Last time we looked at the offense and since then there has been some big news. The Eagles have hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach. It took awhile but the Eagles end up getting the guy they wanted. What does this mean? Look for player and coaches to be evaluated to see if they will buy in and/or fit into the schemes that Kelly is going to be using with his new team. I still stick with my last post about what should be done personnel wise on the offensive side of the ball. Now that Kelly is in charge however, Mike Vick may get another season in Eagles green. He should be the most looked at player by Kelly and the rest of the staff. At first glance one would think that Vick would be a perfect for for Kelly's uptempo style offense but, Vick still does have a turnover problem that needs to be corrected if Vick is not only going to run the offense but also if Kelly is going to win over fans and win as soon as much as soon as he wants to.
The offense, minus the QB position, was never really the main concern for the Eagles coming into this next season. A healthy offensive line will solve a myriad of problems for the Eagles and other than QB and maybe RG no major changes need to happen going forward. The defense on the other hand is a disaster to say the least. This had been a unit that was supposed to get us back to the hard hitting, stifling defense of the Brian Dawkins era. Bad moves on both the coaching side and with player acquisitions allowed this "dream team" to fall flat on their face and become another cautionary tale about teams trying to buy a championship. Moving forward the roster moves that the team decides to make will largely depend on the scheme that Kelly decides will be the new face of the Eagles D. For this post we'll assume Kelly won't be making sweeping scheme changes keep the current scheme.
With that lets take a look at who's on the roster, and where the team needs improvement. The first line of the defense looks to be in fairly good shape. Look for Trent Cole to bounce back and return to his old form. Opposite him Brandon Graham was penciled in as the end of season starter and showed promise, both should continue to start unless and upgrade is made over Graham. Inside on the D-line was Cullen Jenkins and Fletcher Cox. Jenkins has been a decent starter for the Eagles since his signing and has shown he's a team player by renegotiating his contract in order to stay on the team. Cox was one of the bright spots for the defense as he impressed and made All Rookie team honors. The team also boasts a great amount of talented depth all along the line (attributed that to Andy Reid's love of D linemen), so don't expect any grand moves to be made especially with only a few intriguing names in free agency.
LBs for the Eagles have been an overlooked position for the team for quite awhile. Last year ended with Jamar Chaney, DeMeco Ryans, and Mychal Kendricks making up the starters. Ryans was a clear upgrade to the unit and brought a positive veteran leader to the defense that has been missing since the departure of Dawkins. Kendricks is another rookie who showed a lot of upside and he should continue to show improvement. Chaney has been serviceable at best. He is a good football player but not starter pedigree. An upgrade would be nice but I don't see it coming via free agency as there are bigger fish to fry then the SAM position.
Lastly, we move to the secondary which has been the biggest disappointment of all. The big free agent signing Nnamdi Asomugha and trade bait Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie made up the starting CBs while Colt Anderson and Kurt Coleman ended the season as the starting safeties. Two seasons ago the Eagles secondary was supposed to be the envy of the league and we'll it never panned out. Now the team is faced with some tough decisions Rodgers-Cromartie is set to become a free agent and Asomugha is set to be highly overpaid after his performance the past two seasons. Neither CB dazzled anyone this year but the argument that the two former Pro Bowlers could be coached back to an elite level of play, if the price is right. Asomugha should be requested to have his deal restructured or shown the door. At his age and recent level of play there may be teams out there who would welcome him but not at the price the Eagles are currently paying him. Rodgers-Cromartie should be able to come back for a reasonable price, however the free agent class this year is filled with guys who either haven't hit that "elite" level of play or are decent CBs but have question marks in the injury column. It looks like Rodgers-Cromartie is the best bet for the Eagles moving forward for the time being. After that look for Kelly to use a high round pick on a CB to become the cornerstone of the secondary.
The safeties also disparately need to be addressed. Once upon a time Nate Allen was set to be the guy to fill the SS slot for years to come but since has been a let down. It is obviously that the Eagles don't have a clear guy to be a long term starter at either the FS or SS positions. This is where free agency might be able to greatly help the Eagles guys like Dashon Goldson, William Moore, or Jairus Byrd would be a huge upgrade and fix half of the Eagles last line of defense woes. It will be interesting to see what Kelly does moving forward but a rejuvenated defense would be a gift to a fan base that has sorely missed great defensive play for several years
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
This offseaon....
So the possible head coaching pool has been diminished by one as Doug Marrone of Syracuse will be taking over as head coach for the Buffalo Bills. Other reports indicate that several teams have met with Oregon's Chip Kelly but there is no solid indication that he will be leaving the college ranks. From what I have heard the Eagles owner Jeffery Laurie has met with Kelly and tried selling him on the idea of coaching the Eagles and of Nick Foles or Mike Vick running his offense. Honestly, I can get behind bringing in Kelly to lead the Eagles I can't however wrap my head around keeping Vick for another season. It seems to me the best way for the team and the fans to move forward is to cut wasted money, wasted talent and rebuild. So I've decided to take a look at the Eagles roster and make a wish list of sorts as to what the front office should do this offseason. So this post we'll focus on the offense and next will be the D.
Since I already mentioned Vick lets start with the QB's. I saw we cut ties with Vick, he's a turnover machine, he makes bad decisions, is on the wrong end of his career, is injury prone, and costs way to much money. Could he restructure his contract and stay sure, but he has already said that he won't. The Eagles can cut him and not have to pay him anymore money and since we're rebuilding lets use the money to do just that. Nick Foles has shown some promise and we should move on with him. The free agent pool should be pretty bleak for QB's and I haven't heard all that much hype about the rookie class. That's not to say that a talented QB can't be found in the draft (just look at around the league this year) but unless there's a decent trade for another QB around the league to come in and help Foles develop I don't seem a much better offer. The only name I can think of to go after in a trade situation would be Alex Smith from the 49ers but again it would have to be for the right price and even then I'm not completely sold that Smith would be an upgrade.
RBs come next and right now we are stacked. Bryce Brown has shown that he has what it takes to be a very productive back and LeSean McCoy is well LeSean McCoy, nothing more needs to be said about him. We have our franchise back in McCoy and possibly a guy who can split or be better then him in Brown (if Brown can fix his fumbling). Obviously having a stable of talented backs never hurts and there could be some interesting names in free agency but there is no need to overspend for someone who will be a #2 at best. Look mid to late rounds in the draft or not even at all. The only spot there could be some interest in upgrading would be the FB spot. Andy Reid was never big on using a FB and that's part of why the Eagles don't really have much there. Peyton Hillis is a free agent this year and what with Reid taking over as head coach for the Chiefs maybe Hillis will be looked at by the Eagles new head coach.
Currently DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant make up the Eagles top three receivers and while they are very talented we all know the passing game has had it's fair share of problems recently. All in all I think the Eagles are solid here but there could be some interesting names in free agency. However, after Vincent Jackson signed his monster contract last year many of this years free agent WRs will be looking to cash in big as well. So while I'd like to see the likes of Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace or Dwayne Bowe added I don't see the numbers matching up. A guy like Josh Cribbs could be an interesting addition as he isn't an elite receiver so he wouldn't be able to command elite money in that regard but he is one of the best returners in the game and would be an immediate upgrade to our special teams since we haven't been using Jackson on returns. Keeping with receivers, as I look at our TEs I like Brent Celek and Clay Harbor. I again don't see the Eagles going to free agency for an upgrade. Again look for talent to try and be added through the draft.
Lastly is the offensive line. Ok good news first. We should have all of our starters back which is great because if everyone is healthy and back to normal our starting O-line should be one of the best in the league. Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, and Todd Herremans will be a sight for sore eyes when they are all back on the field together again. The position in question for the Eagles is the RG spot, however, they do have some wiggle room. Herremans has shown that he can play both the offensive tackle and guard positions so he could either continue to play RT or possibly slide in to RG. This will depend on what the Eagles decided to do regarding Jake Scott and Danny Watkins. Thus far Watkins has been a bust and Scott was brought in this season to fill in for him. I don't see either being a long term solution and there are some interesting names that could be coming up in free agency. Ryan Clady of the Broncos, Brandon Albert of the Chiefs, and Andy Levitre of the Bills are just a few names who could immediately upgrade the offensive line of the Eagles. I'm not saying that any of them will get to see the light of free agency but if they are then the Eagles should pounce on one, and Herremans ability to play either position will allow everyone a starting spot.
Additionally, if the Eagles have learned anything about the offense from this past season is that the depth of the offensive line needs to be addressed ASAP! The loss of Jason Peters alone made that clear. After three other starters went down it was a disaster. The new coaching staff should evaluate the free agent market closely as we don't want another Demetrius Bell experiment, but I would rather use draft picks to grab solid offensive linemen with potential.
All in all the offensive side of the ball shouldn't be in terrible shape QB is the big question right now but moving forward with Foles should be a no brainier for a team obviously rebuilding. Secondly, address the offensive line problem by finding a suitable starter since Watkins doesn't seem to be panning out as hoped, and grab some solid depth so if and when a starter goes down we have someone who can step up and be a satisfactory fill in.
Next post it gets interesting when the defense gets examined.
Since I already mentioned Vick lets start with the QB's. I saw we cut ties with Vick, he's a turnover machine, he makes bad decisions, is on the wrong end of his career, is injury prone, and costs way to much money. Could he restructure his contract and stay sure, but he has already said that he won't. The Eagles can cut him and not have to pay him anymore money and since we're rebuilding lets use the money to do just that. Nick Foles has shown some promise and we should move on with him. The free agent pool should be pretty bleak for QB's and I haven't heard all that much hype about the rookie class. That's not to say that a talented QB can't be found in the draft (just look at around the league this year) but unless there's a decent trade for another QB around the league to come in and help Foles develop I don't seem a much better offer. The only name I can think of to go after in a trade situation would be Alex Smith from the 49ers but again it would have to be for the right price and even then I'm not completely sold that Smith would be an upgrade.
RBs come next and right now we are stacked. Bryce Brown has shown that he has what it takes to be a very productive back and LeSean McCoy is well LeSean McCoy, nothing more needs to be said about him. We have our franchise back in McCoy and possibly a guy who can split or be better then him in Brown (if Brown can fix his fumbling). Obviously having a stable of talented backs never hurts and there could be some interesting names in free agency but there is no need to overspend for someone who will be a #2 at best. Look mid to late rounds in the draft or not even at all. The only spot there could be some interest in upgrading would be the FB spot. Andy Reid was never big on using a FB and that's part of why the Eagles don't really have much there. Peyton Hillis is a free agent this year and what with Reid taking over as head coach for the Chiefs maybe Hillis will be looked at by the Eagles new head coach.
Currently DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant make up the Eagles top three receivers and while they are very talented we all know the passing game has had it's fair share of problems recently. All in all I think the Eagles are solid here but there could be some interesting names in free agency. However, after Vincent Jackson signed his monster contract last year many of this years free agent WRs will be looking to cash in big as well. So while I'd like to see the likes of Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace or Dwayne Bowe added I don't see the numbers matching up. A guy like Josh Cribbs could be an interesting addition as he isn't an elite receiver so he wouldn't be able to command elite money in that regard but he is one of the best returners in the game and would be an immediate upgrade to our special teams since we haven't been using Jackson on returns. Keeping with receivers, as I look at our TEs I like Brent Celek and Clay Harbor. I again don't see the Eagles going to free agency for an upgrade. Again look for talent to try and be added through the draft.
Lastly is the offensive line. Ok good news first. We should have all of our starters back which is great because if everyone is healthy and back to normal our starting O-line should be one of the best in the league. Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, and Todd Herremans will be a sight for sore eyes when they are all back on the field together again. The position in question for the Eagles is the RG spot, however, they do have some wiggle room. Herremans has shown that he can play both the offensive tackle and guard positions so he could either continue to play RT or possibly slide in to RG. This will depend on what the Eagles decided to do regarding Jake Scott and Danny Watkins. Thus far Watkins has been a bust and Scott was brought in this season to fill in for him. I don't see either being a long term solution and there are some interesting names that could be coming up in free agency. Ryan Clady of the Broncos, Brandon Albert of the Chiefs, and Andy Levitre of the Bills are just a few names who could immediately upgrade the offensive line of the Eagles. I'm not saying that any of them will get to see the light of free agency but if they are then the Eagles should pounce on one, and Herremans ability to play either position will allow everyone a starting spot.
Additionally, if the Eagles have learned anything about the offense from this past season is that the depth of the offensive line needs to be addressed ASAP! The loss of Jason Peters alone made that clear. After three other starters went down it was a disaster. The new coaching staff should evaluate the free agent market closely as we don't want another Demetrius Bell experiment, but I would rather use draft picks to grab solid offensive linemen with potential.
All in all the offensive side of the ball shouldn't be in terrible shape QB is the big question right now but moving forward with Foles should be a no brainier for a team obviously rebuilding. Secondly, address the offensive line problem by finding a suitable starter since Watkins doesn't seem to be panning out as hoped, and grab some solid depth so if and when a starter goes down we have someone who can step up and be a satisfactory fill in.
Next post it gets interesting when the defense gets examined.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
So who's the next coach?
Reportedly former Eagles head coach Andy Reid will become the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. This move in my mind make a lot of sense for Reid first off he would control the first overall pick in this years draft allowing him to start to build his new team with the exact young talent he wants. Also, the Chiefs are sending five players this year to the Pro Bowl. RB Jamsal Charles, OLB Tamba Hali, MLB Derrick Johnson, SS Eric Berry, and Punter Dustin Colquitt. Compare this to none being sent by the Eagles and it would seem that the Chiefs are already an upgrade. The Chiefs also have a large amount of talent on their roster with players like WR Dwayne Bowe, FB Peyton Hillis, RT Eric Winston, LT Branden Albert, RG Jon Asamoah, RE Glenn Dorsey, OLB Justin Houston, and CB Brandon Flowers. With all of this talent especially on the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball Reid could turn this team into a contender in a short period of time. He'll have to decided if he wants to resign Bowe, Hillis, Albert, and Dorsey as they are all scheduled to be free agents this offseason although the only one I can see him letting walk would be Hillis based purely on the fact that Reid has historically has never been big on the use of FBs. Additionally, Reid brings his ability to make QBs better then they are which could make the difference for the Chiefs when it comes to Matt Cassel. He should do fine there and I wish him all the best, I'll be happy if he does go to KC if only for the fact that he wouldn't be coaching in the NFC. Farewell Andy.
So what now for the Eagles head coaching job? Reports are out that the Eagles will be interviewing Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Sunday and it makes a lot of sense. McCoy has taken the Broncos to the playoffs in back to back seasons with two very different QBs. Last year was with Tim Tebow and this year obviously Peyton Manning. Clearly McCoy is a man who is flexible and can tailor an offense to the players on his roster rather then forcing guys to play a style they aren't suited for.
The Eagles have also made requests to interview Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, and special teams coach Keith Armstrong. Clearly the Falcons have got it right this season as they boast the best record in the NFC and are tied with the Broncos for best in the NFL. It seems that Jeffrey Laurie wants to get a closer look at each facet of the Falcons game and determine which assistant coach there has the biggest hand in the teams success.
Lastly it also seems that the Eagles are also going to be taking a look at two of the biggest coaching names in the college ranks. Both Chip Kelly of Oregon and Bill O'Brien of Penn State will certainly get multiple looks from around the league to fill vacant head coaching positions.
Other then these reports not much else has surfaced as to who the favorite is or how long it will take before a decision is made. Laurie has come out and said that he wants to do his do diligence to make sure that the right guy is hired for the job and that there is no rush for him to fill the vacancy for the sake of filling it. He did however say that if they were to determine who they felt the right guy was soon that he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger and make an offer. That being said I think Laurie is being smart here as he was when hiring Reid. We all know how great it was to have a coach who made the Eagles a legit contender year after year and brought a winning mindset to Philadelphia for the past 14 season, well maybe not so much in the last two. However, I fully expect that Laurie is looking for his next Andy Reid. He wants a guy who will come in and change the mood of the locker room that seems to have brought the Eagles down in recent seasons and get back to the championship caliber teams that we all used to know and love.
So what now for the Eagles head coaching job? Reports are out that the Eagles will be interviewing Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Sunday and it makes a lot of sense. McCoy has taken the Broncos to the playoffs in back to back seasons with two very different QBs. Last year was with Tim Tebow and this year obviously Peyton Manning. Clearly McCoy is a man who is flexible and can tailor an offense to the players on his roster rather then forcing guys to play a style they aren't suited for.
The Eagles have also made requests to interview Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, and special teams coach Keith Armstrong. Clearly the Falcons have got it right this season as they boast the best record in the NFC and are tied with the Broncos for best in the NFL. It seems that Jeffrey Laurie wants to get a closer look at each facet of the Falcons game and determine which assistant coach there has the biggest hand in the teams success.
Lastly it also seems that the Eagles are also going to be taking a look at two of the biggest coaching names in the college ranks. Both Chip Kelly of Oregon and Bill O'Brien of Penn State will certainly get multiple looks from around the league to fill vacant head coaching positions.
Other then these reports not much else has surfaced as to who the favorite is or how long it will take before a decision is made. Laurie has come out and said that he wants to do his do diligence to make sure that the right guy is hired for the job and that there is no rush for him to fill the vacancy for the sake of filling it. He did however say that if they were to determine who they felt the right guy was soon that he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger and make an offer. That being said I think Laurie is being smart here as he was when hiring Reid. We all know how great it was to have a coach who made the Eagles a legit contender year after year and brought a winning mindset to Philadelphia for the past 14 season, well maybe not so much in the last two. However, I fully expect that Laurie is looking for his next Andy Reid. He wants a guy who will come in and change the mood of the locker room that seems to have brought the Eagles down in recent seasons and get back to the championship caliber teams that we all used to know and love.
Monday, December 3, 2012
What this new news means.
Today two bits of breaking news came out of the Eagles offices. 1. Defensive line coach Jim Washburn has been let go. Apparently there has been growing tensions in the locker room as the season continues to plummet, and Washburn had become and increasing distraction. After the release of Jason Babin last week those distractions only seem to have escalated as Babin was brought over to the Eagles from the Titans with Washburn in 2011. The duo spent (including this one) three season together and Washburn seemed to think of Babin as his pet project, so that could be why things escalated and resulted in Washburn being let go (apparently in the parking lot of the airport as the Eagles we returning home from their loss in Dallas).
The second piece of news is that Andy Reid has named Nick Foles as the Eagles starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. With this move we can come to one huge conclusion and that is that Jeffrey Lurie is now controlling the Eagles directly. One could say that this move is a last ditch minute attempt from Andy Reid to save his job by appearing to prepare for next season by using the remaining four game to evaluate the talent that the Eagles currently have. If you ask me though this is Lurie's doing and it's a smart move on his part.
At the end of last season Lurie put Andy Reid on the hot seat by saying that if significant improvement was not made this season that changes would be made. With the loss to Dallas last night (the Eagles 8th straight loss) it is not statistically impossible for the Eagles to match their record from last season. IF Reid guided the Eagles to another 8-8 season he could have saved his job for at least one more season. Now that it is impossible for another .500 season Lurie's back is against a wall and the writing on that wall is that Andy Reid's time in Philadelphia is over.
The remainder of Reid's time with the Eagles will be spent taking orders from Lurie, and attempting to showcase what skills he can bring to another team next season. I do still believe that Reid is a great coach and will be a great asset to whatever team decided to hire him (should he decide to coach again next season). Regardless of how good a coach he might be his time in midnight green is over, and it should be. I, like many others, wish it didn't have to end like this but it's been a number of questionable decisions over the past two season that have led to this. The promotion of Juan Castillo, the implementation of the wide 9, the free agent spending spree in 2011, questionable draft pics, etc...
The list could go on but the result is a team that has underachieved and disappointed fans. That with Lurie's ultimatum means only one thing, Reid is out and we are now rebuilding. If he goes in any other direction and Reid is allowed to stay he will begin to lose the fan bases trust. With that... let the preseason begin!
The second piece of news is that Andy Reid has named Nick Foles as the Eagles starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. With this move we can come to one huge conclusion and that is that Jeffrey Lurie is now controlling the Eagles directly. One could say that this move is a last ditch minute attempt from Andy Reid to save his job by appearing to prepare for next season by using the remaining four game to evaluate the talent that the Eagles currently have. If you ask me though this is Lurie's doing and it's a smart move on his part.
At the end of last season Lurie put Andy Reid on the hot seat by saying that if significant improvement was not made this season that changes would be made. With the loss to Dallas last night (the Eagles 8th straight loss) it is not statistically impossible for the Eagles to match their record from last season. IF Reid guided the Eagles to another 8-8 season he could have saved his job for at least one more season. Now that it is impossible for another .500 season Lurie's back is against a wall and the writing on that wall is that Andy Reid's time in Philadelphia is over.
The remainder of Reid's time with the Eagles will be spent taking orders from Lurie, and attempting to showcase what skills he can bring to another team next season. I do still believe that Reid is a great coach and will be a great asset to whatever team decided to hire him (should he decide to coach again next season). Regardless of how good a coach he might be his time in midnight green is over, and it should be. I, like many others, wish it didn't have to end like this but it's been a number of questionable decisions over the past two season that have led to this. The promotion of Juan Castillo, the implementation of the wide 9, the free agent spending spree in 2011, questionable draft pics, etc...
The list could go on but the result is a team that has underachieved and disappointed fans. That with Lurie's ultimatum means only one thing, Reid is out and we are now rebuilding. If he goes in any other direction and Reid is allowed to stay he will begin to lose the fan bases trust. With that... let the preseason begin!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)