Fists have been an active part of training camp a mere few practices in the books. Trent Cole and Bradley Fletcher have been involved in scuffles, and both have implied that the defense is something that opposing teams in the NFL are going to fear this season.
Players on defense are looking to erase the label of keeping the Eagles from reaching their full potential. When you hear mention of the Chip Kelly Eagles, you think high scoring, quick pace offense.
Defensively, experts project the Eagles to be in the bottom third of the league, questioning if they have enough playmakers or true “3-4” players to contend with the better offenses in the league. When Malcom Jenkins is your biggest splash in free agency, and the rest of your defense is filled with “good” players but none mentioned as “elite,” theoretically you will be questioned until you prove something.
Playing with a chip on your shoulder, having determination not to silence the critics but to buy into what the coaching staff is preaching; it’s a good start to constructing an identity. The mentality of playing defense can’t be compared to the luxuries of playing offense in the current NFL. All you have to do is to dial back to the Super Bowl, as good as the Seahawks were on defense all season long, very few felt they could contend with the record breaking offense of the Denver Broncos.
I fully support the Eagles defense looking to “mix it up” this season. I would like it however if our best offensive player in LeSean McCoy and projected number one wide receiver Jeremy Maclin were not on the other side.
If the guys on defense could wait until Friday August 8th with our match up with the Chicago Bears for the first pre-season game, I’d like to remove any additional opportunities for player injury.
Maybe, just maybe this defense is going to be “factor” going into the season. It would an unexpected addition to an offense that has already established itself as one of the best in the league.
The defense is creating noise, and fans are ready for it. It’s been an ugly decline since the days of Dawkins and the failure of the “Dream Team” additions. Philly loves their football, and the fan base would certainly get excited about having a unit that could “lay someone out.”
Get bigger, Get Younger, Get Faster.
Coach them up
Let the Game teach them the truth.
I think our Defense is going to be better. I think it is another year or two away from being special. (However hope springs eternal)
I still think we have a problem up the middle on defense at both NT and ILB. I am not the Demeco Ryans fan that coaches are.
We will see what happens this fall…I am excited to see if the kid from Wisconsin can be a plugger in the HollisThomas role back in the day.
I am with you IJ about the Middle of this 3-4 Defense
I do think we will be pleasantly surprised by 7th Round Pick
Beau Allen who moves very well, has strong hands and good feet for a 330lbs NT.. He will be a solid addition to the DL, Short Yardage and Red Zone Defense
He is no Pass Rusher by any means but can clog the 1-3 Gap and tie up a Center/Guard without giving up ground..
I’ve stated for 2 years now that I think ILB Kendrick’s should be moved to the outside and basically play the Joker Position and do 1 thing on every play, and that’s rush the backfield and QB similar to what Clay Matthews or Von Millet do for their respective Teams.. Kendrick’s is a beast when moving forward and attacking, but not so effective when dropping back in Pass Coverage
Or simply sitting and Playing a Zone.. I would attack, attack, attack with him on every play from different spots and not only think he would get 12-14 Sacks in doing so, but would cause mayhem, stop some running O’Jays in it’s tracks and make Offense’s have to keep a RB or TE in to help Pass Protect and account for him meaning the Secondary has 1 less Receiver out in pass-routes…
Maybe they will do employ this in 2014
Demeco Ryans is not the problem at all…he was good last year and he made some plays…the problem is up front on the line where the Dtackles are at best average. Counting on a 7th round pick is too much…the best you can expect from Beau Allen is to be a solid backup! Fletcher Cox is the guy that has to step up! He needs to go to the Pro-Bowl this year for the Eagles to take the next step up. If he is wrecking havoc on opposing team’s offensive line-the whole defense will improve substantially. If he doesn’t reach a Pro-Bowl level we will have a average defense that will stop poor teams and be gashed by the better teams…just like New Orleans ran it up our gut last year in the playoffs!
Koolbreeze, you wanted the Eagles to take either Manziel or Louis Nix. Heres an update for you. Louis Nix is on the pup list as he continues to have physical/medical issues. Texans have not disclosed if it is still his meniscus or something else…clearly his medical issues is the reason why he dropped to the 3rd round. He will not have an impactful year, Beau Allen was a better pick.
Johnny Manziel. Charlie Casserly came out today and said Johnny Manziel is not the long term answer for the Cleveland Browns. Manziel has been struggling in practice, as he threw multiple interceptions today. Manziel’s problem is that he actually has to play QB in a structured system and can’t free lance like he did at Texas A&M. But this is your guy Kool….he has the it factor ….right? The less athletic, but more efficient Hoyer will beat him out.
Johnny Football will be out of the NFL b4 his Rookie Deal is up
The most ready NFL QB from this years average crop of QB’s from the Deaft is out in Oakland by the name of Derek Carr..(as I stated all Pre-Draft run-up)
Raiders got a steal for him in the 2nd Round in my opinion and actually had
One of the top 3 Drafts of all Clubs in 2014
I think QB Bridgewater had a good chance in Minnesota due to not being rushed to play out of the gate this Season and the fact that the OC is Norv a Turner is a good QB Coach with a great RB in Peterson to take pressure off of him. I think the Vikings will be a surprise Team this year and give Teams fits Under HC Zimmer who has a major Chip on his shoulder being bypassed for HC Positiobs the last few Off-Seasons and along with Norv a Turner will help turn Vikings around in a shorty period of time
Eagleshaslanded, who cares what Charlie Casserly thinks..and so what Manziel is struggling in camp…I think he would have been a great fit for Chip Kelly’s offense, we have to wait and see how he works out in Cleveland, he may not fit that offense, we will never know how he would have worked out here since we didnt keep him . But.he’s a rookie and rookie quaterbacks tend to struggle in camp…so does 3 year quarterbacks like Nick Foles who threw numerous picks today and yesterday in practice!
Bottom line is that we have to wait and see.
Also if Louis Nix dropped to the 3rd round because of medical issues why did Beau Allen drop to the 7th round?
Beau Allen may not even make the team!
No bottom line is koolbreezes is a fraud fan, a liar, a hater and an overall idiot. Eagles didn’t even practice today , how did nick throw picks yaidiot?
Mhenski, the Eagles did practice today, however Kool lied and said Foles threw multiple picks, he didn’t, he threw one. He’s making stuff up to try and validate his argument, however, his information is dead wrong.
Kool, your response comes off as petulant, but I will happily answer your opening statement posed as a question.
Kool, a lot of people care what Charlie Casserly thinks, that’s why he was employed as a GM and is employed as an analyst….that answers that question. I wonder who has more football knowledge, credibility and football acumen, Koolbreeze or Charlie Casserly, perhaps you should answer that question…and honestly. Who outside of GCOBB knows Koolbreeze as it relates to pro football, and how many know Charlie Casserly outside of football.
You think Manziel would have been a great fit in Chip’s system, evidently Chip doesn’t. LOL, Chip said that Manziel would have been a great fit in his system at Oregon, but Kool, this is not college, it’s the pro’s. If chip thought he fitted his system perfectly, please explain in detail why he did not draft him as he had the opportunity to, but elected to drop down instead, that’s quite telling. But It sounds as if you think you know what’s best for Chip’s system better than he (the designer of the offense) himself. Perhaps you should be an advisor to Chip, to help him and explain his offense and the proper talent he needs to run it. let me know when that happens bruh!
As far as Beau Allen, why did Tom Brady drop to the sixth round. The draft is not an exact science. I think he will make the team, but you’re right, we will see. Allen is one of my dark horses. Bottom line a healthy 7th round player can contribute more than a 3rd round pick who can not play due to health issues. Ability is important, however, availability is more important.
Nick Foles has played in actual games and had a 29TD to 2 interception ratio in real live NFL games, what he does in summer camp is not as important, and by the way ,Foles threw 1 pick today in camp, don’t make stuff up to try and validate your argument as you lose credibility when you do. You can not begin to compare Foles to Manziel right now, use a rookie to try to argue your point. Foles is to established to compare his training camp to Manziel’s…doing that is laughable!
According to GMCliff aka LYINGASSCLIFF hes the man on here and better than most pundits…so he may disagree….he is rarely wrong on players and has a streak that has lasted 5 years and continues right now….
lmao
It’s common Knowledge, that Cliff said, Johnny Manziel would be a bust in the NFL , the year he won the Heisman …Genius – and that opinion has not changed – the most recent of the overhyped – wasted pick based on the opinions of Kiper, and Mayock……we’ll see if they are smarter, than I am…….and you too….
gmcliff……GO AWAY. You said Manziel would be an instant starter and a Pro Bowler as a rookie! I remember it clearly……
You are wasting time and valuable page space. STOP posting!
Oh and Koolbreeze, know Eagles QB’s threw any interceptions yesterday, the first picks was made today, so Foles did not throw an interception yesterday because the Eagles did not practice yesterday, and don’t say you meant Sunday because I was at practice Sunday and no picks were thrown then either. Stop lying to advance your bull $#!+ liying @$$ agenda. Don’t even try to refute it….LIAR!
No Eagles QB’s
Kool, we never had Manziel to keep, nor did the majority of Eagles fans on GCOBB want Manziel, nor did the GM or coach Kelly. You said Manziel has the “it factor”, anyone who has the “it factor” can play at a high level in any system at QB, so do not back track now talking about maybe he doesn’t fit their system. The Browns just want their QB to be able to read defenses, go through their progressions and deliver the ball with accuracy and be efficient, and not turn the ball over as that is the primary job of an NFL QB…lol…the “it factor”…more like the $#!+ factor. If Manziel can manage to do the aforementioned plus have the added ability to extend plays running after he performed his primary QB duties, good, but Manziel is a free lancer…good college QB, but that is not having the “it factor” on the pro level. You have to be able to distinguish the two, that’s why Kelly said he would have been a good fit for his offense at Oregon, clearly not for the pro’s!!! 🙂
Kendricks is to small for OLB and I think he will thrive inside as long as he stays fresh. They moved him around a ton last year hope to see more. If we had a consistent pass rush where someone could draw a double team he would be beast exploring gaps.
Ryan’s isn’t anything special to me. He’s solid but if you don’t have beasts upfront for him he fades in and out.
They can be physical all they want, the key to the defense getting better, is making tackles, & creating TO’s. This team still hasn’t fixed those 2 problems. They only replaced Chung with Jenkins, who is a better version of himself. Jenkins led the league in missed tackles from 2011-2013. IMHO, we still don’t have any playmakers/ difference makers. We better hope the front 7 gets more pressure on the QB’s, to alleviate the pressure on the secondary. Be prepared to have many 42-35 games, win, or lose.
Wolff needs to show he has balls, & isn’t a Mr. Softie, like when he didn’t return last year, when he was medically cleared to return. Carroll needs to prove he can play. Allen is hot garbage. Boykin will alleviate some inside issues, in nickle, dime packages, & slot receivers. I really like Jaylen Watkins, because he can play both CB & safety. The corners are mediocre at best.
With all the talk I keep hearing about Carroll I am really interested to see if the guy is anything other than a glorified third corner. If he pushes for a starter role IMHO I think it makes the defense better because we depth and can move guys around. We dont need to leave Cary Williams on the field if he isnt playing tall guys or bump and run and we can take Fletcher off and place Boykins on the outside in SOME man cover situations.
DCar Boykins and Kendricks are playmakers…the thing with them though is can you leave Boykins on the field all the time. and can we afford to take Kendricks OFF the field at times. Thats why I am low on Demeco Ryans because when Kendricks comes off the field Demeco is an ok to good LB to me.
Nolan Carroll can play I think he’ll make a positive impact, to me it still boils down to getting to the QB and the safety play.
Oh no doubt it’s all about upfront. I don’t care if you have the Troy Vincent Eagles back there with BDawk…every secondary gets exposed with lack of pressure. I am giving the year one 3-4 benefit of the doubt excuse for last year. But if Cox etc aren’t stepping up that’s a troubling sign going into the year.
I think Chip addresses the time of possession issue to aid the defense more this year. Implementation of heavy screen game could really help
I agree Izell, Cox needs to show up and be dominant and the time of possession thing to me is slightly exaggerated just limit the amount of 40 second three and outs and that’ll be cool.
Izell, I’m talking more of turnovers & sacks, referring to my playmaking comment. Boykins is a good slot CB, I agree, but Kendricks is far from a playmaker. He is a good sideline-sideline tackler, but he causes no TO’s can’t cover, & is small & gets pushed around in the run game.
Cox and Kendricks….they have to be breakout stars….or all the Birds will have is a good defense at best.
Matthews dominates practice. Reports are rookie Jordan Matthews just dominated Wed practice. He was making tough, contested passes all over the field.
Stop the dirty talk dag… I’m getting a woody!
HAC now the worrisome news. Look, Im not hear to bash Foles but I swear to you this organization is not sold on Foles. Lurie spoke to media again. Lurie was asked if Foles is a franchise QB. Lurie says “I have no IDEA”. “But I do know he has a great opportunity in front of him with the offenseive talent”. Than they ask Lurie about how Vick said that Foles is going to be great. Lurie says “Its hard not to be impressed with Foles off the field”. I know fans are going to say “well his contract is coming up if they say something great about him it drives the price up. blah blah blah. I really find that hard to believe. Why doesn’t Lurie just say yes we believe he is our franchise QB. Im not saying Foles is going to suck or he is this or that all Im saying is why is it so hard for the Eagles to endorse this guy. I swear I don’t think they fully believe in him yet. Maybe Im wrong but its just interesting the way they talk about him.
Because it flat out is a negotiation . It just is… Coming out with that statement does zero for the organization. The fans would love it and foles agent would cum in his pants. But it’s bad business .
Dag I keep telling people on here don’t bother with the sound bites … They mean nothing
True indeed…and honestly , it is such a trite debate and issue right now. If he is so be it..if he is not…then they will attempt to find one. Let it rest until contract time , til then, lets enjoy the up coming season.
You cant comment on Foles until the end of the year. It would be a bad business move any which way and would only add unneeded pressure.
If Lurie falls over himself praising Foles and Foles is gangbusters….they have Lurie by the sac and probably wont be able to negotiate an early deal in season. If Lurie praises him and the kid falls on his face….well then they look beyond stupid.
If Foles can ball Foles is going nowhere. They can slap the Franchise Tag…negotiate early etc etc….Kapernicks terrible deal may actually have helped the Birds save money. But if the kid gets the birds back to the playoffs two straight years hes getting Jay Cutler money at minimum.
Is Jordan Matthews as good as all the pre preseason hype? I would have been good with just 5 RZ Tds this year….but they are making him sound like he can grab 50-60 balls this year.
One more tidbit I heard on Foles. He comes from one of the wealthiest families to ever step foot on a football field, Money will not be a shock for him. He comes from money. From philly.com
ABOUT 13 MONTHS ago, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported that Austin restaurant magnate Larry Foles and partner Guy Villavaso had sold their eight national Eddie V’s Prime Seafood restaurants and their three Wildfish Grilles for $59 million. That was a pretty good haul for the father of Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, especially since, as Nick noted on Wednesday his father never graduated from high school. Nick said his parents, Larry and Melissa, who retain extensive restaurant holdings, have “always been my inspiration. They’ve given me this opportunity.” Larry Foles said Wednesday he feels his 23-year-old son is “ready for any challenge.” “He’s one of the most earnest, humble, good people in the world,” Larry Foles said. “He understands adversity, and he understands the patience to get through it. He really understands, we talk about it all the time, the Philly fans. He said, ‘Dad, they’re tough. They’re going to let you have it. But, boy I tell you, if you do well, they’re going to cheer you on like crazy.’ I said, ‘are you ready?’ He said, ‘I’m ready for it, I really am. I love fans like that.’ “
According to eaglescap.com Nick Foles will have earned $1,161,760 after this season is over. Larry Foles and his partner sold their restaurant chain Eddie V’s for $59 million. After an unrealistic estimation that Larry saw half of that money and some quick division we come to the conclusion that Larry Foles is approximately 25x wealthier than his son and future Hall of Famer Nick Foles.
For reasons I have trouble explaining, this blows my mind. Yes there are reports emerging that the children of rich parents are far more likely to become pro athletes
than poor kids, but this is somehow different than Matt Barkley being born a rich kid. The idea of earning one of only 32 jobs as a starting NFL quarterback and still being 25 times less successful than your father is wild. “Hey dad, remember that time I threw seven touchdowns in a single game?” “Hey son, remember that time I built a single restaurant into a $59 million empire with no high school education? Yeah, exactly. Shut up.”
Sweet
LyingAssCliff are you talking in third person again? No one wants to hear your nonsense lol. Stop trying to kiss ass on peoples posts now too lol…
Oh I’m sorry how dare I say something like that to the man on here….
Hey everybody the man on here just posted! Lmao
******NFL News****
Dallas Cowboys extend LT T Smith Deal
For $90 Million with a $40 Guarantee
Is Jerry Jones out of his mind…
Boy this sure makes the extension the Eagles gave J Peters at 4 Years
& $40 Million look like a Bargain
I could care less how the Cowboys mis-spend their $$$
But I do think think this huge signing for LT Smith
will set a bad precedent for signing good LT moving forward..
Just ridiculous…
The Cowboys by next Season will have Romo, T Smith & Dez Bryant
All with close to $100 Million Deals.. What Fools they are and still won’t Win
More than 8 Games…
Paul you almost gave a philly GM a compliment…
I have no problem with how the Eagles handle Contracts (from GM Roseman to even when Joe Banner was around) Eagles have been one of the smartest Teams during the Lurie Era on how they have handled their Player Contracts in my opinion, and have stated so many times over the Years.. Any whoever says the Eagles are Cheap, don’t follow the NFL very closely…
Except for the brain fart that we all had in 2011…. Some called it the greatest FAday in history.. Boy were we wrong!
Yes, that was a debacle but the good thing was that GM Roseman learned very quickly, that focusing on Big-Name Free-Agents is not the way to go in building a Quality Roster for the long-term…
It’s Funny, but when you look at most of the top Free-Agent Signings Year in and Year out, most of these Players never live up to the hype or more importantly, the Production of their previous Seasons…
Last Seasons big Signings
WR Mike Wallace, WR Greg Jennings, WR Laurent Robinson,
TE Darnell Walker, Safety Dashon Gholston, LB Paul Krueger,
TE Paul Casey all struggled to make an impact with their new Teams
Good stuff Mr. Paulman. I agree with you opinion. I read an interesting article that one of the issues facing Casey is that when the Eagles signed him, the information they had on their draft board indicated Ertz would not be available, and the team was shocked when he was sitting there. I am hoping now that the team has had some more time (over a year) to plan for the three TEs we have – they will be able to find more use for him – I think however, after camp gets going and a team suffers an injury or two, he may be traded
Cary Williams seems to think that he’s on the same level as Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis etc
What I like about Cary is that he talks to motivate himself and it drives his game. But lets be realistic here, he’s not on any of these guys level, he doesn’t even have the speed these guys have and the only fast one is Peterson lol
Cary’s makeup speed is horrific, he struggles to stay stride for stride with fast WRs. He does well against big tall receivers that use their body over being lightning fast (still a sucker for the double move). He did well against Brandon Marshall last year, and well against Larry Fitzgerald. Also pretty well against Calvin Johnson in the “Snow Bowl”
Now as a Eagles die hard fan I hope Cary can play to those guys level but I don’t know, I gotta see it to believe…
I do think overall this defense will be much better, I like how physical they are and chippy they get, and what im hearing out of training camp. So with the improvement on the DLine, LBs and Safeties, I think the corners will be a position that benefits the most..
Cary Williams serves a role, does a talk a little too much yes…but this defense doesnt really have an identity so he kind of makes up for that. The two young pups in Kendricks and Cox are still in their own shadows…and Trent Cole is silent lead by example type.
I am still putting a ton of pressure on the young pups to perform. They are the key to everything on the defensive side this year.
The reports on Malcolm Jenkins leading the secondary and diagnosing plays etc has me excited. I know most didnt like the signing but I like his versatility.
His situation reminds me a bit of Carlos Rogers. Skins fans roasted him while he was here because he dropped picks etc….went to the 9ers and was a pro bowler year one. Father time jumped on his back though. We need a guy who doesnt get rattled or is shaky back there the first time soemthing goes wrong. Thats always been my knock on Nate Allen…his confidence tanks as soon as he gets a bad beat.
I am not so sure of the Carlos Rogers Comparison with Malcom Jenkins..
Rogers, whose hands are bad, but was always a fundamentally sound tackler unlike Jenkins who tackles with his Head down, doesn’t Wrap his arms up enough and has a tendency to lunge at Receivers and take bad angles..
Remember that Jenkins was a CB in College and his first few Seasons with the Saints, but his poor hands and lack of Deep Speed made them move him to Safety… I think he will be a good Fit for the Eagles from a Leadership/Mentor Roles with the Young Players.. But I’ll be honest
I would take Nate Allen over Malcom Jenkins at Free-Safety any day
CB is an interesting postion to review. I think our CBs are solid, but not spectacular. Boykin may be the best of the bunch but will his slot success translate if he is moved outside… I like the additiona of Carrol and the drafting of the Rookie from Florida (Watkins I think – who can also play safety) I think our CBs can go to the next level (from solid to good/above average to hyping the next Vincent- Taylor combo here) with a little better pass rush. I like how we seem to be going for more size/physicality in our CBs –
I would like to see if Boykin could plan man against DJax no matter where he lines up.
Nolan Carroll has beenthe best defensive player in camp by far. Every day they are raving about how big, physical and he is making plays every damn practice. Every Eagles fan should be ecstatic at this signing thus far.
Sounds Good Dag
I like what I read and see from Nolan Carroll and have stated all off-season that he was one of those under the radar signings that could really pay off and actually had him on my “wish-list” of Free-Agents for the Eagles to pursue for his versatility, physical style of play and Carroll actually has good hands as a DB where Cary Williams,Brandon Fletcher, M Jenkins are all shaky hands wise and the fact that Carroll can play Special Teams and has shown a nice ability to return Kicks too…I’ve liked his game ever since he played at University of Maryland and had him going to the Eagles in one of my million Mocks that Draft.
I stated since they signed him that he will push and probably pass over Fletcher as a Starter at CB and at the very minimum, would be a very good Back-Up.. I also think he could Play Free-Safety in a bind, if the Eagles had injuries and will contribute on Special Teams..
I had read that the Eagles could never go into Dime coverage because they did not have 6 DBs they trusted – this year aith the additions of Caroll and Jenkins, the drafting of Watkins and Reynolds, and the 2CBs Allen and Wolf (and of course Boykin) be nice to have that option on a third and long
I think the d back corps is much improved over last year, more talent, more options of various packages that can be implemented. this should translate into better results.
Hey everybody I been gone for a good minute, but things I would like to know how is ifenyani momah in practice(having heard much) and also braman the dude from the texans he looks athlectic and great on special teams. Also I’m going to the eagles open practice this weekend if anyhbody wants to meet up
Good stuff and welcome back zilents44,
I am curious about LB’s Braman, Phillips & Travis Short
And the new DL in Hart,Allen,Bair and Villanueva as far as how they are looking, practicing and picking up things..