Paul Domowitch writes an article today on Philly.com which points toward the draft as the reason the Steelers are going after their seventh Super Bowl title and the Eagles are still trying to get their first.
He talks about how the Steelers hired Kevin Colbert from the Detroit Lions and made him their Director of Operations. He orchestrates the Steelers draft. Ironically the Lions fired Colbert and made Matt Miller than GM. It obviously was a costly mistake.
I like the way the Steelers draft size. They’re always big and physical. Plaxico Burress was a big, physical receiver. Casey Hampton is as big and physical as they come when you’re talking about nose tackles. Ben Roethlisberger’s size allows him to fight off blitzers and pass rushers.
The Eagles will never draft a big running back like Rashard Mendenhall. He punishes tacklers and gets the ball into the end zone because of that size. Size isn’t the secret to success but it helps.
The kid they drafted last Ziggy Hood is a monster who stepped in from the injured Aaron Smith at defensive end and the defense didn’t miss a beat.
Check out the first round draft picks of the Eagles and Steelers since 1999.
Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers
1999 Donovan McNabb Troy Edwards
2000 Corey Simon Plaxico Burress
2001 Freddie Mitchell Casey Hampton
2002 Lito Sheppard Kendall Simmons
2003 Jerome McDougle Troy Polamalu
2004 Shawn Andrews Ben Roethlisberger
2005 Mike Patterson Heath Miller
2006 Brodrick Bunkley Santonio Holmes
2007 Traded Down For Kevin Kolb Lawrence Timmons
2008 Traded Down Got Trevor Laws Rashard Mendenhall
2009 Jeremy Maclin Ziggy Hood
2010 Brandon Graham Maurkice Pouncey
I hate this small and fast notion. That’s fine for WR, RB, TE, CB. But when it comes to the trenches that dog don’t hunt! It’s physical down there and it’s a long season. You have to have guys that can deliver as well as take that kind of punishment in the trenches. Linemen and LB need to be big period. You can get away with an undersized but fast DE if you have some LB that are the approptiate size. Plus we needs Dawgs on the O line and D line and at LB and Safety.
Look at the way the N Carolina defense plays. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjDbP4qtAKc
These are some dogs!
Give me Bruce Carter #54 UNC LB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6nFL9XVNmo&feature=related
DeAndre McDaniel #2 Clemson S http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpAk11N3VkM
Brandon Harris #2 Miami CB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0yjcu9CJvc
The difference is as plain as day and night
PIttsburgh likes to play a physical style of game and beat you down, man on man
and their players year after year reflect this Philosophy
The Eagles under Coach AR like to out-finesse, out-smart you with thier formations, razzle dazzle,multiple player packages and the Eagles roster reflects this philosophy (small & fast)
Give me the team that’s built on beating their man across from them every time…
The finesse guys typically do not do as well in late season cold-weather games
That is really amazing that they hit on all those first round picks.
Eagles just need to get bigger. The offense is ready for a super bowl run but the defense is really lacking. We need a 6’5 or bigger DT with strength. Albert Haynesworth would fit perfectly. We need to draft a huge Dend with strength, size, and quickness
Offensively the Eagles are nowhere a Super Bowl Run Scrpdawg12,
The have issues from C/RG/RT, they have no FB right now (Weaver knee is shot and he won’t pass a physical) TE position has no playmakers and 3 of your 5 WR’s are small and can’t catch the ball over
the middle (D-Jax/Maclin/Hall)
Did I mention the continual problems with short yard/red zone rushing the ball is still a problem too…
The you have SPecial teams, EAgles will have a new Kicker next year, still no return man and their
ddefense have more holes in it than a Swiss Cheese Head from Green Bay…
“The offense is ready for a super bowl run “….DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE
This Offense put up 13 points in a PLAYOFF GAME
Silly comparison – in almost all cases in this model, the eagles drafted after Pittsburgh – including the years we had to move up. As Paulman put it, it’s the philosophy! We’ve drafted well enough to go to the playoffs 9 out of 12 years. Pittsburgh has drafted well enough to win 3 super bowls! Both franchises have stable organizations (not turning the coaching staff over every 3-4 years). If we keep going to the playoffs, one of these years we will win it – like the Colts a few years ago. It sure beats the lean years we use to have around here – but most of these guys are too young to remember those years of 4-12 seasons.
If we keep going to the playoffs, one of these years we will win it ..LMAO
Some fans just Love being mediocore…
but most of these guys are too young to remember those years of 4-12 seasons….LMAO
You know what I don’t remember the season we won the SUPER BOWL
You know what I don’t remember the season we won the SUPER BOWL
good 1 lol
Lets not kid ourlselves on the Steeler thing, They ride or die on their defense, this superbowl and the last two they won, defense! Say what you will but the steelers offense does not scare anyone, its their defense that scares people. Their defense is a striping, tackling, point scoring juggernaunt that cammands respect. Eagles offense is better than Steelers offense.
Now before you go nuts i didn’t say the steelers offense were scrubs becasue they are not they are a good offense, just not scary and they are not built to be scary they are made to grind it out and survive. They put up some points in the playoffs this go around but in general they are not known for their explosive offense. Every other point you guys make is pretty much on point though.
Okay now let me see there are 32 teams in the league, I say that 8 of then are closer to a superbowl than the Eagles sooooo yeah they are closer than 24 other teams, thus making this offense with all its problems close to a superbowl, I am not going to go as far as to say win a superbowl.
I really think that it is not their drafting, but rather their training and teaching and usage that is the difference. The Steelers do a better job of coachingup and explointing their players faster and more effectively. Case in point, D-Jack if not for the injuries would have slept on the bench and we would be calling him another scrub pick by read. You could say the same about Westbrook ifnot for that season changing return against the gaints.
Reid has changed his views on rookies and I suspect that he will have a better respect for the run as well coming up.
Finally someone explain to me just what is mediocore. If the Eagles are among the top 10 or 12 teams even with their flaws, how in the heck does that even remotely make them mediocore. If they were among the top teams in the NFL with wins against teams with .500 + records or elite status then how does that make them mediocore? They have flaws, serious issues I get that but damn every team not in the superbowl have the same problems. The Pats WR’s are smaller than ours, what was the Falcon’s issue, how about the saints?
This small and fast description of the Eagles defense is getting on my last nerve. They are small but I think Pittsburg is big and fast.The Eagles don’t impress me as an exceptionally fast defense as the are
chasing from behind in many instances.
The owners of the Steelers are greatly responsible for their success. Our owners and front office are responsible for designer cheerleader costumes and almost outlawing the hoagie fron the stadium as a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
We had a mean,nasty, defense that was feared, that put players out of the game and did not win jack squat with it, nada dang thing, not even close. We had strong run offenses and did not win jack with it (oops except for my man montgomery and Vermeil, of course they got their once and lost but I repsect them for the effort). Let me say it again one Conference Champ appearance, one super bowl appearance that is all.
Andy comes along with his small players, unscary defense and yep you guesed it one conf win, and one superbowl appearance, but wait throw in there four more conf appearances, a hand full of division wins, and the most explosive eagles offenses the franchise has known hmmmm yep what a bunch of losers.
How dare we lose to the Patriots by a couple, how dare we lose to the greatest show on earth by a few points. How dare we lose to the panthers who in term lost to those same pesty Patriots by a couple points (though that one still has me pissed, sorry it does)
I get it I get it we are all mad but I am not going to buy that mediocore or scub team crap, you can if you want to it is a free country just don’t hate on someone see it different. Unless you have a card that says official Eagles Spokes Fan let us voice our pleasure in peace.
If you think this Eagles team is good and getting better don’t back down hold the line this site is ours, Cue the Roman march music from Spartcus.
As always LONG LIVE THE EAGLES
The steelers rarely if ever sign free agents unless they are there own players they drafted. The eagles are hit or miss most of the time are misses in the draft, as we can see from the history of the draft under andy reid.
There is no comparison between the steelers and the eagles organizations. The steelers have a win it all mentality in regards to how they draft how they run there offense and defense they are a winning ball club. WINNERS. And its a family atmosphere with the steelers not the case with the eagles everything is business business all the time. The steelers play for one another. you never hear any of there players complaining about a contract or anything like that. Yeah big ben is a nut job off the field but on the field hes a winner and plays for his teamates and plays to win.
Twelve yrs and counting. Dont expect anything to change while reid is in control
Eagle, yeah we do hear the business yapping out of Steeler country are you kidding. Go ask Plax, go ask Porter, ask Holmes etc. I heard Hines yapping one year. The Bus was upset how he was being treated one year yada yada yada they have had their issues as well and they are less family than you make them out to be.
EaglesBirdGang says:
Twelve yrs and counting. Dont expect anything to change while reid is in control
amen!
TAKE IT TO THE BANK
the Eagles are terrible at drafting defense…..face it!. look at the scrubs they have drafted at LB and DL…. nothing special… they focus on speed and finesse while the Steelers want football players who are physical and want to compete!
Brandon Graham is another McDougle….BUST… the short-armed t-rex DE is not even close to Dwight Freeny who the Eagles compared him too…. he is a rotational DE you dont use the #13 pick on those type of players….the Steelers take value players who make an impact.
I’m not too young to remember lenard tose, Roman Gabriel, Silky Sullivan. And a team that found a way to lose until Dick Vermeil came from UCLA. Having said that. The theory of keep making it to the playoffs and one year you will win it all is what keeps Andy Reid his job.
Dick Vermeil believed in reality. He could tell you all the stats of superbowl winners. He then set out to accomplish those things. Its not hard. Remember he predicted the Eagles were going when they were still super scrubs. He would have done it with the Eagles had he not burned out and proved it by doing it with the Rams.
The Eagles will not win a Superbowl with Andy Reid. He’s too smart for his own good. Always going against the grain. Trying to invent the wheel. You can’t be passing 70% of the time in cold weather. It might work in a dome or on the West Coast. You can’t beat 3 good playoff teams in a row just throwing the football. He is a regular season coach. That’s just the facts. 5 NFC championships and only 1 win. Some of the loses came at home. That is pathetic.
Keep making excuses for him as Tampa Bay has already won one at our expense and is greering up for another run. Now Aaron Rogers has matured as well as Drew Brees. The NFC will not be superweak as it has been in the past. The kid(QB) from Atlanta is getting better.
If it’s not Todd Pinkston it’s Desean Jackson. Pee Wee Herman sized WRs. It comical. The most passing coach in NFL history and the least he could do is go out and get superstar WRs. How many years did he waste saying “I’m happy with the WRs I have.”
The Eagle fans are treated like morons by this coach. The fans begged for a WR. Stubborn Andy had to waste half of McNabbs career with no weapons. It’s a shame when the QB has to come out and go public and say get me some weapons. Then you get rid of him one year after you get the weapons.
Now the fans would just like a litte bit of balance run the football. Take some of the pressure off of the offensive line and help keep Vick healthy. You have a explosive starting RB and a back up that all’s he does is run for 100 yards whenever he gets the carrys. Stubborn Andy passes against a weak run defense.
Please wake up and stop walking in fear of the lean years. It is every NFL coaches job to get his team to the Playoffs and win the superbowl. An average of 7 headcoaches are fired each year. Because there is too much money in this game to except nothing less. Andy has had plenty of time.
It’s always one excuse after another.
Juan Castillo is just the latest in Andy’s world. His own special brand of football that outsmarts everybody else. I like Juan’s Attitude. I like his work ethic. But did’nt McDermott have the same qualities.
And If Juan Castillo is an upgrade over McDermott the why was McDermott given the job in the first place. Was’nt Juan on the Coaching staff when McDermott got hired. Oh Juan was too valueable on the offensive line. Really? Have your watched our offensive line the past 2 seasons. The opening of the Greenbay game says it all.
The Eagles will win the superbowl with Andy Reid when pigs can fly.
To BTC
Yes it is amazing for the Steelers to hit on their 1st round picks..
The othere thing is their Draft Pick is usually towards the end of the 1st Round too..
They don’t trade up or trade down.. They have a pretty basic philosophy,
Select the best athlete/player on the board that is available that fits their style of physical play.
bsmvideos – for NFL commissioner for telling it like it is!
I think the offense is fine as it is….. You can get away with mostly small players on offense….. They have some big players on offense. Players like Weaver, Celek, Cooper, Avant……. It is just that they don’t utilize them enough or when they should. Of course Weaver was hurt, and might not come back…. That sucks. Celek seems to be not used as much. Avant is a 6th option on the offense, that should be used more. Cooper is great, they just don’t use him. He would have made that play against the Packers had Vick not underthrown it. Cooper needs to be used more. They have tried to find big backs before, they just failed until Weaver and then bad luck. Anyway, basically I am saying that the offense is fine, the execution of it is not always good.
As for the D, they definitely need to get bigger players. At least one big DT, 1 big CB, 1 big S, and 2 big LBs. That is one area where smaller players won’t work. They need small speedy players, but they need more big players to balance and give what the small players don’t. They just seem to neglect getting any type of big players for their D.
Now, as for Castillo….. I am not saying that Castillo is better than McDermott, but I rather have Castillo than McDermott. I just don’t think that McDermott is a good coach. He might have been better with more veteran players, but I still don’t think he will ever coach a top 5 D, and maybe not even a top 10 D in the NFL.
The funny thing is, I want to see the Eagles win the SB more this upcoming year or the next year while Andy is still the coach, more than just because I am a fan of this team and want them to win……. I want them to win so I can see how all these people on here act afterwards. Will you all still be calling for his head? The way you guys hate Andy so much, you should want the Eagles to lose, because if they win the SB with him….. You can pretty much guarantee that he won’t be going anywhere for a LONG time. If he wins a SB, it will be doing it his way. You guys should hate it if Reid wins a SB here, and never cheer for them again, because of that. You should be on here bashing him still and saying that they were lucky, and that you hate him and the Eagles even more because now you know that he isn’t going anywhere. You should probably even boycott being an Eagles fan anymore, not going to any of their games, or supporting them in any way. Of course you won’t though. Just a thought.
A lot of credit has been given to Reid. However, in my opinion, the Eagles have won in spite of Reid. McNabb and Westbrook, and now, Vick and McCoy. Those are the guys responsible for our wins.
You can almost say that about any coach or team, that the players are responsible…… There is one that that you missed though. Reid has done well with any QB at the helm, even AJ Feeley.
SportsBum-Weaver is done. He is retiring from playing. All those years we went without a legitimate fullback and he has a career ending injury.
bsmvideos -Way to summarize the reality of Reid!
I’m sure that every NFL team will now question the way they choose coaches and will all make their offensive line coaches defensive coordinators because thery have special insight into what goes on on the other side of the ball, they have sons whom they coach on the side who are defensive players, they played defense in the pewee league, and they discuss philosophy with the former defensive coordinators.
It’s quite simple…We as fans are so use to losing, we’ve now become experts on how to win by actually watching other teams build teams and win it all while our “golden standard” stay competitve.
Example
We screamed for years that Reid and the Front office should have good receivers since Reid is hell bent on passing. Make since right?
He waste the prime years of Mcnabb’s career with the Na Brown’s and Todd Pinkston’s of the world and when the organization finally broke down and traded for T.O. ..We go to the Superbowl….Coincidence?
We wanted to keep an aging Brian Mitchell for field position knowing there was no replacement on the roster now that Westbrook was carrying the offense…..Have we had a good Kick returner since?
We wanted the Eagles to keep Brian Dawkins knowing his fire on the defensive side of the ball would help the younger players.
JJ dies and an overmatched coordinator Mcdermott was thrushed into a position without the help from a player like dawk who could have been a coach on the field and ease the transition.
We wanted to keep Sheldon Brown because there was no one better on the team that could replace him…and what happens?
Every team targeted the right corner and toasted us constantly.
We the fans wanted an open competition at QB instead of handing the reigns to Kolb and if it wasn’t for him being knocked out of the first game..this year would have been a total waste.
We wanted an outside perspective in an experienced coach to come in as
Defensive Coordinator and Reid names Juan Castillo with “0” experience as the new Coordinator because he worked close with “JJ”…Well if JJ couldn’t get us over the top as a coordinator what makes them think someone who have never called a game will?
Last but not least….
We the fans know that we’re not too far from the goal in spite our organizational lapses.
We want Asomugha and Haynesworth….along with a defensive coach with game day experience on staff to help Castillo with this transition.
Will the Eagles listen their fans.
Probably not.
It’s seems the only satisfaction we as fans can get following this organization is that we as informed fans are actually smarter than the Eagles Brass.
I take that back
They’re smarter because we’ll continue to spend our money on Eagles apparel and lose our voices on gameday cheering, and hoping, only to find ourselves in the same position.
Now being an Eagles fan is relegated to us begging this organization to listen.
Please listen
I love this article because I was thinking about exactly this and of coarse the reason was once again I am watching the superior team/franchise/ownership across the state once again making it to the big dance as our guys have been on vacation for a month. If you want a real world example lets go back to the Bears game.Its first and goal to go at the 3 yard line just before the half and of coarse we are PASSING THE BALL..As I am sure we all remember that was the turning point as that ball was picked and returned…I am just a season ticket holder but I am running that ball 3 times if I am calling the plays !
Great poin Clemenza,
To be honest, the Eagles Offense and Vick’s play started their downward trend after the Pick that Vick thru before the half.. Yes they had exciting moments in winning some games afterwards.. but the play calling,pass protections and Vick blitz recognition all seem to struggle after that play/series and game in my opinion as Coach AR/MM relied too much on Vick being the Superman week in and week out and pretty much abadoned the running game where McCoy became underutilized down the stretch..