NEXT year DE Chris Long is due 3.5M$ in the final year of his contract. That’s a pittance for what we’re getting in exchange. Aside from being a reliable, productive player, Long is an extremely high-quality person off the field. On the field, he plays starter level minutes, but he never bitches that he doesn’t get to start, and doesn’t make starter level money. (Note: Over the last two seasons, Long has more sacks (11.5) than any giant besides starter Olivier Vernon (13.5).
Every time the giants overpay a former Dolphin, an Eagle gets his wings.
Chris is rare. Our odds of finding another player like him, are staggeringly low. When he leaves, regardless of how he leaves, we will miss him. Even if we find another player like him, we’ll have a situation where we could have had two like him. There is no getting around the fact that we are better with him. And Jerome forbid, Long should go to a division rival, like the aforementioned giants!
So keeping Long should be a no-brainer.
He said that he’s mulling retirement. However he also said “I’m literally just kind of sitting back and seeing what the Eagles do, and who they bring in, or don’t bring in, and how deep that room gets.” And he also said “Listen, I know I’m an older guy. But, you know, I don’t think I’ve missed a practice over the last two years. I feel like I’ve been durable and ready when called upon.” In addition to that, and most importantly, he said “I’d like to play football in 2019”.
Let me run that by you one mo’ ‘gin: “I’d like to play football in 2019”.
What you just read were multiple examples of a guy quietly making his case. He’s saying to the Front Office that he’s still viable. That he still has good football in him. He’s waiting for the Eagles to say “Chris, we’d like you back. Will you come back?” That’s it. That’s what the man is waiting for. He has a contract, he just wants to know if Executive Vice President of Football Operations (EVPF– Fuck it), GM Howie Roseman wants him to stay.
Last year (March 2018) when he was mulling retirement, I said we’d be fine at DE, even with the loss of he andVinny Curry. However at that time, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Steven Means were all under contract, and we’d even added Micheal Bennett.
As I said in RE-ARMING FOR WAR, the loss of Graham and Long, (Steven Means now plays in Atlanta), would leave us with Bennett, Barnett (returning from injury), and second year DE Josh Sweat. Sweat is also returning from injury, and he didn’t really flash before he got hurt.
So we need Long. We need him for character, depth, production and even tactically. Yeah, tactically. He understands the nuances of what his spot demands situationally, for this scheme. So if on a given down, he needs to freelance, he can do it without downgrading the integrity of the unit. You can’t get that from a new player. Even if that player is a ten year vet.
This is a phone call. This is that phone call that Reggie Whiteand Brian Dawkins didn’t get from the Front Office. Not to put Long on that level, but the ease of resolving this situation is similar. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot if we don’t. This is easy. We need to get this done.
THIS was a well deserved loss. We earned that shit. Yay, us. Whether you want to point to the Special Teams celebrating before a kick-off, the Offense throwing shallow routes to players that then headed out of bounds in the 4th quarter, or the Defense being yet again incapable of generating a turnover, there is plenty of blame and SHAME to go around this week.
Eagles 17 – Panthers 21
Don’t get cute. That’s what cost the Eagles this game. Just like the Titans game. Not being able to finish at the end, can be pointed to as a cause of this team now being sub .500. Let me say that again. The Eagles are SUB .500.
QB Carson Wentz (30/37 – 81.0 – 310 – 2 – 0) was completely on his game, save for that one errant throw that left his hand weird, on the last drive. WR Alshon Jeffery (7 – 88 – 12.5 – 1) and TE Zach Ertz (9 -138 – 15.3 – 0) were out there looking like the Dynamic Duo. They seemed to ZAP! POW! ZLORP! any coverage they faced all day. After watching RB Wendell Smallwood(9 – 32 – 3.6 – 0 – 0) demonstrate that he’s NEVER a threat to break one, and RB Corey Clement(8 – 6 – 0.7 – 0 – 1) nearly ruin a scoring drive, GM Howie Roseman is probably pantless and bent over a desk with Pittsburgh as you read this.
Defensively? Our defenders should be paid 75 cents on the dollar for this week. It would only be fair.
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, 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) Make their RB beat us:That was going well until the Defense shrugged their shoulders and left to get an early dinner or whatever. RB Christian McCaffery (7 – 29 – 4.1 – 0 – 0 / 6 – 51 – 8.5 – 0) was held in check even as the intermediate and deep passing game was taken away from the Panthers. It makes this part hard to grade, because for three quarters we were pitching a shutout with this approach. It wasn’t until we… You know what. When we did it, it worked, and we did it for over half the game. I’m going to grade it on a technicality and on that alone. DONE
2) Get a second WR involved:WR Nelson Agholor(6 – 20 – 3.3 – 0) didn’t even average 5 yards (just half a first down) per catch, so it’s hard to put him down as “involved”. As a result, the run game yielded 58 yards on 24 carries for a grand average of 2.4 yards. No serious offense can live that way. NOT DONE
3) Surprise me!:Given our thin cupboard at DT, the Eagles said this week that they had a plan. The “plan” turned out to be starting DT Treyvon Hester (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) and rotating in, DT Bruce Hector(0 – 0.5 – 0 – 0). I chose to be kind here and wonder if both players couldn’t get penetration, because they just ran out of gas late in the game. Especially given that Hester doesn’t generally see much playing time, and Hector was basically called off his couch a few days ago. Hector’s re-signing was hardly a surprise given that he was here during preseason.NOT DONE
4) Maintain balance: “Not 35, 37, or 38.9999999. We need at least 40 percent.” Those are my exact words from Four Things. In this game of the 61 plays we ran, 37 were passes, 24 were runs. The run selection percentage? 39.3. Leading 17 – 14 with 7 minutes and change left in the game, is what your run game is for. That is not the time to throw short passes to the flat, near the sideline. This is is where getting cute HURTS. This is where you need to be able to FINISH. Instead, we let incompletions and poor choices allow time for the opponent to come back and cut our throats. NOT DONE
So this week’s score is a dismal 1 out of 4, bringing the yearly to 11 of 28. It’s an appalling score, but one befitting a 3 – 4 team that likes to give games away. Next week we travel across the pond to see if we can survive a reeling Jaguars team and claw back to .500.
On The Whole:
The more I write about this, the more stunned I become. You’d think the loss of the lead would have been the stunner, but nope. It’s all the ignored fundamentals that seem like they’re just dangling at the tips of our fingers. It’s almost like Head Coach Doug Pederson is waiting for the moment to turn it on.
For instance, why are we starting Wendell Smallwood? He has no big play ability and there isn’t a player, a coach, or a ball-boy who doesn’t know it. It’s a handicap that we’ve given ourselves.
Why are we bunching the WR’s up on the ends of the line, instead of spreading out the formation? This is hurting the run game, as it keeps more defenders around to clog up lanes. (And no, this can’t be used to exonerate Smallwood, since even when he does pop free, he’s easy to run down.)
Why are we leaving the outside arm of the DE’s uncovered so much? It makes it hard to set the edge on Sweeps, Jet-Sweeps, Tosses, and Pitches. It also means the QB doesn’t have to take a second look, before throwing a Screen.
Why doesn’t Doug TELL Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz, to blitz a little more often? We’ve gotten to a point where we get pressure, but it doesn’t cause turnovers. If anything it makes opposing QB’s look like old-school heroes. Week in and week out they seem content to stand in the pocket and trade a small hit for a big completion.
We’re 3 – 4 on a season where we should be 5 – 2. (The losses to Tampa and Minny were legit losses.) The more I think about this loss, the more stunned I become. By next Sunday, I may be catatonic. Pray for me.
THE Eagles need to string two wins together. Period. Last week we did what we should have, and thoroughly handled a bad giants team. This week offers a somewhat tougher opponent, whom we need to find a way to beat. This isn’t a “must win” game. It’s not a “test our mettle” game. We don’t need to “make a statement” this week. This is about hosting a team, beating their asses, and sending them home. This is TCB. Plain and simple.
QB Carson Wentzis looking better with every game. Right now we’re RB by committee, but RB Corey Clement is clearly the most effective RB on the roster. If I had any say, he would start. As of today, Fletcher Coxand Treyvon Hester(pffft, beats me) are our only fully healthy DT’s heading into Sunday, but the coaching staff claims to have a plan. (Uhhhh…yay?)
This week the Eagles get to decide if last week’s win was us getting our mojo back, or just the giants being worse than we were that night. Aside from this being a conference match-up, there isn’t much to hype about it. This is largely the Panthers team we beat last year. It’s us who’s undergone more significant change since then. For that reason, don’t try to match or compare last year’s game with this one. Don’t think that last year’s formula will yield last year’s results. Don’t expect the Panthers to fold quite as easily as they did last time we played. (Emphasis on the word ‘quite’.)
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus Carolina :
1) Make their RB beat us: Take away the deep ball, to take away the big play. Panther QB Cam Newton is a guy who plays well only when things go well. He turns into a petulant CHILD when they don’t.
Seriously. What kind of woman fucks a guy like this?
Take him emotionally out of the game, put the offense squarely on the shoulders of their RB, and turn it into a boring, grind out style ballgame.
2) Get a second WR involved:WR Alshon Jeffery has been a beast. His being doubled and bracketed is getting TE Zach Ertzall kinds of open. That said, the Eagles need a second WR (Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Clifford Franklin…)
to step up, and stretch opposing defenses horizontally, to open up big plays for runs up the middle.
3) Surprise me!:We’re heading into this game with just three DT’s, one of which (Haloti Ngata) should probably be on a pitch count. We have a few DE’s who log snaps at DT, but no one who should play on running downs. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartzhad better have one hell of a wrinkle up his sleeve, because right now, this sort of looks terrifying.
4) Maintain balance:It would be disingenuous of me to tell the Eagles to “run the damned ball”, again. Disingenuous and beating a dead horse. It seems like they may have gotten my message. They also seem to like it when Wentz doesn’t get beat to shit, during a game. That said, we DO need to maintain a run-play selection of at least 40 percent. Not 35, 37, or 38.9999999. We need at least 40 percent.
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:
The Eagles will split carries between RB’S Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement, in order for GM Howie Roseman to determine if he needs to make a move by the October 30th trade deadline. Out of 32 teams, the Panthers are 15th against the run. Sso while they aren’t a huge challenge, they are a legitimate proving ground on which Roseman can base his assessment.
While the Eagles rank in the lower echelon of the NFL in offensive rankings, it needs to be stated that we’ve worked past many of the difficulties and injuries that hampered us earlier this season. We also seem to be understanding who we need to be, in order to win.
The same cannot be said of a Carolina team that is still missing both offensive tackles, who started every game for them in 2017 (Ouch!). Despite a good QB passer rating, they are a 26th ranked passing team, whose run game is mostly smoke and mirrors. Their RB had 184 of his 349 rushing yards, come in one game. He otherwise averages 41 per game. Newton chipping in (45 – 208 – 4.6 – 3) on the ground this year, inflates the appearance of the Panthers rushing attack, on paper.
The Panthers live on their defense getting pressure and forcing turnovers. If an opponent doesn’t feed these paper tigers, they usually fold by about a touchdown. We don’t commit a ton of turnovers, so as long as we stick to that, we should win a close one that comes down to the last possession or so.
EAGLES fans have been so busy slapping each other on the back, congratulating ourselves, and singing the praises of GM Howie Roseman, that we almost missed something important. Almost.
Dallas might be teaching the NFL how to afford a QB in the 30 million per year, era. It’s not a lesson that Howie can follow, and you’ll understand why, as I explain why it’s going to work for Dallas (and other teams). It does however indicate, that the Cowboys front office is developing the ability to think ahead, and not just live one season at a time.
Cowboys QB, Dak Prescott, is about to be three quarters through his rookie deal, with Free Agency looming after the 2019 season. Given routine inflation, and any 2019 deals that could move the needle, Dallas clearly would be better served signing Prescott to a long-term extension after the 2018 season. That’s why there are conversations about this issue happening two seasons ahead.
Cowboys GM Stephen Jones said, just last Wednesday “You kind of, when the time comes, [expect to pay him]. I know Dak is going to have a good year this year. I hope it’s up there. It’s going to be as he deserves.”
He expects Prescott to have a good year? Really? How? By allowing his two primary weapons for 2017 to walk, and not replacing them? By shifting to a more run-oriented approach? By not improving the defense, which will force more shootouts which the Cowboys aren’t armed for? Seems like it will be hard for Prescott to even reach the 22.5 passing touchdown he’s averaged per season so far.
I find it interesting that the focus of the offseason has been to make the Cowboys offense more “Dak friendly”. Not more “Dak led” or “Dak keyed” or “Dak centered”. The term is “Dak friendly”. Look up each of those phrases, and tell me what you find. FYI: You’ll find more of THIS.
Whether most of their fan base accepts it or not, the Cowboys are in re-build mode. Understanding that they can’t compete for the division this year, their front office has decided to tank Prescott’s 2018, to help control their future costs. (Sort of like the Philadelphia 76ers tanked for years to contribute to “The Process”.)
The Cowboys went 13-3 in Prescott’s rookie year, then went 9-7 last year, with his play being reflective of both years. One more down year and he’ll look like a QB in regression, so he won’t “deserve” top dollar. From anyone. (Which helps keeps any bidding down.) At that point Dallas can sign him for multiple years, at a rate closer to 2016 top QB prices than to 2020’s top QB prices.
This is why Dallas isn’t getting him any real weapons. They’re capping his upside now, to be able to afford a team later. It’s a pretty cagey move on their part. Otherwise they’re stuck with creating holes all over their roster, to overpay their QB and RB in couple years.
The Eagles can’t follow that example, because now there is an air of extreme expectation among us fans. When the time comes, QB Carson Wentzwill command a boatload of money, and many well-loved veterans are going to hit the cutting room floor, to make that affordable. Sorry Eagles fans, but it’s true. (Unless Howie has more tricks up his sleeve.)
That’s where these 11 draft picks fit in:
RdHow acquired
1 Eagles’ own pick
2 Eagles’ own pick
3 Eagles’ own pick
4 Eagles’ own pick
4 Compensatory pick (Trey Burton)
5 Eagles’ own pick
6 Eagles’ own pick
6 Compensatory pick (Beau Allen)
6 Compensatory pick (Patrick Robinson)
7 Eagles’ own pick
7 (Conditional. Acquired from Broncos for Allen Barbre – Exact conditions not yet known)
Dallas has yet to learn how to leverage draft picks as well as Philadelphia does. That leaves them having to sacrifice the entire 2018 season, in order to control future costs.
Still, for anyone who’s scratching their heads over how and why Dallas is operating these days, now you get their plan. It’s pretty fool-proof too. I have to commend Dallas on this one. Which is why I’m hoping that Prescott has a great statistical year, despite the team being under .500 for the year.
Keep an eye on the Cowboys this year. This will be fun to watch. One way or the other.
PHILADELPHIA just won a Super Bowl. We’re picking 32nd. We don’t need new starters, because many are signed through the next few years. Even our primary back-ups are gold nuggets.
Thanks to General Manager Howie Roseman, the Eagles boast what is almost certainly the NFL’s most complete and deepest roster. There are some thinnish spots (OLB and TE) and some older spots (LT, C, WR, and DE), but it’s nothing that a strong Draft can’t smoothly pave over. All we need is a strong Draft.
And therein lies the problem.
This Draft has some goodies tat he top of it, and some nifty do-dads near the bottom, but the middle is like a vast wasteland, if your team isn’t desperate for talent. I almost wish we could reserve our picks, and sit this year out. However, that’s not how this works.
So I put together a Wishlist of prospects that I’d like to see the Eagles use our picks on. (Provided we don’t trade out of spot.) This list is less about the individuals talent that they bring to the team, and more about how they fit into what we do already. View this list with that in mind.
Word is that he’s fallen off since getting hurt, but we don’t want him bringing his college game/technique to the NFL in the first place. He’s got a good motor, a mean streak, and unlike our current back-up LT, he doesn’t have heavy feet. As usual, I prefer using game tape over using a highlight reel if I can. That way you see what a player is like, down in and down out.
Now is where it gets weird. Avery has a 5th or 6t round grade on him, but to Hell with that. Less important than where we get a guy, is THAT we get a guy who does what we need. He may not be there later, so get him now. He’s a powerful guy playing in a scheme that suits him poorly. He’s moved around the formation (inside the box, on the edge, matched up in man), so he offers the chance to be a 3 down player.
4) Round 5 Pick 32 (#169 overall): RB – CHRIS WARREN III
“Warren has a 7th round grade on him! Why reach and get him this early??! Draft picks aren’t free! This isn’t Madden, dumbass!” I hear you, I hear you. Take a breath and let me ask you: “Will we miss LeGarrette Blount?” What if we we could replace him with a younger, cheaper player who already has some pass protection polish to his game? He won’t start, but he can fill that third RB role. Look at the WHOLE tape and tell me that he’s not worth a 5th rounder.
He’s more of a Nickle LB/Safety tweener, which we have a couple of already. The whole idea is to draft a Special Teams coverage Ace, who can also play some actual defense.
I’m not a big fan of highlight videos. However, given that so much of what this guy does is on Special Teams, it seemed silly to look for regular downs-type game video. Take a look and tell me if he reminds you of anyone.
So that’s what the Draft would look like if I had my way. I mean it’s pressure-free! Seriously, what do you get for the team that has everything? This Draft is a restocking run. That’s it. It’s a replenishment of depth, where hopefully we’ll find more gold in this Draft.
SALARY cap woes for this year, are being worked out in ways that makes GM Howie Roseman look like a genius. We went from being 10M$ over the cap to currently being just 2M$ over, and still managing to extend OLB Nigel Bradham, as well as add DE Michael Bennett, and DT Haloti Ngata. At first glance, Howie is absolutely killing the salary cap issue. KILLING IT.
However…
In all truth, all he’s really doing is delaying the inevitable. At some point, we’ll still have to pay the piper, and it seems as if that point is only about 364 or so, days away.
A look ahead to the 2019 cap space for the NFC East:
As things stand today, we will be nearly 30 million dollars over the projected 177M$ salary cap. Just to get back to even, it will take a number of brutally painful cuts to our roster. That in mind, it would behoove Eagles brass to inform the coaching staff about this, so that they can begin to groom 2019’s replacements, this season.
Look, this is a team with a young nucleus. The championship window should be open for at least another five to six years. We just need to make sure that we don’t let accounting errors, slam that window shut on us.
(2a.m., coffee bathes the lower halves of my pupils, fingers flying, ‘No Church In the Wild’ on repeat, on repeat, on repeat.)
(Whispering) Run with me.
TRADING away a 5th round pick and WR Marcus Johnson, to get DE Michael Bennett and a 7th round pick, seems like a steal on the surface. A fiery, veteran pass rusher, who’s used to winning? That sounds like a guy any defense would be happy to have in their starting line-up. Clearly we crushed the fuck out of this trade.
Whoa now. Pump the brakes. While there’s no knocking the addition of Bennett, his being added to the roster signals two things.
The first thing is that, the Eagles are about to release DE Vinny Curry, in move that’s designed to save the team $5M of the $11M he’s scheduled to be paid in 2018. (Initially I’d put my feelings about that in this article, but it hijacked the article’s tone. So, I decided to relocate those paragraphs. They’re still part of the original draft, they just weren’t added to what you can see here.)
The second thing it signals is, Derek Barnettwill now become our starting RDE. No surprise there. That was the plan from the moment he was drafted on the steps to the Art Museum’s East Door last Spring. However, Curry’s contract still had guaranteed money on it, and that didn’t facilitate Curry being a back-up in 2017. So Barnett sat lat year.
That was last year.
It remains to be seen how this will affect our run defense however, since Curry was our best DE against the run in 2017. Curry did an excellent job of setting the edge of the defense last season, and keeping runs from successfully bouncing wide, on his side. It remains to be seen if Barnett can hold it down the same way.
For his part, Bennett is here to be the 2018 version of Chris Long. A veteran player who probably isn’t as good as he used to be over 16 full games, but might be awesome over 16 half games. There can be no doubt that he will put heat on QB’s, and probably make our four man pass rush even more effective than it was in 2017.
While Bennett can be moved around pretty much anywhere on the Defensive Line, he’s likely to mainly line up at RDE. I love that. A QB who sees Bennett lined up on his blind-side, is already thinking of quickly dumping the ball. Even before the ball is snapped. That’s already a rushed pass.
Basically Bennett means we can intimidate opposing passers, just because of where we line him up. Not bad Howie Roseman. Not bad at all.
Oh yeah, just because I put this out, doesn’t mean I skipped out on today’s THE 12 article. You can find that rightHERE
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
+ + + + + +
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.
WHENHowie Rosemanis screwing up, we let him know about it, and rightfully so. As fans that’s part of what we’re required to do to keep up our end. There is however, another part that we aren’t so good at. When Howie gets it right, we tend to be damned quiet about giving the man his due credit. As of today, that has to change, and by the time you finish this article, you’ll want to make sure it does.
This franchise is trying to get back to where it was from 2000 to 2008. Back then, we were amongst the powerhouse teams in the NFL. We were part of every serious conversation about who would win it all during those years. Now, after almost a decade as a fringe team, the Eagles Front Office has decided to bite the bullet and do what I’ve been screaming for since I was still writing on YardBarker, back in 2009. Whatever they choose call it, or however they want to brand it, the Eagles are rebuilding.
The last time the Eagles rebuilt it was done without fan input. Remember when so many people wanted RB Ricky Williams but the Eagles instead drafted QB Donovan McNabb? Remember how fans reacted? Today McNabb is the greatest QB in franchise history, and many local (let me stress the word local) fans still shrug over it. This is why the F.O. ignores us. If all we can or will do is complain, they have every reason to tune us out.
On the other hand, we screamed and screamed for them to get McNabb a WR while they flat out ignored us. When they finally did get McNabb that WR, what happened? We went to the Super Bowl that same year, and McNabb had the best year of his entire career. No other season even comes close. Eagles fans are frequently called by announcers “the most knowledgeable fan base in the league”. Maybe F.O. would be wise to listen to us here and there. Conversely, maybe we should focus on saying something worth hearing.
When Roseman gets it wrong we need to be vocal, but we need to be equally as vocal when he gets it right. It would represent a change in fan type that the F.O. would have to look into. Even if only (at first) to better understand how to adjust their marketing strategies.
So how do we do it? Get on WIP just as you always have, but find something to also praise, when you issue your next complaint about Roseman or Owner Jeffery Lurie. Mention a guy who’s jersey you wouldn’t mind seeing on your kids. Talk about why you don’t want certain types of players on this team. Go to the Eagles Message Boards (that I’m still banned from), and do these same things.
Elevate the discussion so that it literally pays for them to listen to you, and make it cost them to ignore you. Make it clear that ignoring you has a negative impact. If not on the roster, then at the very least on the team’s bottom line.
Fellow fan, you can help this rebuild. You can be a part of steering the Eagles. Yes you can. But to do that, something has to change, and it has to, starting today.
RUMOR has it that the Eagles need to draft a speedy WR. The idea is to give QB Carson Wentz a legitimate, defense stretching weapon to throw to. I have several issues with that assessment and how it was arrived at, but I’ll wait to address my beefs on that subject with tomorrow’s (already written) article. For today, I want to bring you the Good News and the Bad News.
The Good News:
For anyone hoping that the Eagles draft a WR early, you will almost certainly get your wish. The last time we had a franchise QB (Donovan McNabb), the former offensive lineman who coached this team (Andy Reid), took forever to get his QB a real WR (Terrell Owens). The very year that he did, the QB had the best year of his career and we went to the Super Bowl. A year later, the team ditched the WR and began to slowly deteriorate.
The current Head Coach (Doug Pederson) and Offensive Coordinator (Frank Reich) both used to be NFL QBs. Both men know the importance of a good WR for a QB, and they will waste no time in getting Wentz someone to play catch with. So be prepared to celebrate drafting a WR early.
The Bad News:
The 2017 Draft is dreadfully short on genuine speed, so this year that trait will be at an even higher premium than usual. Even after we were eliminated from playoff contention, our team prioritized winning games over improving our Draft position. The result was that we fell from the 8th spot to the 12th spot in each round after the 1st round. In the 1st round we get Minnesota’s pick, which is 14th overall. Teams ahead of us that also could use WR help: Cleveland (picking twice), Chicago, San Fran, NYJ, Carolina and Buffalo.
That’s not saying that all of those teams will take a speedy WR. It just means there is more demand than supply. So in order to get into position to get the WR we need from the Draft, we’ll likely have to move up. Put another way: We’ll likely have to overpay this year, to pair a WR with the QB we overpaid for last year.
That is unless we wise up.
GM (I’m calling him that) Howie Roseman said that we’re not doing “band-aids”, which he was using as shorthand for a getting a high-priced Free Agent. While that should put to bed any rumor of signing DeSean Jackson, it doesn’t have to mean that we will completely avoid signing a FA WR.
Already there are rumblings that we may be interested in Dolphin WR Kenny Stills. That would be an absolutely solid move to make. He’s 24, has the speed we’re said to need, and he’s a proven NFL veteran.
One FA name you aren’t hearing about, is Viking WR Cordarrelle Patterson. He’s been criminally underutilized for years, serving primarily as a killer KR for a borderline team. He’d likely welcome a more prominent role and the type of contracts that come with it.
These are examples of moves we could complete well in advance of the Draft. It would save us a high draft pick, but more importantly, Wentz would have a proven vet to work with. Otherwise we’re risking the development of our franchise QB, on a highly drafted rookie that we hope won’t be the nextNelson Agholor.
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