Rookie middle linebacker Jamar Chaney says he doesn’t care whether the Eagles coaches name him the starting middle linebacker or make him earn the job in training camp, he’s going to show everyone that he should be the starter regardless. I liked the way the youngster was talking and he wasn’t smiling about it. The young man was serious.
The second year middle linebacker had impressed me in year one. Chaney came out of no where last year when he took over as the starting middle linebacker job for the Birds. It surprised me and seemed to surprise everyone else but Chaney said he was surprised at all. He had been working hard through OTA’s, Mini-Camps and training camp to learn the defensive system in case they needed him, so that when he got his opportunity he was ready.
The young man was ready when he got his shot.
Not only did he play well, but he was forcing turnovers from the outset, which is something that the Eagles linebackers haven’t been doing for quite a while. He was making a difference in a good way. Next to the return to Superstardom of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, there wasn’t a bigger positive surprise for the Eagles this past season than the tremendous play of Chaney at middle linebacker.
He not only stepped in there and played well, he became one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball. The youngster has good size at 250 pounds, but he can run like the wind, so that will make him a three-down linebacker. He’s a good blitzer, but he’s got room for improvement.
He has the potential to be a great player versus the run and the pass. Chaney needs to learn when and how to attack the line on running plays. He must learn to anticipate screens and draws depending on the team and the formation. The youngster must decipher when he can run through on the backside and catch a running back on sweeps.
The youngster has to know when to use his speed and when to be more conservative in his play. Making correct decisions depending the team the Eagles are facing and the situation in the game, will allow him to excel versus the run or the pass.
Chaney made it very clear today that he is trying to get better this off season and working out at Power Train is a big part of it. “I want to get bigger, stronger and faster”, Chaney said with a smile. “I would be working out here whether there was a lockout or not, because I like the way Steve puts together a workout for me.”
He’s been getting his work in since the season ended and he will be ready to go whenever training camp and the season starts.
Good. Kick some ass seabass.
Take whats yours youngbuck. Word son. Real talk G.
The one thing that stuck out to me was his anticapation of the run plays. First game and he was all over the place. I know it was the Niners and there run first but he did play a key role end of season.
G.Has Lindley been around training there?I know everyone is thinking they go corner but they did take T.L. to be at least a nickel this year.And yeah i know they chat these guys up in the media but i saw some ability in the kid last year.
I liked what I saw from Chaney last season, but before everyone jumps on the bandwagon, a lot of plays that he made were still 4-5-6 yards down the field and he definitely needs to work on his pass coverage abilities.. Everytime we see an Eagle LB make some plays, we all get so excited for we haven’t seen many playmakers from the LB position in years.. I am not so sure CHeney stood out so much because everyone else was mediocre or if Chaney is really that good..but at least he appears to be ready for the challenge..
I guess we will find out more this Season
This guy is young and has the potential to be a monster in the middle. He a lot of correctable mistakes, he does need to get bigger and stronger. Him saying he wants to get faster is scary bc he’s already very fast.
But like Garry said he has to improve his play recognition and pass coverage. He seems pretty driven let’s hope you brings that same fire during the season
I liked what I saw from him and this attitude from him makes me like him that much more. We need that kind of attitude here. He sounds like he could be a leader and we need that considering our D and team as a whole is really young.
Yes. You need a McNasty at Linebacker. Too many intellects (gaither).
Not undersized or too slow.
Just stay healthy.
Bsm, I agree. Look at all the good championship teams and contenders they all usually have great play from there MLB, but I digress alil… take a look at ray lewis prime example of a durable player yet a beast of a man at his position… he’s one of the oldest MLBs in the league yet one of the biggest, nastiest, and strongest in the league. Idk if cheney has that same destroy your opponent take his head off attitude and mentality but it would be refreshing to see us have one here that we drafted and groomed into a dominant player… he’s certainly doing his part being in that gym bulking up…
good read… agree that Chaney needs to learn to be more aggessive and attack the line and not wait and react.
G:
He did a nice job his rookie season, all things considered. But his comments get me going. Now that’s what I’m talking about when I’m thinking middle linebacker! I want a beast. An over the top of the trench first BEAST. Sounds like he’s at least thinking like one, and that’s a real good sign.
Folks, you need balance between beast and brains. Remember Joe Mays? Beast. Played poorly in games.
Joe Mays was actually playing very well for the Broncos until he got hurt..
He was making some plays for their team in the few games he played up until his injury..
Joe mays was a quality LB he just didn’t fit the eagles scheme, he was always around the ball though… what round we draft him in?
We haven’t gotten the LB position right since Trotter, that’s why I think we may be taking a LB in the 2nd-3rd round
j – 6th round. You know how to use google right?
Schill, yea I do but I know I have dimwits like you on here that will do it for me
With this new defense, I’m quite sure he’s going to miss fewer assignments/plays as that GCobb.com-ordained-pro-bowler-in-waiting Stewart Bradley. They’ll all be catching up on the playbook this year, and aggressiveness will at least partially make up for a missed assignment. My take on Beast v. Brains = Byron Evans v. Mike Reichenbach. It took B&E a couple of years to get the 46 down, and he was exposed to quite a bit of scepticism regarding his brains. I’d take him over Reichenbach….