The Eagles recently hired former Dallas DC Brian Stewart. This is obviously a move based on the health of Jim Johnson. It is starting to seem that Jim won't be with the team this year, at least in his normal role. Sean McDermott is the Secondary Coach, but he is currently running the defense. That creates a void on the staff.
Stewart is a natural fit for a few reasons. He was the Secondary Coach for the Chargers prior to going to Dallas to run their defense. Stewart and Andy Reid both were at Northern Arizona together. Stewart played CB and Reid was an Assistant Coach. Finally, Reid and the Eagles love to acquire people who know the NFC East when they can. Stewart knows the Redskins and Giants offenses very well. He also knows the Cowboys inside and out after working there for 2 years.
I had mixed feelings after watching Stewart on Hard Knocks last summer. He seemed like a very bright, emotional guy. My concern was that the players didn't seem to respond to him as a leader of the whole defense. I'm not sure what to make of this. Jerry Jones runs a very loose ship and that undermines the entire coaching staff in Dallas. Stewart could have been a victim of that. The other main possibility is that he might not be the kind of guy who is meant to lead 25 men. Stewart has been a good position coach, but there is a big difference between handling 8-10 players and 25.
Bringing him to Philly to help the defense or run the Secondary is a smart move. He's proven he can handle those jobs. He knows the NFC East. Plus he gets to join a winning environment. There won't be pressure on him to fix anything. He's coming here to be part of the group. Being in a high-character, professional environment will probably freak him out.
GOOD ARTICLE ON ASSISTANT
Here is an interesting article on Brett Veach, Andy's assistant. I always enjoy reading about the assistant coaches and personnel guys. They do so much work, but get so little attention.
Brett Veach article
__
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday Notes
My new PE.com column is up. I talked about the difficulty of winning a title. I happened to hear a great interview with Jerry West on the way home last week and couldn't help but think of the similarities between his Lakers and our Eagles. Lots of success, but no titles...until late in his career.
Jerry told some great NBA stories. The league was doing a lot to promote itself back then because of the lack of a huge fan base. One year the Lakers and Celtics played 13 exhibition games around America. They played in small towns in Cali. They played in Bangor, Maine. They were all over the place. How weird is that? The teams then faced off 10 times in the season. 23 games between them in a preseason/regular season. Wow. West said he still hates the color green to this day.
Here's the article:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17838
PRACTICE INFO
* Cornelius Ingram is back on the field today. Sounds like his knee is fine.
The 3 Kings of PE.com (Spadaro, McPherson, and Kent) have up some interesting blurbs in the Bloghead feature. Rather than paraphrase them, here's the link:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17834
The full team passing camp gets underway Tuesday. It will be good to see how the rookies and new guys do there as compared to the post-draft mini-camp. Let's hope the guys show improvement and continue to look good. Training Camp is still 6 or 7 weeks away.
__
Jerry told some great NBA stories. The league was doing a lot to promote itself back then because of the lack of a huge fan base. One year the Lakers and Celtics played 13 exhibition games around America. They played in small towns in Cali. They played in Bangor, Maine. They were all over the place. How weird is that? The teams then faced off 10 times in the season. 23 games between them in a preseason/regular season. Wow. West said he still hates the color green to this day.
Here's the article:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17838
PRACTICE INFO
* Cornelius Ingram is back on the field today. Sounds like his knee is fine.
The 3 Kings of PE.com (Spadaro, McPherson, and Kent) have up some interesting blurbs in the Bloghead feature. Rather than paraphrase them, here's the link:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17834
The full team passing camp gets underway Tuesday. It will be good to see how the rookies and new guys do there as compared to the post-draft mini-camp. Let's hope the guys show improvement and continue to look good. Training Camp is still 6 or 7 weeks away.
__
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Some Actual News
Sorry for the quiet week. I was busy fighting crime, saving babies, and working on the unified theory. Now that I'm done with those minor tasks, let's talk about the Eagles.
There are a few things actually going on right now:
* DT Amon Gordon ruptured his Achilles and is done for the year. To replace him the Eagles signed UDFA Trevor Jenkins from MTSU. He's 6'1, 287. Had a so-so Senior season, but put up good numbers earlier in his career. Jenkins finished with 26 TFLs.
I hate losing Gordon. He was a longshot to make the team, but I liked him as a practice player. We need guys that will make the players across from them better. Gordon has started in the NFL. Young OL would have learned while playing against him.
* P/K Sam Swank is gone. That's too bad. He was a terrific PK at Wake Forest. Ken Parrish has taken his place. He's a punter.
* TE Cornelius Ingram suffered a knee contusion the other day, but hopefully will be back on the field by Friday. According to Dave Spadaro and what I'm hearing from others, Ingram has looked terrific so far.
PAST DRAFTS
2003
This was not a good year for us, to put it mildly. The overall draft wasn't great, but there were some players I coveted. I loved DL Kevin Williams of Oklahoma State. Seeing him in orange/white reminded me of Reggie White in college. I loved the thought of getting Williams to be the LDE of the future. I thought DE Michael Haynes of Penn State was a very good prospect and would make a good Eagle. I had mixed feelings on Jerome McDougle. The first time I ever saw him play was against Penn State early in 2001. He was so quick off the ball that PSU could not deal with him. I was blown away. As good as he was, his sack numbers weren't great. That bugged me. I thought of him as a mid-1st, but wasn't a huge fan.
I loved TE Jason Witten. I thought he was vastly underrated and wasn't sure why. He could block, run, and catch. What else does he need to do? Obviously I didn't know that he was a despicable person who would go behind a quiet, humble WR's back and say mean things just to get more catches.
My favorite player in the whole class was a slow WR named Anquan Boldin. He just blew me away with his performance in the bowl game. Florida State QB Chris Rix was suspended for missing an exam. His backup didn't play very well. Bobby Bowden put Boldin at QB in the middle of the game. Anquan did everything in his power to keep FSU in the game, but they lost 26-13.
Boldin finished the game with 13 runs for 34 yards. As a passer he was 6 of 14 for 78 yards, including a 40-yd TD. He also caught 3 passes for 34 yards, including a TD. There was something about his athletic ability, toughness, competitive spirit, and leadership that just got to me. I put a 1st round grade on Boldin. He ran a 4.7 at the Combine. I didn't care. He was a 1st rounder to me. Great player.
The Eagles lost Hugh Douglas in FA that offseason. We needed a DE. They signed Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila to an offer sheet. That would have cost us our 1st rounder. Unfortunately the offer was matched by GB and he stayed up there. Reportedly the Eagles really wanted Haynes. When the Bears took him in the middle of Round 1, the Eagles decided to get aggressive. We used one of our 2nd round picks to move up to the middle of the round and grab McDougle. The trade was very good value. McDougle was good value at that spot. Unfortunately, things just never worked out.
We used our 2nd round pick on LJ Smith. I was not a fan of this move at all. He never impressed me nearly the way that Witten did. I hated passing on Jason to go for LJ. I kept hoping that Boldin would fall to our 2nd round pick. Anquan went 7 spots ahead of us. If only we'd moved up...
WR Billy McMullen in the 3rd and DE Jamaal Green in the 4th were solid picks. I thought McMullen had a lot of potential. OG Jeremy Bridges and SS Norman LeJeune were the final picks. I liked Bridges and he's been in the league since he was picked.
One player I really liked late in the draft was DE/LB Tully Banta-Cain. I thought he was a really good edge rusher and was shocked to see him fall to the 7th round. With McDougle and Green on board there was no way we'd take him. TBC has proven to be a solid role player over the years.
_
There are a few things actually going on right now:
* DT Amon Gordon ruptured his Achilles and is done for the year. To replace him the Eagles signed UDFA Trevor Jenkins from MTSU. He's 6'1, 287. Had a so-so Senior season, but put up good numbers earlier in his career. Jenkins finished with 26 TFLs.
I hate losing Gordon. He was a longshot to make the team, but I liked him as a practice player. We need guys that will make the players across from them better. Gordon has started in the NFL. Young OL would have learned while playing against him.
* P/K Sam Swank is gone. That's too bad. He was a terrific PK at Wake Forest. Ken Parrish has taken his place. He's a punter.
* TE Cornelius Ingram suffered a knee contusion the other day, but hopefully will be back on the field by Friday. According to Dave Spadaro and what I'm hearing from others, Ingram has looked terrific so far.
PAST DRAFTS
2003
This was not a good year for us, to put it mildly. The overall draft wasn't great, but there were some players I coveted. I loved DL Kevin Williams of Oklahoma State. Seeing him in orange/white reminded me of Reggie White in college. I loved the thought of getting Williams to be the LDE of the future. I thought DE Michael Haynes of Penn State was a very good prospect and would make a good Eagle. I had mixed feelings on Jerome McDougle. The first time I ever saw him play was against Penn State early in 2001. He was so quick off the ball that PSU could not deal with him. I was blown away. As good as he was, his sack numbers weren't great. That bugged me. I thought of him as a mid-1st, but wasn't a huge fan.
I loved TE Jason Witten. I thought he was vastly underrated and wasn't sure why. He could block, run, and catch. What else does he need to do? Obviously I didn't know that he was a despicable person who would go behind a quiet, humble WR's back and say mean things just to get more catches.
My favorite player in the whole class was a slow WR named Anquan Boldin. He just blew me away with his performance in the bowl game. Florida State QB Chris Rix was suspended for missing an exam. His backup didn't play very well. Bobby Bowden put Boldin at QB in the middle of the game. Anquan did everything in his power to keep FSU in the game, but they lost 26-13.
Boldin finished the game with 13 runs for 34 yards. As a passer he was 6 of 14 for 78 yards, including a 40-yd TD. He also caught 3 passes for 34 yards, including a TD. There was something about his athletic ability, toughness, competitive spirit, and leadership that just got to me. I put a 1st round grade on Boldin. He ran a 4.7 at the Combine. I didn't care. He was a 1st rounder to me. Great player.
The Eagles lost Hugh Douglas in FA that offseason. We needed a DE. They signed Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila to an offer sheet. That would have cost us our 1st rounder. Unfortunately the offer was matched by GB and he stayed up there. Reportedly the Eagles really wanted Haynes. When the Bears took him in the middle of Round 1, the Eagles decided to get aggressive. We used one of our 2nd round picks to move up to the middle of the round and grab McDougle. The trade was very good value. McDougle was good value at that spot. Unfortunately, things just never worked out.
We used our 2nd round pick on LJ Smith. I was not a fan of this move at all. He never impressed me nearly the way that Witten did. I hated passing on Jason to go for LJ. I kept hoping that Boldin would fall to our 2nd round pick. Anquan went 7 spots ahead of us. If only we'd moved up...
WR Billy McMullen in the 3rd and DE Jamaal Green in the 4th were solid picks. I thought McMullen had a lot of potential. OG Jeremy Bridges and SS Norman LeJeune were the final picks. I liked Bridges and he's been in the league since he was picked.
One player I really liked late in the draft was DE/LB Tully Banta-Cain. I thought he was a really good edge rusher and was shocked to see him fall to the 7th round. With McDougle and Green on board there was no way we'd take him. TBC has proven to be a solid role player over the years.
_
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday Stuff
FORMER EAGLE UPDATE
You aren't going to believe this. L.J. Smith is currently injured and missing time at the Ravens practices. Shocking. I don't wish ill upon LJ, but that is sorta funny. We'll see if he can stay on the field this year.
SAFETY DANCE
Sean Jones is saying all the right things about his status. He's currently the #3 Safety on the team, behind Cover Q...Mikell at SS and Demps at FS. Jones has the best combination of size/speed/skill among the trio. So why's he third? Aside from the fact he's new to the team, Sean hasn't always played up to his ability. He should be one of the better Safeties in the entire league. He's got that kind of talent. You see it at times, but not often enough. I think the Eagles are hoping to motivate him as well as building up Demps confidence. Jones very well could win the job, as he hopes to do. He's not pouting about being a backup. He's biding his time until TC when he can hit and tackle and the coaches can see him in full force.
2002 DRAFT
My favorite high-end player that year was QB Joey Harrington. I absolutely loved him as a college QB. Oregon really broke through as a national power in the 2001 season and I'd followed them closely for several prior years. I thought Harrington was the best player in the class. Oops. I didn't count on a couple of things. First, he'd never really understood adversity. Oregon was solid. He was good in HS. He had a nice family and good upbringing. Then he went to Detroit. He simply wasn't prepared for that kind of struggle. The other problem with Joey is that he wasn't the kind of QB who could carry a team. He needed a strong supporting cast. This isn't an insult. Some guys are like that. Troy Aikman is the best example. When Troy had great weapons, he made them even greater and won titles. Take those weapons away and he wasn't the same guy. John Elway was able to put okay Broncos teams on his back and lead them to the SB. Harrington was similar to Aikman and that showed in his results.
Julius Peppers made me nervous because he went pro off a mediocre season and seemed to be aloof as a person. I wondered if he'd fit in well in the locker room. Obviously he's done well, but is somewhat of a weird duck. I wasn't a huge Ed Reed fan because he was a sloppy tackler. I've adjusted my thinking since then. I covet ballhawks.
Some of my favorite players were Clinton Portis, QB Rohan Davey, S Chris Young, DE Greg White, and DE Raheem Brock. Portis was a steal in the 2nd round. I thought he should have been a 1st. Davey was a great leader and winner at LSU. I wasn't sure if he could start in the NFL, but I loved his intangibles. Young was a great hitter/tackler. He just wasn't athletic. White was an undersized DE who had a great motor and some quickness. Brock impressed the heck out of me at the Blue-Gray game that year. He was a ton of fun to watch. Portis became a star. Brock is a solid DL. The rest had short careers.
Like most people on Earth, I was shocked to see us go CB, S, CB with the first 3 picks. I didn't see that coming a mile away. Lito was a terrific college player so that pick didn't bother me at all. I though Mike Lewis was great value in the 2nd. I liked that pick a lot. Sheldon was a player that had really grown on me at the Senior Bowl. I liked him as well.
Brian Westbrook was a good pick in the 3rd round. I figured he'd make a good backup RB and RS. Glad I was wrong on that. Scott Peters and Freddie Milons were solid picks, value wise. Milons peaked early at 'Bama. I should have factored that in more than I did. Tyreo Harrison seemed like a wasted pick to me. He never stood out when I watched Notre Dame. Hated that pick. We took Brock in the 7th. Great pick. Unfortunately there was a big dispute about his signing bonus and the team ended up letting him go. What a waste.
_
You aren't going to believe this. L.J. Smith is currently injured and missing time at the Ravens practices. Shocking. I don't wish ill upon LJ, but that is sorta funny. We'll see if he can stay on the field this year.
SAFETY DANCE
Sean Jones is saying all the right things about his status. He's currently the #3 Safety on the team, behind Cover Q...Mikell at SS and Demps at FS. Jones has the best combination of size/speed/skill among the trio. So why's he third? Aside from the fact he's new to the team, Sean hasn't always played up to his ability. He should be one of the better Safeties in the entire league. He's got that kind of talent. You see it at times, but not often enough. I think the Eagles are hoping to motivate him as well as building up Demps confidence. Jones very well could win the job, as he hopes to do. He's not pouting about being a backup. He's biding his time until TC when he can hit and tackle and the coaches can see him in full force.
2002 DRAFT
My favorite high-end player that year was QB Joey Harrington. I absolutely loved him as a college QB. Oregon really broke through as a national power in the 2001 season and I'd followed them closely for several prior years. I thought Harrington was the best player in the class. Oops. I didn't count on a couple of things. First, he'd never really understood adversity. Oregon was solid. He was good in HS. He had a nice family and good upbringing. Then he went to Detroit. He simply wasn't prepared for that kind of struggle. The other problem with Joey is that he wasn't the kind of QB who could carry a team. He needed a strong supporting cast. This isn't an insult. Some guys are like that. Troy Aikman is the best example. When Troy had great weapons, he made them even greater and won titles. Take those weapons away and he wasn't the same guy. John Elway was able to put okay Broncos teams on his back and lead them to the SB. Harrington was similar to Aikman and that showed in his results.
Julius Peppers made me nervous because he went pro off a mediocre season and seemed to be aloof as a person. I wondered if he'd fit in well in the locker room. Obviously he's done well, but is somewhat of a weird duck. I wasn't a huge Ed Reed fan because he was a sloppy tackler. I've adjusted my thinking since then. I covet ballhawks.
Some of my favorite players were Clinton Portis, QB Rohan Davey, S Chris Young, DE Greg White, and DE Raheem Brock. Portis was a steal in the 2nd round. I thought he should have been a 1st. Davey was a great leader and winner at LSU. I wasn't sure if he could start in the NFL, but I loved his intangibles. Young was a great hitter/tackler. He just wasn't athletic. White was an undersized DE who had a great motor and some quickness. Brock impressed the heck out of me at the Blue-Gray game that year. He was a ton of fun to watch. Portis became a star. Brock is a solid DL. The rest had short careers.
Like most people on Earth, I was shocked to see us go CB, S, CB with the first 3 picks. I didn't see that coming a mile away. Lito was a terrific college player so that pick didn't bother me at all. I though Mike Lewis was great value in the 2nd. I liked that pick a lot. Sheldon was a player that had really grown on me at the Senior Bowl. I liked him as well.
Brian Westbrook was a good pick in the 3rd round. I figured he'd make a good backup RB and RS. Glad I was wrong on that. Scott Peters and Freddie Milons were solid picks, value wise. Milons peaked early at 'Bama. I should have factored that in more than I did. Tyreo Harrison seemed like a wasted pick to me. He never stood out when I watched Notre Dame. Hated that pick. We took Brock in the 7th. Great pick. Unfortunately there was a big dispute about his signing bonus and the team ended up letting him go. What a waste.
_
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Around the League
Since things are somewhat quiet on the Eagles front, my PE.com article covers league-wide topics.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17825
-----------------
Back To Previous Drafts
2001
There was no single player I coveted for the Eagles in the 1st round. I really liked the thought of drafting Chris Chambers, the WR from Wisconsin. I thought he had the kind of speed and athletic ability that our offense needed. The Giants had exposed our offense in the 2000 playoffs as really lacking playmakers. While I liked Chambers, I wasn't "in love" with him. He just seemed like the best fit of the guys available in that area. The one player I didn't want was Freddie Mitchell. He had good ability, but he wasn't my cup of tea. I wish my opinion had been dead wrong.
My favorite player in the whole draft was a DE from Ole Miss named Derrick Burgess. I just knew this guy was going to be a hell of a pro player. I was absolutely ecstatic when the Eagles took him with the first pick of the 3rd round. That was heaven on Earth for me. His time in Philly was odd, but he has proven to be a good DE.
Two other guys I really liked were DE DeLawrence Grant and FS James Boyd. Grant was your typical undersized Oregon State defender with a great motor. He played like his life depended on every snap. Okay pro, but nothing special. Boyd was a big time hitter at Penn State. He cleaned plenty of clocks. Outstanding run defender. All he lacked was speed and cover skills. Are those important in the NFL? He was a STer for a few years, but didn't last long.
WR Chad Johnson of Oregon State made me nervous, but I thought his teammate TJ Houshmandzadeh was underrated. Chad had a play in the Fiesta Bowl that year just like DeSean did vs Dallas in the MNF game. Chad dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. There was no replay back then and it was called a TD. That and his odd background made me wonder if he could handle the business of the NFL. TJ was a very good player at OSU, but simply lacked the speed to be more than a mid-to-late pick. I was surprised to see him last as late as the 7th round.
_
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17825
-----------------
Back To Previous Drafts
2001
There was no single player I coveted for the Eagles in the 1st round. I really liked the thought of drafting Chris Chambers, the WR from Wisconsin. I thought he had the kind of speed and athletic ability that our offense needed. The Giants had exposed our offense in the 2000 playoffs as really lacking playmakers. While I liked Chambers, I wasn't "in love" with him. He just seemed like the best fit of the guys available in that area. The one player I didn't want was Freddie Mitchell. He had good ability, but he wasn't my cup of tea. I wish my opinion had been dead wrong.
My favorite player in the whole draft was a DE from Ole Miss named Derrick Burgess. I just knew this guy was going to be a hell of a pro player. I was absolutely ecstatic when the Eagles took him with the first pick of the 3rd round. That was heaven on Earth for me. His time in Philly was odd, but he has proven to be a good DE.
Two other guys I really liked were DE DeLawrence Grant and FS James Boyd. Grant was your typical undersized Oregon State defender with a great motor. He played like his life depended on every snap. Okay pro, but nothing special. Boyd was a big time hitter at Penn State. He cleaned plenty of clocks. Outstanding run defender. All he lacked was speed and cover skills. Are those important in the NFL? He was a STer for a few years, but didn't last long.
WR Chad Johnson of Oregon State made me nervous, but I thought his teammate TJ Houshmandzadeh was underrated. Chad had a play in the Fiesta Bowl that year just like DeSean did vs Dallas in the MNF game. Chad dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. There was no replay back then and it was called a TD. That and his odd background made me wonder if he could handle the business of the NFL. TJ was a very good player at OSU, but simply lacked the speed to be more than a mid-to-late pick. I was surprised to see him last as late as the 7th round.
_
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Post-draft Reflections
I reviewed the Giants draft on ScoutsNotebook and gave it pretty high marks. They took several of my favorite guys. This led to some interesting comments on the EMB.
I am a football fan as well as being an Eagles fan. Every year I watch thousands of kids play college football. I choose a handful to really like. I follow those guys in the NFL, whether as Eagles or on other teams. I cheer for them to succeed.
Just because I like certain players does not mean they will have good careers. I get all excited when the Eagles take players I think highly of, but that sword is double-edged. It is incredibly frustrating and depressing to see those players when they fail. My track record is mixed. I thought I'd offer up some comments on players over the years, good and bad, starting with 1999, Big Red's first year in Philly.
1999 - I liked a lot of guys that year. There was not one player I was dying for the Eagles to get. I thought Tim Couch was the best player and a lock to go to Cleveland. He did and things weren't so great. I liked Donovan McNabb a lot, but also liked Daunte Culpepper quite a bit. I was able to see 8 UCF games that year and thought Daunte looked like the real deal. My favorite of all the QBs was Cade McNown of UCLA. That might sound weird now, but Cade was a great college player. USC was a middle of the road team back then. UCLA was the toast of the town and Cade was the big star. Unfortunately, he took a party lifestyle to the NFL instead of a work ethic and flamed out badly in Chicago. Cade and Couch at one point were fighting over a Playboy playmate. Both guys dated her off and on. Both guys failed at the NFL, but they can say they dated a playmate. I have yet to reach that stratosphere. I did once have a stripper throw a dart at me, so that's at least a start in the right direction.
2000 - There were 2 players I coveted for the Eagles. WR Plaxico Burress and DT Cory Simon both fit major needs and both looked like great players. The Eagles went with Simon and things were great for 5 years. After that...Titanic-ville. Plax obviously has been an Eagles-killer for a long time. He would have been a really interesting player for us. You never know how he would have developed in our system, but he would have given Eagles fans the #1 WR they always coveted.
My favorite 2 players were the PSU stars Courtney Brown and Lavarr Arrington. Both guys were can't miss superstars in my mind. Courtney went to the black hole known as the Cleveland Browns where high picks go to disappear. Arrington had a good start to things in DC, but the revolving door on the defense slowed him down and then injuries got the best of him. Those are 2 of the best college players I've ever seen.
There were a few guys I really like down the line. SS Kennoy Kennedy was an impact hitter at Arkansas. He was vicious and the league basically drove him out with fines and threats of suspensions. I loved LB Barrett Green from West Va. He could fly to the ball. They turned out to be solid pros for a few years.
I'll add the next couple of years tomorrow.
_
I am a football fan as well as being an Eagles fan. Every year I watch thousands of kids play college football. I choose a handful to really like. I follow those guys in the NFL, whether as Eagles or on other teams. I cheer for them to succeed.
Just because I like certain players does not mean they will have good careers. I get all excited when the Eagles take players I think highly of, but that sword is double-edged. It is incredibly frustrating and depressing to see those players when they fail. My track record is mixed. I thought I'd offer up some comments on players over the years, good and bad, starting with 1999, Big Red's first year in Philly.
1999 - I liked a lot of guys that year. There was not one player I was dying for the Eagles to get. I thought Tim Couch was the best player and a lock to go to Cleveland. He did and things weren't so great. I liked Donovan McNabb a lot, but also liked Daunte Culpepper quite a bit. I was able to see 8 UCF games that year and thought Daunte looked like the real deal. My favorite of all the QBs was Cade McNown of UCLA. That might sound weird now, but Cade was a great college player. USC was a middle of the road team back then. UCLA was the toast of the town and Cade was the big star. Unfortunately, he took a party lifestyle to the NFL instead of a work ethic and flamed out badly in Chicago. Cade and Couch at one point were fighting over a Playboy playmate. Both guys dated her off and on. Both guys failed at the NFL, but they can say they dated a playmate. I have yet to reach that stratosphere. I did once have a stripper throw a dart at me, so that's at least a start in the right direction.
2000 - There were 2 players I coveted for the Eagles. WR Plaxico Burress and DT Cory Simon both fit major needs and both looked like great players. The Eagles went with Simon and things were great for 5 years. After that...Titanic-ville. Plax obviously has been an Eagles-killer for a long time. He would have been a really interesting player for us. You never know how he would have developed in our system, but he would have given Eagles fans the #1 WR they always coveted.
My favorite 2 players were the PSU stars Courtney Brown and Lavarr Arrington. Both guys were can't miss superstars in my mind. Courtney went to the black hole known as the Cleveland Browns where high picks go to disappear. Arrington had a good start to things in DC, but the revolving door on the defense slowed him down and then injuries got the best of him. Those are 2 of the best college players I've ever seen.
There were a few guys I really like down the line. SS Kennoy Kennedy was an impact hitter at Arkansas. He was vicious and the league basically drove him out with fines and threats of suspensions. I loved LB Barrett Green from West Va. He could fly to the ball. They turned out to be solid pros for a few years.
I'll add the next couple of years tomorrow.
_
Monday, May 18, 2009
Comments on Comments
RE: Deuce McAllister
The Eagles probably aren't going to make any moves until they get to Lehigh and see how everyone looks. If they wanted Deuce at this point, he'd have already gotten a call.
In the Eagles ideal scenario, Westy will bounce back to '06-'07 form with the cleaned up knee. That alone would be huge. Then LeSean would preove to be an effective rookie RB. They'll mix in Leonard Weaver in some 1-back sets. That is three talented runners. 2 of them have similar size/skills sets, but the Eagles can live with that. For a team that is primarily a passing offense that is plenty of firepower on the ground. Kyle Eckel and/or LoBo would get mixed in if they make the team.
If the Eagles get to TC and a problem arises, they will start calling veteran RBs. LeSean could struggle with his blocking. He might struggle with the playbook. Whatever. If there are any major issues that linger into the 2nd week at Lehigh, the Eagles will do something.
If Weaver gets seriously hurt, the team could look for a veteran RB. The Eagles didn't sign him just to be a FB. They will use his running/receiving skills. After the mini-camp Spads was going on and on about how much they got him the ball.
RE: Roster Spots
There is no set formula. The Eagles keep the best 53. They tend to go heavy at OL, DL, and/or DB. Obviously you can't go heavy at all 3 because of the 53-man roster.
Someone made a great point. Sean Jones and Rashad Baker aren't locks to make the team. Each guy signed a 1-year deal. I think Jones would need to look terrible to get cut. That isn't unprecedented. Anyone remember Erik Coleman? Baker is coming here as a pure backup and STer. He could easily get out-played by someone.
Macho Harris was a 5th round pick. He's not a lock to make the roster. However, he's young, cheap, and versatile. Sound like someone the Eagles might like? You betcha. I think Macho would need to really struggle to get the boot. That isn't unprecedented. Anyone remember CJ Gaddis?
Remember that every year we see guys get hurt and/or struggle. Don't get too caught up in what will definitively happen at this point. Too many variables. Random speculation is always welcome, of course.
RE: Extensions for Todd, Sheldon
I don't think Sheldon will get an extra nickel. Depending on what Ike and Hobbs do this year, 2009 could be Sheldon's final season as an Eagle.
Todd isn't likely to get a new deal. He signed an extension in 2007. Since he isn't moving to OT, there is no reason to re-work his deal right now. If he has a good year, the Eagles would be wise to do it next offseason. That would show some flexibility on their part. It would help if Todd didn't go public with any complaints.
__
The Eagles probably aren't going to make any moves until they get to Lehigh and see how everyone looks. If they wanted Deuce at this point, he'd have already gotten a call.
In the Eagles ideal scenario, Westy will bounce back to '06-'07 form with the cleaned up knee. That alone would be huge. Then LeSean would preove to be an effective rookie RB. They'll mix in Leonard Weaver in some 1-back sets. That is three talented runners. 2 of them have similar size/skills sets, but the Eagles can live with that. For a team that is primarily a passing offense that is plenty of firepower on the ground. Kyle Eckel and/or LoBo would get mixed in if they make the team.
If the Eagles get to TC and a problem arises, they will start calling veteran RBs. LeSean could struggle with his blocking. He might struggle with the playbook. Whatever. If there are any major issues that linger into the 2nd week at Lehigh, the Eagles will do something.
If Weaver gets seriously hurt, the team could look for a veteran RB. The Eagles didn't sign him just to be a FB. They will use his running/receiving skills. After the mini-camp Spads was going on and on about how much they got him the ball.
RE: Roster Spots
There is no set formula. The Eagles keep the best 53. They tend to go heavy at OL, DL, and/or DB. Obviously you can't go heavy at all 3 because of the 53-man roster.
Someone made a great point. Sean Jones and Rashad Baker aren't locks to make the team. Each guy signed a 1-year deal. I think Jones would need to look terrible to get cut. That isn't unprecedented. Anyone remember Erik Coleman? Baker is coming here as a pure backup and STer. He could easily get out-played by someone.
Macho Harris was a 5th round pick. He's not a lock to make the roster. However, he's young, cheap, and versatile. Sound like someone the Eagles might like? You betcha. I think Macho would need to really struggle to get the boot. That isn't unprecedented. Anyone remember CJ Gaddis?
Remember that every year we see guys get hurt and/or struggle. Don't get too caught up in what will definitively happen at this point. Too many variables. Random speculation is always welcome, of course.
RE: Extensions for Todd, Sheldon
I don't think Sheldon will get an extra nickel. Depending on what Ike and Hobbs do this year, 2009 could be Sheldon's final season as an Eagle.
Todd isn't likely to get a new deal. He signed an extension in 2007. Since he isn't moving to OT, there is no reason to re-work his deal right now. If he has a good year, the Eagles would be wise to do it next offseason. That would show some flexibility on their part. It would help if Todd didn't go public with any complaints.
__
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
