Brandon Boykin is the best defensive back currently on the Eagles roster. He is the “nickel” cornerback, assigned to cover the slot receiver as his primary assignment. Listed at 5’10” and 185 pounds, his size has made the Eagles hesitant to appoint him as a “starter.” He is an overall better player than starters Bradley Fletcher and Carry Williams. Will the Eagles consider starting him for the 2014 season?
Ronde Baber had a Hall Of Fame worthy career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His physical dimensions labeled him a “situational” and “nickel” cornerback until he was given the opportunity to play full time. Barber and Boykin are almost identical with their size. Some guys find a way to get it down without being 6’1” and 210 pounds.
There is nothing special about Fletcher and Williams. They are bigger, and Chip likes the bigger players to beat up on the smaller players. Starting them in a league where wide receivers are running around at 6’3” 220; and tight-ends are included more and more into the passing game would make sense. Chip plays his corners off the line of scrimmage giving way for small chunks of yards to be gained to avoid the “big play.”
If Boykin has established himself at a “role” then why remove him from it? The Eagles have enough to find answers to at the safety position. Do you make the move with Boykin as a full time starter because the rest of the cornerbacks on the team are average, and you want the best players on the field more than the average ones?
If the Eagles had a shut-down cornerback, a guy like Williams or Fletcher who lack in speed in the open field, would be able rely on a physical style of play and get away with it. Boykin could continue to read the quarterback and intercept a half dozen passes, relying on his instincts and athleticism and not his “size.”
Boykin needs to start. The Eagles have to add via free agency or through the draft to make it happen.
It depends on if he can Win a Starters Spot in the OTA/Summer Camp over outside CB’s Fletcher & Williams nad will probably get every opportunity to do so..
In today’s Pass-Happy NFl, the Nickel or 3rd CB who covers the Slot is as imprortant as who Star’s are and probably are on the field 55%-60% of the Snaps…
What Boykin has to prove this offseason and OTA/Camp Time is can he play Physical against the Run game… Remember, that Teams still do run the Ball and some Opponents still like to run it 540% of the Time so you need Physcial Corners to set the edge and come up and take on lead blockers and make Tackles.. Can Boykin do this consistently ?? The Caoch’s will find out and if they determine he can do more than hold his own against the Run, then he will be out there.. If he shows that he is not effective against the Running Game, then no, he will most likley remain a “Nickle/3rd CB”
He’s fine in the role he is playing…we have to cover the slot receiver…and Fletcher and Williams played pretty well over the entirety of the season…break the bank and get Jarius Byrd in here at the safety spot! that’s the best we can do!
I liked him from first time saw him play i would do it and as far as jarius byrd I would love to have him here but will rosie do it thats the million dollar question gonna take some time to get this team ready to be an elite team my guess probably three seasons and we ready to rock by that time everything comes together team and coach gets acclimented and then seeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa lol
NO,…….He is not a starter….period
NO! He’s a slot CB. Plain & simple. He’s very talented, but will get exposed if he has to take constant snaps outside.
when Bradley Fletcher was injured last year, Billy Davis elected to put Roc Carmichael in Cary Williams position and flip Williams over to Fletcher’s spot. Brandon Boykin remained the slot corner.
My guess is if or when the birds replace either Williams or Fletcher it will be with a new player not Boykin.
Redskins resigned cornerback Deangelo Hall.
He made Vick look like a fool last year.
Ryan Kerrigan deflected what should have been a wide receiver screen pass but Vick had actually passed the ball backwards. Deangelo scooped up the fumble for a like 90 yard touchdown. LOL
LOL? You might not like Vick but who would want to relive that play, unless your a ‘Skins fan. Besides, it was very tough to tell if it actually was backwards or not. So, Hall made Vick look like a fool because there was an incredibly close call and Hall picked the ball up and ran in for the score?
That’s a good point, and I’m guessing since you mentioned it along with his resigning that the Redskins management must have looked back and said, damn, remember that play from week 1? Sign him!
oh that was a fumble ”fair and square”, reviewed and confirmed.
Last season Atlanta selected a quality corner out of the University of Washington at pick #22 Desmond Trufant. The same exact pick the birds have this year.
Tampa Bay’s new helmet is cool, although I still think they stole the raiders logo just like I think Jacksonville was wrong to use a blue so similar to Miami Dolphin teal blue.
Manziel didn’t measure above six feet this morning but his hands are bigger than Blake Bortels and Bridgewater. Bridgewater’s hand size came in as tiny and the scouts are concerned. Bill Polian said Bridgewater’s hand size would be of more concern than Manziel’s height if he were still a GM.
WR Kelvin Benjamin came in at 6’5 240 with only 4% pct body fat… Could it be the end of JMac and RCooper? Let at least one of them walk if not both. Start a anew
If Benjamin can’t run then he won’t be the guy cause I think within the next year or two they will be getting rid of djack and in order to do that you need speed to replace speed. And if they keep Maclin he is gonna have to have a career year in order to be back the following season, cooper isn’t fast enough you can’t just have a bunch of big body guys who can’t run you need some speed.
Dont worry about that gloomy, he’ll run a 4.4 or a 4.5.
if he had 4.4 speed he would be a top 5 selection. My guess is he runs a 4.6 which is great for a guy 6’5″, he won’t be faster than Riley Cooper ( 4.53)
He’ll run faster then that just watch.
And he won’t go top ten because most NFL people are not that intelligent, they don’t believe what actual game film shows them.
Nope- Boykin locks down the nickle spot and we need that. Why would we move him outside and TRY and find a nickle CB to replace him? thats 2 question marks instead of 1. Instead…. upgrade 1 CB spot.
The birds need to land a S. Ive read a bunch of stuff about them not wanting to overpay a player because it creates chaos in the locker-room. I get that…. i do…. but its been like 5 years already with this. There COULD be a chance to land a young safety (27), in the prime of their careers… enough with the blown knee guys that you HOPE will pan out. Pay a S and be done.
plus- I would call the 4 other mid level S’s plus 2 blown high draft picks overpaying as well.
‘Pay and be done,
Boykins and his agent will tell the Eagles to kiss there ass. You might as well draft someone to replace Boykins in a year. Theres noway Boykins and his agent will resign here playing 50% of the snaps because the Eagles and there fans determined that 50 % of the snaps is more important than 100% on the outside. Kiss Boykins goodbye as soon as his rookie contract is up. I was 2nd in the league in ints, the best playmaker on the defense and all I am good for is 35-40 plays a game?lmao. Im out after my rookie contract in another year.
so- lets move him to a position he is not as strong at for the next 2 years.. while trying to fill his place in the middle and in 2 years let both walk?
Silly.
Boykin will every opp to show he is the man for the outside. If he’s the best player… they will have him on the field. As of now… he is a stud in the slot and will remain there. Besides…. the eagles could always use one of their tags on him if he shows that he cant be replaced.
Ha, yes Steveo, exactly! Boykins is best suited covering slot receivers. Lets say if the Eagles were to entertain moving Boykins to a starting role, the Eagles would then have even bigger problems and get abused in the slot. Like years prior if you recall…I say where players have played well, leave them be. Address the holes with new personnel. Don’t move a player from one position to another to fill a void.
Eagles need to worry about their weakness this offseason…defense is most definitely the starting point….OLB, S, NT, DT, in that order in my opinion…whether it be thru draft or free agency, just improve where you’re weak.
This is a dead issue, the Eagles confirmed that Boykin will be staying in the slot. In other news, I just read the Eagles are talking about drafting a big WR early in the draft and picking up a big name safety in FA, I sure hope it’s true, we need experience back there.
Yeah its also a dead issue you will need a slot corner in 1-2 years after he walks. Right when the Eagles will be competing for a championship.
I doubt it, if they keep him at the slot they won’t have to pay him as much as if he was starting on the corner, one thing you can’t deny about this team, they lock up young talent years before their ready to hit the market.
yup… the eagles will approach him with a good offer in due time and he will want to stay with the team that drafted him and wants to pay him.
Fans just don’t live in reality. Why in the hell would Boykins want to play 50% of the snaps and take less money to be a slot corner? Would you do that? He views himself as being able to play outside and will find a team that allows him to do that.
Dag…. fans just dont live in reality…. boykins leaves only if the eagles let him. The guy is under contract… he plays where he’s told. The eagles are not going to move a guy over to a spot they dont think he’s the best at just cause he may try to leave 2 YEARS FROM NOW.
**NFL News
Super Bowl Champs Seattle Seahawks release WR Sidney Rice who has battled injury issues and to create some Salary Cap Space for a Team with
11 of their Own Free-Agents that they would rather have for the Future due to their Production .. WR Golden Tate & Doug Baldwin are Free-Agents and sehawks will most likely want to keep both WR’s to go along with Percy Harvin for 2014
If Sidney Rice could just stay healthy he would be a great pickup, he has all the tools were looking for in a receiver.
Not really Andrew..
He’s never been known as much of a Blocker and to be honest, despite his size.. He plays very soft and outside of a deep Fly route, he’s not much of a route-runner and rarely goes across the middle.. In other words, he doesn’t play to his Natural Size & Strength which is a shame for he has the tools and talent like you say.. but not the desire and recently, not the health… I stay away … Sign Ted Ginn Jr as the 4th WR and Returnman
Release Avant and there;s your WR Corp
D-Jax,Maclin,Cooper & Ginn Jr and then Draft a WR in the late Rounds.. Would be a Pretty Good WR Corp combined with the TE’s who will work the middle of the Field so the onus of having that perfect “Slot WR” is a little decreased with active,athletic TE’s as the Eagles have…
I said sign Ginn a few posts ago, as for Rice, the Seahawks gave him big money for a reason, they knew he can play, if he wasn’t hurt he would of been a big part of that team,
The problem is he hasn’t been healthy for the last years
Even his final Season with the Vikings was injury filled..
He’s damaged goods at this point .. I see the Panthers offering him a 1 Year Deal.. He’s from the Carolina’s I believe..
The more Howie speaks the more it seems like they are gonna let Maclin and Cooper go. Howie keeps saying its “complicated”. Whats complicated? You either want to resign them or you don’t. Not once has he said we will try to get something done. The tea leaves are pointing to replacing the WRs in the draft and quite likely @ #22.
Everybody in the league lies this time of year Dag. So that no one catches on to what they plan to do in Free Agency, and the draft. Howie is just positioning himself by pulling the wool over everybody’s eyes.
Oh so then we arent bringing in a safety. Hes pulling wool over our eyes. Damn!
Dag, everybody, and their mother knows we need a Safety. I doubt if Howie doesn’t know that.
He said on WIP that we can’t go into the draft needing a Safety, but don’t look for us to sign a Big ticket free agent……He knows he has to bring in at least one – but he may not want the league to know he’s desperate….It’s just positioning Dag
He’s trying to throw people off – He may want Pryor, or Clinton-Dix – but he may not want to play his hand –
He may know where they are going to fall in the draft and maybe looking to keep their options open to facilitate a team looking to trade up, or down
I would leave him inside. he does a great job there and it is almost as important as outside in todays game. he can go outside incase of injury we should still be grooming another inside guy incase that very situation arises.
Just read the Eagles plan on retaining Macklin by signing him to a one year deal, letting go of Cooper and picking up a receiver in FA.
“Just read” means nothing. I’ve “just read” 1000 articles and none of them mean shit until the Eagles actually do something.
Headlines the past month
:
Zach Berman
Riley Cooper, Jeremy Maclin could both return
Jeff Mclane
“Eagles have talked with reps from both WRs”
Geoff Mosher
“Expected to talk with Riley Cooper soon”
Mike FLorio
“Riley Cooper expected to receive interest”
Mike FLorio
“Eagles want to retain Cooper”
then 3 days later….
Jeff McLane
“Jeremy Maclin a bigger priority”
I don’t put any stock in any of it….background noise till the Birds actually act.
They’ll resign both Maclin (1 year) and Cooper (multi-year). They’ll let Avant walk because he’s not a YAC receiver and draft someone they like (developmental) between rounds 3 and 5.
Which is exactly what I would like to see them do Everz
They can Still Draft a promising WR in Rounds 3-4
And I hop use the first couple of Picks on Defense
Safety,OLB & DL all need to be upgraded with Players who can compete in 2014 for Starters/Pkaying Time
Draft is deep at not just WR, but big WR. Agree Paul, one can be had in the mid rounds.
Ryan Grant – Tulane – 6’1 203 WR, would be my choice.
It would be a good idea to bring in a few UDFA WR’s as well like:
Cory Washington -WR – Newberry College – 6’1 194
Jordan Harris – WR – Bryant University – 6’2 212
No…playing on the outside every down vs. bigger and many times faster receivers will put Boykin at a disadvantage and it would leave a gaping hole at the nickel position which is as critical as the starting corners in the new pass happy NFL.
The other thing is people keep wanting to throw WR physical stats like that guarantees something…Jason Avant is 6′ 1″ ~200 is a middle of the road NFL receiver and still is significantly better than the majority of the WRs coming out of college with the same physical tool set every physical dimensions alone don’t mean squat.