Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Marshall, McNabb, and More

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Matt Alkire has an interesting item for you to check out concerning CB Richard Marshall.

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DRAFT TALK

I posted some draft thoughts on PE.com.

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MORE ON DONNIE MAC

I will vote for McNabb to go to the Pro Bowl.  I encourage you to do so as well.  We need him in there to get the 3rd round pick next year.  The conditions are simple, per Adam Schefter:

1. McNabb goes to the Pro Bowl
2. McNabb plays 70 percent of the snaps in Washington and the Redskins win at least nine games.
Option 2 will not happen.  I repeat, it will not happen.  The minute they get to 8 wins I call a certain phone number and say "We have tangos in the wire. Go to Emergency Plan Bravo...now."  Certain people report to the Redskins training facility and begin making "adjustments".  Do not be surprised if the entire offensive line dies in a bizarre gardening accident.  

As far as what going to the Pro Bowl means...that is a great question.  I'm going to assume it means that he gets voted in.  I'm not sure if being an alternate that plays in the game because others dropped out is good enough.  I'll look into that.  

A couple of people wondered about what Mike Shanahan can do for McNabb.  Could this be Elway, part 2?  No, I sure don't think so.  John Elway carried multiple Broncos teams on his back to the Super Bowl.  That group was not littered with elite players.  He didn't have gifted runners or receivers.  Elway was so special that he willed them to the Super Bowl.  The NFC got the better of him, but those were some good teams that Elway lost to.  When is the last time that McNabb put the Eagles on his back and led them to a big win in the playoffs?  Long time ago.  Elway was better prior to his SB wins than McNabb is at this point.  Donovan probably has better numbers, but a lot of that is due to the rules changes that have really opened up the passing game.  

I think Mike and McNabb will work well together and have some success, but expecting Washington to immediately become a SB contender might be a bit much.  Remember that those Broncos teams had multiple HOF type players (Sharpe, Zimmerman, TD, Elway).  Some people believe WR Rod Smith to be a HOFer.  Does McNabb have a stud LT, RB, TE, and WR in Washington?  No.  Not yet, anyway.  If they make some big moves we'll re-visit the topic.  

One anecdotal note...I think this notion of Donovan hatred in Philly gets over-played.  I could be wrong, but go to The Linc and tell me how many #5 jerseys you see.  Listen to the cheers for McNabb.  He absoutely has his share of detractors, but I think a majority of Eagles fans love McNabb for everything he's done for us in the last 11 years.  There is a real vocal minority that definitely has it out for him.  

Did the Eagles play their cards right?  Impossible question.  What was the exact goal?  To get max value?  To get the deal done in early April?  To appease Donovan as much as possible?  This really was a complex scenario because of who was involved and the circumstances.  If Donovan was signed for a few years that would have changed things.  If there were more decent teams in need of a QB that would have helped.  If this didn't take place under the pressure of the Philly media that would have made life easier.  Honestly, I'm just glad it is done.  I'm ready to focus on Kolb and the future. 


ANSWERS

RE:  Macho Harris

I think he has no shot at RCB.  I do think he has a legit chance to be the slot corner.  MmmBop didn't play well down the stretch.  He has to fight for his job.  Macho Man was outstanding against Atlanta in the slot and deserves a chance to play there if he's not in the lead at FS.  It seems like we'd prefer him to be a backup this year.  


RE:  Sheldon trade

I said this before.  Think of the deal as Sheldon for a 4th & 5th and Gocong for Hall straight up.  The compensation isn't ideal, but you have to consider some factors.  Gocong was a RFA.  He wasn't an ideal fit for us anymore.  You can say we traded a starting LB, but he wasn't projected to start in 2010 and that is what made him expendable.  Sheldon wanted his deal adjusted.  That wasn't going to happen here.  


RE:  mid-round OL targets

I've been working on this list.  I'll save this for another day when I can address it more in-depth.  Any surprise draft positions that my be targeted???  RB.  I'm not sure how many people that will surprise.  McCoy is young.  Bell signed a 1-year deal.  We love Leonard Part 6, but think of him as a FB first and foremost.   DT could be an early target, but I'm not sure if that would surprise anyone.  


RE:  Morgan Burnett vs Nate Allen

I think Nate is absolutely the better prospect.  He is a complete player.  Burnett is a ball-hawk, but his tackling is very sloppy.  He is not an aggressive run defender and that bugs me.  We'll see if the Eagles agree or if they like Morgan for his ball skills.  


RE:  "do you ever think you've been 'played' by various interests to disseminate a rumor via your site here? "

Highly doubtful.  You give me too much credit.  I get various bits of info and piece them together, sharing what I can and sitting on other stuff.  I only report info that I feel is credible.  I have gotten a few things wrong, but I trusted the info that was given to me.  Teams use network info guys to leak reports.  Agents do the same thing.  I'm certainly open to being used.  Anyone have a fake report they want passed around?  


RE:  big backs

Gerhart  I like a lot, but he won't last past our early 3rd rounder.  Dwyer doesn't seem like an ideal fit.  I'm not sure I really want him.  Scott is a late round guy that would be good value.  


RE:  pre-draft visits

I'll post about this subject soon enough.   That deserves a whole post. 
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36 comments:

Netherman said...

good articles...one thing I have been meaning to ask...every time I see something on Kyle Wilson they show a bunch of senior bowl footage where he is pasted to his man in coverage, but also looks like a pass interference call waiting to happen (at least to my amateur eyes). Does that concern you at all? I have visions of Al Harris when he was with us and you could count on at least one "Fokou" per game.

stvn said...

"He absoutely has his share of detractors, but I think a majority of Eagles fans love McNabb for everything he's done for us in the last 11 years. There is a real vocal minority that definitely has it out for him. "

Its a shame that the vocal minority are either Ashley Fox, or a WIP host

Unknown said...

Tommy

Where does Richard Marshall rate with this year's CBs? What draft pick would you be happy with giving up for him? Also does he fit well into our system?

stvn said...

We almost lost to the Redskins 2 times last year and were swept by them 2 years ago. One loss to the Redskins could mean missing out on the playoffs. Don't you think Donovan improves the Redskins enough to help them beat the Eagles ATLEAST once?

Baloophi said...

WEBSITE SUGGESTION - NOT EAGLES RELATED - SORRY - MCNABB FOR PRO-BOWL!


Tommy,

Since I know you're always in the market for some unsolicited techno-advice, is it possible to have your linked stories open a new page rather than navigate away from Eagles Blitz? Having both articles open feeds my short attention span while leaving the toggling option open (insert jokes here). I like to read my Tommy in stereo.

Thank you. Everyone please return to your regularly scheduled Eagles paranoia.

Cliff said...

@ Baloophi

You can do that yourself with a right-click. Or if you're a Mac like me, a ctrl+click.

Baloophi said...

@ Cliff

I am indeed a Mac like you. Thanks for the intel!

(I sear that wasn't a pun)

Tommy Lawlor said...

I set the site to open links in a new window. I can change it back if this is a problem for people.

I'm not going to make many changes. Some time in May I'm going to move this blog over to WordPress. I like WP more than Blogger.

Unknown said...

Tommy, is Donovan Warren worth waiting on in the later rounds? It seems his stock is in a huge free fall.

He has good size, but not a great combine.

Ben Hessel said...

Is anyone considering that the big backs may be a decoy for javid best?

Chris said...

I'm hoping they draft for D and the O line because we are already good on offense but...

I'd wouldn't be *that* disappointed if they got Jahvid Best (one of the 2nd or 3rd rounders if he drops). Before his injury problems started cropping up he was way more productive than CJ Spiller. Just look at his stats from a couple of years ago (rushing yards, YPC, all purpose yardage). And he fits our system too (i.e. - he can catch the ball). I don't think he can block a lick but if we field a team with DeSean, Maclin and Best the other team is going to have a tough time covering all that speed.

Cliff said...

CJ Spiller would have to be someone we really target because selecting him would require us to move up pretty far. I can envision a situation similar to Maclin last year where the coaching staff realized they had a shot to move up and get a social player, so they did it. We certainly have the firepower to do that this year.

Javid Best or Toby Gerhart would be great. Could either last to our 2nd rounder? If so, we could get or S and CB and STILL get one of those backs. That right there would make this draft pretty amazing.

If we finished the first 2 rounds with Kyle Wilson, Nate Allen, and Toby Gerhart, why even finish the draft? Haha. I'd be ecstatic for days.

Cliff said...

Taylor Mays has sort of fallen off all our radars, and understandably so, but I wonder if our coaches will fall in love with him because he's such a high-character guy.

Could we go for Mays as the future SS? Mikell will turn 30 at the start of this season. I've never been on the Mays bandwagon, but he's got those intangible qualities that might get Reid's blood flowing, sort of like Gerhart.

izzylangfan said...

The question I have is how much of the Eagles strange version of the so called West Coast Offense was due to the talents and limitations of of Donovan McNabb and how much the offense will change with Kolb. You have already mentioned that we should see more slants, normally a staple of the WCO and mostly unused by McNabb, and with a young QB we will probably see a lot of short passes to the TE. So already it sounds a lot more like a classical WCO.

Myron said...

Does anyone agree with me in that we have to come away from this draft with either Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, or Kyle Wilson in the first round, and we have to move up to grab them if necessary?

I don't think that settling for one of the 2nd tier DBs is a smart thing to do. I say, go for a blue chip player with all of the extra picks that you can use to move up in the draft.

Unknown said...

If we don't come away with Eric Berry in this draft then it is a failure.

Unknown said...

To be honest, given where we sit on the draft board, I'd love our first three picks to be Kyle Wilson/Earl Thomas, Nate Allen/McCourtney, Darryl Washington.

I'm willing to give up a 4th or 3rd to trade up. I don't want to give up a 2nd in a super deep draft for any player. That's absurd. If Kyle Wilson drops to #19, I'd trade up since the Falcons don't have a 2nd (Tony Gonzalez trade) and give them an additional pick.

Giving a 1-2-3 for a FS? No Thanks. That's far too much in one of the best drafts in years for a positional player that isn't a OT or QB.

Myron said...

My point is that with all of the picks the Eagles have, a move up into the 10-19 range is not impossible, and that is likely the range necessary to be in to have a shot at Earl Thomas or Kyle Wilson.

If they can find some creative way to trade up to get Eric Berry without sacrificing too much, I'm all for it, but that seems like a long shot.

But trading up to get Kyle Wilson or Earl Thomas seems like the best idea, imho, and very possible, and would give you a better chance at coming away from this draft with a blue-chip player in the back 7 than if you settle for one of the 2nd tier guys like Devin McCourty or Kareem Jackson.

Unknown said...

@ Kevin

Its not an absurd idea. Just a really expensive one. A definite argument can be made to move up for Berry, even at that cost (though not preferably).

Adam S. said...

I'm all for moving up in the first but not all the way up to get Berry. While I would absolutely love to have him it will require way too much to move up that high. I agree with Kevin, keep the valuable picks in this deep draft.

I'm wondering why nobody seems to want Maurkice Pouncey?? I understand that we have Jackson, who may or may not come back healthy this year. He is going to be 30 before the season starts, coming off his first major injury. We all saw what happened to the offense when he went down. Is Nick Cole the answer if Jackson isn't ready? I'm not too confident in that. Plus everything I've read about himis that he is the best center project in 10 years,and could start at gaurd immediately on most teams.

Tommy how do you feel about Pouncey? While we definitely need a CB is it feasible to think that we move up from 37 into the back end of the 1st round if Pouncey is still on the board at say #29 or 30? We all know how Reid feels about the line and how important it is. I just can't see Reid passing up the oppotunity to draft one of the best interior linemen in the draft that late in the 1st when it is probably the only weakness on our entire offense.

Danyo said...

Y'all should be prepared for the very real possibility of us not using all 3 picks we have in the first two rounds.

We might trade up, we might trade for a 1st next year...

Unknown said...

I just think the cost to acquire Eric Berry makes no sense. You're talking about 1-2-3. If it's our 1st + late 2nd? Yah I do it. If it's our 1st + ealry 2nd? No frigging way. We could get two very good players with that. There's no guarantee that Berry pans out or even stays healthy, although I do think he'll be awesome.

I've studied enough drafts to know that you only trade up for QBs...because you can't win without them. Everything else you can draft later.

--
@Dan.
I firmly believe we're trading the Seattle 3rd rounder for a 2nd round pick next year and using our natural 3rd rounder to trade up in the 1st round.

Unknown said...

@ Stephen - According the draft value chart I just looked at we'd have to give up our 1st rounder and both second rounders to move up to the #5 spot to get Berry. So yeah, not a chance.

T_S_O_P said...

Does McNabb have a stud LT, RB, TE, and WR in Washington? No. Not yet, anyway. If they make some big moves we'll re-visit the topic.
I can see TO in Washington... that'll be interesting.

Baloophi said...

@Tommy

Thanks for the website adjustment...

mdh67 said...

Tommy -

What do you think of Toney Baker for a late round pick for the Eagles.

bp said...

hey tommy, maybe it's just me, but it's pretty easy to manually open a link in a new tab, whereas it's more of a pain to have every link automatically open into a new tab and then have to go back and manually close the previous ones. i definitely preferred the older format.

as far as the db situation goes, if asante doesn't remember how to tackle and joselio continues to prove substandard without his vitamins, i could pretty easily envision both of them being cut after this year. thus, i'd be somewhat disappointed if we don't come out of the 2nd round with two dbs, and wouldn't be at all surprised to see a reenactment of 2002. thomas/wilson/mccourty, allen/mccourty, and ghee would pretty much be my 24,37,55 dream scenario.

lastly, on the pro bowl clause, should donovan be lured into the back of a minivan by joe banner (with promises of candy and puppy-flavored balloons), driven onto the field in an ether-induced haze to perform a tear-jerking halftime rendition of ebony and ivory with jon runyan's campaign manager chad lewis, how would such "going to the pro bowl" affect the status of our impending 3rd/4th rounder?

Anonymous said...

Tommy,

What do you think of John Jerry as a OL prospect who can play both T and G positions

arby said...

re: Eric Berry. Yes, sadly, it doesn't look like a realistic possibility. Picks 24, 37, 55, and 105 (our 1st 4th rd'er) would give us 1704 value points and the #5 slot is 1700. That's way too expensive and we have too many needs to justify a move like that. We were all hoping the Donovan trade would somehow catapult us to the upper echelons of the 1st round but it was not to be.

arby said...

@Tommy re:"Anyone have a fake report they want passed around?"

I don't know if this is fake or not but I heard that in keeping with the Eagles youth movement, the Eagles are dealing Sav Rocca and David "Green" Akers to the Giants for pick #15.

And in a related note, Hugh Douglas is leading a group of 12 ex-Eagles in an ageism lawsuit.

Again, I can't verify either of these but my sources are generally very reliable.... when they're not drunk.

Jimmy Jazz said...

I appreciate the Spinal Tap reference there. They obviously can't dust for vomit.

Myron said...

My dream scenario right now is thus:

#24: Kyle Wilson or Earl Thomas, trade up if necessary

#37: Jerry Hughes

#55: Sean Lee or Daryl Washington

This way, they can walk away with a potentially elite DB, a potentially elite pass-rusher, and a potentially elite linebacker all in the same draft.

Of course, they could just as easily go Nate Allen or Devin McCourty with the #37 pick, even with the selection of Thomas/Wilson in the first round, because DB is such a need area, but I think if Jerry Hughes falls to that spot it would be too great a value to pass up.

Andy could also just as easily throw us a curveball and pick an OL like Mike Iupati with the #24 pick, and if that does happen, I'll be disappointed. If Iupati or Pouncey is the pick, he better be the most dominant, tough, mean SOB we've ever seen on an OL anywhere, because neglecting the defense in such a deep defensive draft would be criminal.

Unknown said...

Tommy,

How much truth do you think there is regarding Adam Schefter's claim that the Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins to block them from getting Bradford? Obviously that was not the priority in the trade, but do you think that type of thinking was at all involved in the decision to trade McNabb within the division? I imagine that if it was, it means that the FO feels that they are confident they can play well against McNabb because they know his tendencies so well and would rather face him twice a year than a first round talented QB. At the same time, it could be some ridiculously contrived way of driving up Bradford's value from one of the other teams picking early who want a guy like Suh to get past the first pick.

Myron said...

My theory is that the Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins, ironically, to make the NFC East easier for themselves:

a.) They know McNabb will make the Redskins a better team.

b.) A better Redskins team will challenge the Giants and the Cowboys and thus make the two of those teams weaker contenders for the NFC East.

c.) Because Andy knows McNabb inside-out, he alone will have an advantage against the Redskins and if the Redskins can be counted on to take out the Cowboys and the Giants, the Eagles will be left standing because of Andy's intimate knowledge of McNabb's weaknesses.

Pretty crazy, huh?

Unknown said...

@Myron
- Wilson
- Hughes/Allen
- Washington/Lee

That would be fantastic! I'd leave that draft thinking Andy/Roseman next extensions. Tremendous value. If we got those 3, I'd highly consider trading one of our 3rds for a #2 next year and use that remaining 3 and best available running back for depth. Granted, the RB class is piss-poor, but most teams don't have needs at RBs. Even those that do (Giants, Redskins) aren't as likely to spend on one unless it's absurd value.

Unknown said...

Tommy question about two prospects as they pertain to the Eagles D scheme-

Koa Misi- do you think he has the ability to be a better than average player at SAM LB in this scheme? Ie, a better player than Gocong was. Or would his talents be better suited in a 3-4

Rennie Curran- do you think he's work as our starting WLB, or is he better suited for a Colts type Tampa 2 scheme?

Thanks