At times there are players who live on an island by themselves. They don’t have close friends on the team and nobody is able to reach them. Certain players are never seen talking to their teammates and laughing or discussing things with them. This seems to be the case with Eagles Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.
His words are few in the locker room. You don’t see him showing any emotion on the positive or negative side. He comes in goes to his locker, takes his shower and leaves. When you approach the big tackle to ask a question, Peters just looks at you with a blank stare that’s hard to read.
“I’m not alright with myself,” Peters told Geoff Moesher of Delawareonline.com. “I had a couple of offsides penalties. I’ve got to clean that up,” he said. “I had a couple of mental errors in there. I’ve just got to clean that up for Green Bay.”
He’s saying the right thing but so far this preseason, he hasn’t done the right thing. Peters is supposed to be the Eagles best offensive lineman, but he’s not playing like it as of yet.
How do you motivate a guy who gives you nothing to go by? How do you motivate a guy who is already financially secure and is making $10 million dollars a year? The Eagles have to find out the answer to that question.
There’s no talk of team leaders communicating with Peters, but it’s obvious that someone should say something to him. It’s an early test for a young football team.
They need Peters to start playing like the Pro Bowl offensive tackle that they traded for. Although he did make the Pro Bowl last year, he wasn’t consistent and struggled during a number of games. He was supposed to step his game up this year but it hasn’t happened. If anything he’s taken a step back.
Peters had a horrible game last Friday night against the Chiefs. Not only did he jump offsides a couple of times, Peters, who is one of the best athletes playing left tackle in the league, was beaten numerous times by mediocre pass rushers. If he can’t block the unimpressive pass rushers of the Chiefs, he’s surely not going to be able to handle DeMarcus Ware, Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora.
The Eagles are concerned and it’s one of the reasons, that former Eagles Pro Bowl left tackle Tra Thomas was at yesterday’s practice. I’ve learned that the Eagles have asked Thomas to help them try to reach Peters.
Thomas knows what it’s like to line up at that left tackle spot, and be asked to block the best pass rushers in the league without any help play after play. It’s a demanding position which is the reason it’s the second highest paid position in the NFL, trailing on quarterbacks in salary.
All of the talk about the outstanding group of receivers, which the Eagles have and the ability of Kevin Kolb to get the ball to them, is a moot point if Peters and his fellow offensive linemen don’t do a better job up front.
Now every defense in the league sees blood in the water when they watch the tape of the sorry Kansas City Chiefs successfully blitzing the Birds and putting a beating on Kolb.
Good post G. Knowing that Peters has tremendous skills, had excelled for the lowly Bills and had an up and down 2009 season, we can all only hope that he just can’t or won’t turn it on for preseason and will do so when it means something.
This team always struggled adainst 3-4 schemes, hence the reason the Cowboys got Wade Philips to bring it to the NFC East, and now The Redskins is running it.
Get the tape on the last 2 Maulings the Cowboys gave our team and that’s all you need to destroy our offense….that’s was the pathetic Chiefs used. We’ve quickly become the new door mats of the NFL.
“times yours”
Eagle Opponents that use a base 3-4 Scheme on Defense
Packers, 49ers,Cowboys,Redskins, will use it full time and then the Titans,Jags, & Texas will occasionally use a variation of it in certain down & distance situations…
The will need to figure it out and quickly
Last time i checked we have beaten a few teams in the past year with a 3-4….S..B. champs Steelers,Boys,Redskins,almost came back too beat Chargers,and there’s one in there im forgetting. It’s a problem when the stunts and blitzes arent corrcetly picked up. Losing Jackson killed us last year.
I’m not as high or as low as some of you but i am looking at the roster and happy we’re fully healthy.
Songs…doormat?We made the p-offs last years.And how come your not talking about how pathetic the Cowboys look.Predictable offense…slants too Austin,draw play,and Whitten up the seam. Alltimer Aikman called em on it!!!! SO STOP BEING A GRANDMA ABOUT THE BIRDS!!!POSITIVITY!!
What the hell is up with the emotions along the Oline? First, we gIve Andrews brother a contract to call him in from off the ledge (He can’t block a tackle dummy), and now it’s Tra Thomas in an effort to console the guy who replaced him (Jason Peters).
Do we have football players on the line or basket cases?
Next we’ll be hearing about a visit from Dr. Phil
ARE THESE THE PLAYERS YOU WANT BLOCKING FOR THE GOLDEN BOY?
The should not be call PRO’S – Here’s the new title for the O-Line “PRO-ZAC”
This is not rocket science….block the damn man in front of you!!!!!
The NFC East is up for Grabs right now…All 4 teams have not looked that good this Pre-season
and actually the Eagles have probably looked better than the other 3 teams if you look at all the games and they are definitely the are the Healthiest of the bunch and really lack any locker room issues with unhappy players as oppoesed to the other teams..
The Cowboys O/Line and Safety Position have taken some hits with Injuries where they 3 Starters out (Kosier,Columbo and Sensabaugh) ILB Brookings has missed lots of time as has Draft pick and eventual replacement in Sean Lee. The Cowboys depth behind their starters have not looked too good at all and are not NFL ready by most obeservors…
The Giants have some issues with their O/Line and there are still some rumblings in that Locker room about Couglin’s Coaching habits and personalilty… RB Brandon Jacobs and DE Osi are not really happy with him,their playing time aand being called out by the Coach and they apparently are spreading some “hate’ around the locker room.. The y have no back-up WQB behind ELI and their first couple of games out of the gate are the Panthers who always play the Giants tough and then visit the Colts..A 0-2 start could have this “sensitive” team break apart like it did last season and eventually tune out Coughlin and their coaches like last year
The Redksins have issues with their O/L, WR’s and now QB McNabb is injured and unable to practice this week wehn most teams # 1 Offenses start game planning for their opening game
The Haynesworth fiasco has since settled down where all parties are concentrating on football (At least for now) wait to the normal season comes when Albert won’t be able to practice half the time and see how that goes ove rwith Coach Shannaha and the lockeroom. An quick start to begin the season is imperative for the Redskins have the Cowboys, at Texans,Rams,Eagles & GB and a slow start by McNabb & Offense may doom this team by a slow start
So bottom line,what does this mean, all teams have their issues, but a opening game Victory versus a good team in the Packers at home would go a long way of giving this young Eagle team the confidence and momentum to start the Season off on a good foot..
I think a 10-6/11-5 Record can win this NFC East this year…
eagles back ups look better than some other team backups
but besides redskins these r real pre seasons for cowboys and giants these r playoff teams real preseason
eagles were a playoff team last yr
many upgrades all over the field this yr but they are worse they may have better talent than last yr but of all the positions they really needed upgrades they chose the wrong 1
Im with erock on this
I just heard that G-Man has hired world renowned “Dr Laura” to help take care of PW and Songs
as far as their low-esteem, sense of abandonment, and the all-around negativity issues that they have going on ..I wish them the best in their “Intervention”..
(hopefully someone will be filming it for it would make an interesting case study..)
I hope Tra can help Peters out. Tra was a standout on the OLine for many years and perhaps he may be able to reach Peters because they come from common ground. We need Peters to be a dominant force on the OLine and his play is key to the success of the Eagles this year.
Pwill – so you’d rather that the Eagles had not upgraded the free saftey, cornerback, linebacker and pass rushing positions? And you already know how this team will perform? No – so think about that. Now think before you post.
Uggh..Desperation time on Peters? Hope it works..
The safety position is still a downgrade from BDawk…the Oline is atrocious and don’t think opponents will not target Jamal Jackson’s bad leg…..Hobbs will be toast..(watch) and Kolb is a definate, big time downgrade.
4-12 will be the record…
I hope they make me eat crow but with this schedule and the fact this team can not score 7 with the first team offense is telling.
I’m not falling gor the hype.
The Eagles are in serious trouble
eagles should see if tra still wants to play
At least Tra knew the snap count….this Peters guy is a false start waiting to happen…he damn near lines up close to where the full back is lined…boy ..Andy sure knows linemen.
If I was Tra I would tell ol Andy to shove it….The gull to cut Tra then have him come to hold hands with his replacement.
Only in Philadelphia
“TIMES YOURS”
we upgraded at free safety ok
lb core we gained a nice talent in ernie simms is it an upgrade yet have to see first
cornerback downgraded perenial starter to a bunch of utility corners certainly upgraded the d end position
these r all the positions that killed us last yr
i think very much be4 i post and i hope now u see my point
if we trade the qb u upgrade u dont downgrade
so all of these upgrades u speak of now mean nathan
please stop with this upgrade at db bs maybe depth maybe there r 5 scrubs at db now instead of 3 but so what not an upgrade
if we were 11-5 and made all these upgrades then
we should be better todays topic should be like :only teams that can contend with us or something :beast of the east or something
but no its not despite ur upgrades
9-7 symbolizes good job this yr
i have no idea how i did that happy face
These are all the same complaints about the offensive line as last year. They will be okay once they move Shawna Andrews to the bench and get someone in there who wants to win. As long as we’re competitive this year I will be happy. I don’t expect to win the superbowl until 2012.
Records are decieving,
Last years version of 11-5 team was really no better than the 9-6-1 team from a year before,
I don’t think the Eagles even beat a team with a winning record in 2009 and got breaks in beating
the Bears (Cutler overthrew 2-3 wide open WR/TE for touchdowns) and faced the Falcons without
their top QB,RB and #2 WR who were all out for injuries and lost to the JeMarcus Led Oakland Raiders.
I do think they have significantly improved their Defense with upgrades at Safety/LB/DE and stayed about the same at CB with some younger guys with more upside..
The Offense will probably take a step back until Kolb gets meaninigful game expereince but has lots of weapons to help with the learning curve as long as the O/Line protects and blocks, If so, they should be in good shape to contend for a playoff spot, If not, then it will be a mediocre season like they’ve had the last few seasons…
Remember that the 2009 verison on Defense gave up a whopping 27 TD’s thru the Air…
So CB Sheldon Brown was no shutdown corner by any stretch and there really won’t be any drop-off
with this years collection of CB.. Hobbs is heatlhy, Hanson looking to redeem himself and
both D Patterson and T Lindley are up and comers and will make some things happen instead of being passive and of course the Eagles hire a real Def Secondary coach in D Jauron as opposed to that horrendous hire Bill Stewart from the Dallas Cowboys..
As a side note, anyone notice how much better the Cowboys secondary played in 2009 when Stewart left them and how worse the Eagles played with him as Coach..
It’s funny how people change gears when the writings on the wall. The whole off seson Schill and Paulman was talking about how the offense is fine and that it’s the defense we need to address for improvement…..Now, the spin is that it may take to mid season for the offense to click, and then the Eagles will roll.
Which is it folks?
I thought Kolb with the Young guns were going to show everyone what we’ve been missing with Mcnabb for so long.
This is what we know so far….
1. The offense still can not get one freakin yard in short yardage situations.
2. The Red Zone offense is no better if not worse than it have been in the last few years.
3. Kolb can not read complex blitz packages and will throw the rock up for grabs.
4. There’s no quality depth in the Center of our line and our starting center is still recovering from major surgery.
5.Andy and Marty are predictable and still have no desire to commit to a legitimate running game.
6.The jury is out big time on our D coodrinator and he haven’t proven tht he can adjust during a game.
7. We can’t expect too much with a team that have so many question marks.
8. We all hope this team is not what have been exibited so far.
G, great article. This type of article is the reason I come to this site everyday….also to argue with people on the comment board
Does anyone think maybe Reid’s coaching style is becoming too stale…i mean, you stay with one organization for too long, maybe he’s not adapting as well…i dunno
pman our secondary was great till like week 8 or 9 when sheldon hurt his hammy and couldnt run anymore
i know u know this
also i dont wanna hear that hog wash about if a break goes here or there
if kevin curtis catches a ball that hits him in the chest we probably advance so i dont wanna hear that breaks stuff its football
some1 once said u r what ur record says u r
when we r 5-11 that statement is correct but when 11-5 wit d5 o we were garbage lucky record
yea ok
instead of downing it u should see that maybe a pro bowl qb was able to mask alot issues we had and lead a team 2 an overachieving 11 win record
Will – you like Macho at FS? That was great? Hell no – Nate Allen is better there and Asante know’s he has to hit, and shows that he can now. And I think Lindley may help more with the big guys (upgrade) and Coleman seems to be a better backup than demps too. You think our secondary was great, not at all – sure Sheldon had a good first half of the season, but we had bad safety play last year, and the defense was a mess due to injuries. Nate Allen, Lindley, helath Hobbs, improved Patterson, all that is an upgrade over Sheldon + Macho.
Songs, your 1rst point is incorrect. Short yardage was not a problem last year at all (prior to Jackson going down, then the C play SUCKED). Weaver, Vick, and McCoy have all been good at getting short yardage. They won’t be 100% (no team is), but that criticism (which was VERY VALID for years) is outdated and doesn’t apply to this team. Kolb has scrambled for first down. Shady’s converted, and weaver and Vick are particularly good at it. The rest of your points there are somewhat valid, except I don’t know that they won’t run the ball more this year – Reid did it with the 3 headed monster earlier in McNabb’s career, and I think they might surprise with the left side of the line and McCoy this year.
Songs, you’re right that there are a ton of unknowns and that anyone hyping up and confidently predicting success is full of spit. Uh, same as every year, same for all teams. That’s the NFL. Show me a team that doesn’t have a bunch of question marks and unknowns about this year. I dare you.
Maybe he missed Andrews and would like to make NY his home.
Songs..your absolutely out of your freakin mind..You know all this from 3 pre-season games? WOW..
TO Songs,
Let me correct while yout still up,
A big part of the improvement for Eagles Secondary for 2010 versus 2009 is the hiring of Sec Coach D Jauron and the departure of Ex-Cowboy Coach Bill Stewart..(veteran players tuned him out late last year when Brown,Mickell and Samuel all played poorly the last 5-6 games of the Season
and for the record, I was not one of the kool-aid supporters jumping on the “young guns” lime most in Phialdephia, I have been very critical of the WR group and have then rated slight about average for reasons like not blocking downfield (outside of Avant), not hanging yuor heard when the ball doesn;t come your way (like D-Jax does on occasion) and not playing Scared like Maclin does..
I don’t think they are an elite group at all and Maclin needs to show me a lot more than he has to be considered a legitimate # 2 WR… Now if he steps up which he has the talent and skill to do and R Cooper becomes a solid 4th WR contributor as does K Washington, then I think the WR group becomes a solid strength of the club, but it’s way to early and a lot of “if”. “maybes” to me so far..
Th eonly one I really don’t worry about Is 3rd WR Avant for he is a true professional, the rest don’t block enough to help in the running game or each other in my opinion…