way I see it, we can trade Bradford, and let the rookie QB sit behind Daniel. I mean mediocrity is mediocrity, right? Why split hairs over which of two piles of dog shit tastes worse? It’s all dog shit, and they shouldn’t be making the fans eat any of it!

I still think Bradford can help the Eagles for years to come. If the Eagles trade him to Dallas, he can become Tony Romo’s successor, and throw checkdown after checkdown, effectively neutering Dez Bryant for the remainder of the contract he held the Cowboys hostage to get from them.

I don’t care what we get for him. As my friend King Danny from NFC EAST IMPERIAL said “I don’t care if we get a ham sandwich for him”. I have to agree with that. I don’t care what we get for him. So long as we can shoehorn him onto a rival’s roster. But the bottom line is fuck that whiny bitch. If Bradford wants to go, I hope Roseman makes him and Eagles fans everywhere happy, by granting Bradford his wish.

THE EAGLES 2016 SCHEDULE

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/04/15
Posted in: Conversations, NFL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . 3 Comments

 

THERE is so much to hate about this schedule that I hardly know where to start. It seems almost as if it was designed to trip the team up, regardless of how well we’re doing at any point in the year. I have to say the schedule makers showed true artistry and absolute mastery in subtly, yet thoroughly, fucking us over this year. I almost have to stand back and admire the job they’ve done.

2016 article schedule

Right at the top of the schedule is a home game on 9/11. Granted, most teams are playing on that day as well, but we open at home that day. So basically you can throw out the purely celebratory vibe that would normally accompany a home opener. Nothing throws an air of triviality onto watching sports like a national day of mourning. Thanks NFL!!

After three games (two non-conference), we get a Bye Week for some reason. I hate early Bye Weeks. They occur before the real wear and tear sets in enough for that week off to mean something. Also it means that in the event that we do win the division, we have to do it on a 12 week dead-run, with no chance to get a breath along the way.

Even more fun is not getting to play back to back home games until the last two weeks of the season. The traveling we do during weeks 5 through 9 would be enough to fatigue some teams. Add to that that 3 of those 5 games are road games against division opponents, and you get an idea of how a simple thing like scheduling can de-rail a season, or at least put it in jeopardy early on. See what I mean by subtle artistry?

Since half of our division games are in the last 4 weeks, there is no way for us to run away with the NFC East unless we head into Week 14 undefeated; and with a Seattle, Green Bay, Cincinnati sandwich (Weeks 11-13), that’s not at all likely to happen. So even if the Eagles are 8 – 4 heading into Week 14, the division will still likely be very much up in the air. That means that Head Coach Doug Pederson likely has to run the team into the ground in order to secure a playoff spot.

Look, I expected that the schedule makers wouldn’t do us any favors, but this is almost like they put a contract out on us. That’s not to say that we can’t win the division. We can, we should and we likely will. Especially since our opponents themselves (excepting our recent history vs Seattle and Green Bay) all look very beatable. But gall dang! This year’s schedule is of no help to us whatsoever.

SCHEDULE

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.

ezeelli

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:

war hulk.jpg

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.

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.)

SAM BRADFORD WON’T BE BACK

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/01/29
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 12 Comments

Warning__300_by_SeiyruRenaih

AFTER A sub .500 year, the Eagles fired the head coach, and brought in a new one who favors the West Coast Offense. This was after a lackluster season by a Heisman Trophy winning QB who’d peaked in college.

I’m not talking about 2015, I’m talking about 1998. The fired Head Coach was Ray Rhodes, the new coach was Andy Reid and the QB was Ty Detmer. Owner Jeff Lurie didn’t call it a rebuild, but he allowed Reid to come in and scrap everything about the Rhodes era. What shortsighted fans don’t get is that we’ve been here before.

This time around it’s Doug Pederson hired on the heels of a toxic Chip Kelly era. As poisoned as that locker room became, do you really think for an instant that Lurie wants Pederson to do anything short of a total rebuild? And what bigger change could the Eagles make than the very face of the franchise?

You used to be able to drive out I-95 near the Broad Street exit, turn your head and SEE our franchise emblazoned on the side of the stadium. The number of Donovan McNabb Eagles jerseys in circulation probably still outnumbers the combined number of Nick Foles and Sam Bradford Eagles jerseys. The Eagles haven’t had such a guy since 2009. And don’t you dare think for an instant that those things are lost on Lurie.

Fixing the culture and the bottom line are easier to do with a new trigger man running the Offense. It also fits hand-in-glove with inking players like TE Zach Ertz and OT Lane Johnson to new deals. (Also the numbers on Johnson’s deal hint strongly at a coming move from RT to LT, which I mentioned about a week ago.)

In case you’re missing it, the theme for this offseason will be stability. And since you can’t get stability with your fingers crossed over a brittle, underachiever with poor leadership skills… Unless something truly disturbing happens, expect the Eagles to move on from Bradford relatively soon.

WHERE I STAND ON DOUG PEDERSON

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/01/14
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Offense. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 22 Comments

Packers Eagles Football

LIE and say that this hire excites you. I dare you to do it without bursting into flames. In all truth I can’t say I like it either, but until he proves us right, we the fans have to live with Doug Pederson as the leader of our beloved Eagles. I could sit here and rail against it, or what I could do is find something about it to like. Find something in it that I can root for each Sunday. When I looked there were already a couple of things that jumped out at me.

Doug Pederson is not a genius. That’s not sarcasm for he’s an idiot, that’s listing not being a genius as a strength. When both Andy Reid and Chip Kelly got here, they were already hailed as leading minds in their areas of expertise; and both men in some way or another attempted to reinvent the wheel in a game as straightforward as football. Pederson isn’t that guy, so his approach will likely be more traditional in nature.

Doug Pederson wasn’t a very good Offensive Coordinator. This year the Chiefs ranked 27th in yards. Last year they ranked 25th. The year before it was 21st. So every year they got worse under him. This means he isn’t going to be married to one side of the ball as his savior. In fact if anything, he’s a former OC who has learned (through his own failures) the value of a strong Defense.

Doug Pederson is a former NFL player. He can relate to players in a way that neither of our last two head coaches could have. He understands what it means to be benched, and can tell a guy that there is an upside to helping groom the man beneath him on the depth chart, as Pederson did for Donovan McNabb.

Doug Pederson has had no bad teachers. Pederson has spent his entire NFL career learning from Andy Reid, and still has his teacher’s brain to pick over stuff. What that will mean now, remains to be seen. However, at least no one can claim his education in and about this league is lacking. Which is a far cry from what I was saying when Kelly was hired.

Doug Pederson is under no illusions. He’s familiar with the Jeff Lurie/Howie Roseman dynamic. He even knows some of the talent that’s still here (Brandon Graham, Mychal Kendricks, Jason Kelce, Brent Celek, Riley Cooper, Fletcher Cox, etc.) . He knows the Eagles are a mess and it’s his job to clean it up. And he knows how the media and fans will be if he doesn’t.

So it’s not ALL bad. In fact there are some building blocks here. So while I’m not thrilled with this hire, I’m not going to belly-ache about it either. After spending three years not believing in Kelly, I’m STARVING for a coach I can get behind again. So I’m going to take a leap of faith based on these good signs and cast my lot with Pederson. No “if’s”. No “buts”. No hedging my bets.

I’m all in.