Year: 2012

Eagles Needs 2012

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Middle Linebacker

Andy Reid has never put great value in the linebacker position and it showed last season. Their linebacker play was awful. If Andy Reid is smart, he’ll draft a good linebacker like Luke Kuechly at 15. His job is on the line.

Outside Linebacker

One upgrade at linebacker is not enough, only Brian Rolle was even average for them at linebacker last year and they tried so many different options. With 3 picks in the first 2 rounds, it wouldn’t surprise me to see 2 of them used on linebackers, even though that not how Andy Reid does things.

Cornerback

Asante Samuel won’t be back next season. It’s just a question of what they could get for him in a trade. There was serious interest from the Lions for him, but they refused to include their first round pick. He’ll be moved. However, that leaves them with just Dominique Rodgers Cromartie after Nnamdi Asomugha. DRC had a disappointing year last year and that was in the slot. The former first round pick has only had one good season as a pro so they shouldn’t feel safe with him as their #2 cornerback next year.

 

Wide Receiver

DeSean Jackson is expected to be franchise tagged, but only because the Eagles don’t want to let him go for nothing. They’ll see what they can get for him in a trade and I still don’t expect him to be back with the team. Unless they think Riley Cooper is a capable starter, they’ll try to find one through the draft, maybe with the pick they get in return for Jackson.

Safety

The trio of Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett, and Kurt Coleman at safety wasn’t that great last season. All 3 are young so they could all improve next season, but they may want to add a veteran in the mix just in case.

Defensive Tackle

Their linebacker play wasn’t the only reason behind their struggles against the run last year. Their defensive tackle play wasn’t great either. They love rotation at the position and have several free agents there this offseason, while Mike Patterson, unfortunately, will probably need brain surgery this offseason so he’s a question mark coming off a surprisingly fantastic 2011 season.

Guard

Evan Mathis was one of the best guards in the league last year, but he’s a free agent. He’ll obviously need to be resigned, but they’ll want to be wary about committing too much to him because he has a questionable injury past. Even if he is resigned, some depth behind him should be had just in case. I could see them adding a veteran swing guard behind Mathis, one who could also take over at right guard if 2011 1st round pick Danny Watkins continues to struggle.

Offensive Tackle

Todd Herremans did a great job at right tackle though but, for reasons I listed above, he could end up back at guard long term. Backup Winston Justice was awful in 2010 at right tackle so they should find a new backup right tackle.

Quarterback

Vince Young is not expected back as Michael Vick’s backup so they’ll need a new one unless they think Mike Kafka is capable of that role. The backup quarterback in Philadelphia is always a more important role than for other teams because Michael Vick can never make it through 16 games healthy. I could see them taking a new backup quarterback through the draft and trying to develop him as Vick’s future replacement. Vick turns 32 this offseason and probably won’t have the longevity of a typical quarterback because of his style of play and small frame.

Running Back

LeSean McCoy is easily one of the top 5 running backs in the league. However, what if he gets hurt? They signed Ronnie Brown for that reason last offseason, but they forgot he was awful. Brown is probably done in the NFL so they need a new backup for McCoy, someone who can spell him for a few carries per game and take over in case anything were to happen to McCoy. Preferably, they need a short yardage power compliment, which is what Brown was supposed to be.

 

Eagles Moves 2011

stevenlourie Uncategorized

() FA Rank

QB Michael Vick (#2)- franchised

Andy Reid brought the most out of Michael Vick this season, turning him into an MVP candidate and a true dual threat at quarterback, more than living up to his potential as a former #1 overall pick. He’ll get paid.

RB Jerome Harrison

RB Eldra Buckley

G Max Jean Gilles

G Reggie Wells

C Nick Cole

DT Mike Patterson

DE Victor Abiamiri

OLB Ernie Sims

OLB Akeem Jordan

MLB Stewart Bradley

MLB Omar Gaither

CB Ellis Hobbs- announced retirement

S Quintin Mikell (#46)

A solid safety for the Eagles for years and turned in his 3 best years in the last 3 years, but he’s over 30 so a big, longterm deal might not be the best idea.

S Antoine Harris

K David Akers- transition tagged 

P Sav Rocca 

Offseason moves:

Signed Rashad Jeanty

Franchised Michael Vick

Transition tagged David Akers

Signed Phillip Hunt

Draft 

 

Eagles Draft Visits

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

OT Levy Adcock (Oklahoma State)

OT Jeff Allen (Georgia)

S Jordan Bernstine (Iowa)

CB Omar Bolden (Arizona State)

DT Michael Brockers (Philadelphia)

QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State)

WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)

QB Nick Foles (Arizona)

G Gino Gradkowski (Delaware)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

WR T.Y. Hilton (Florida International)

S Janzen Jackson (McNeese State)

CB Janoris Jenkins (North Alabama)

C Ben Jones (Georgia)

WR Damaris Johnson (Tulsa)

S Trumaine Johnson (Montana)

OT Dennis Kelly (Purdue)

G Ryan Miller (Colorado)

OT Josh Oglesby (Wisconsin)

DT Dontari Poe (Memphis)

QB Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)

RB Robert Turbin (Utah State)

OLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

 

Eagles Draft Grades

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

23. G Danny Watkins D

They do realize he’ll be 31 when his 5 year first round rookie contract runs up right? The only reason I’m not giving them an F is because he fills a need and I do like Watkins as a short term guard and the Eagles are built to win now.

54. S Jaiquawn Jarrett D

I’ve never bought the Jaiquawn Jarrett hype, but I’m not surprised they took him this early. They really, really were interested in him. This does fill a need given then Quintin Mikell is probably gone as a free agent, but this is a giant reach by my book.

90. CB Curtis Marsh C

Cornerback was one of their biggest needs after the offensive line, but I think Marsh was a reach here.

116. MLB Casey Matthews A

Matthews fills a huge need for them at linebacker. Ernie Sims is a free agent. Stewart Bradley is an injury prone free agent. Jamar Chaney is still developing. Moise Fokou just sucks. They needed two linebackers out of this draft and Matthews is an excellent value at this point.

120. K Alex Henery D

David Akers is 36 years old, but he’s still a functional kicker. They had much bigger needs and I don’t believe in taking kickers before the 5th or 6th round. This is the earliest a kicker has been drafted since Stephen Gostkowski in 2006 was drafted 118th overall. Henery is not on that level.

149. RB Dion Lewis A-

They had bigger needs than another running back, but Lewis is a very good value at this point in the draft.

161. G Julian Vandervelde C-

Right tackle was a bigger need for them upfront then another guard. Vandervelde doesn’t fit the range well either.

191. G Jason Kelce D

Right tackle was a bigger need for them upfront then a 3rd guard. Kelce doesn’t fit the range well either.

193. OLB Brian Rolle A

This is their 2nd linebacker that I said they needed. Rolle is also a great value at this point.

237. MLB Greg Lloyd B+

I don’t think they needed a 3rd linebacker. However, Lloyd fits the range and can play special teams.

240. FB Stanley Havili A

Fullback was a need of theirs and Havili fits the draft range.

Overall:

I don’t think they drafted well at all. I think they made reaches with each of their first 3 picks and didn’t make a good pick until the 4th round. On top of that, they drafted a kicker in the 4th round, something I’m completely against and I’m not even sure it was that big of a need of them. They made some nicer picks in the late rounds, but I don’t think they really made their team that much better in the draft. I don’t think Jarrett and Marsh upgrade their secondary that much and they only upgraded one offensive line spot, guard, and probably only for a few years. They added a few nice linebackers and a nice fullback, two positions of need, but this was one of the worst drafts.

Grade: C-

 

Eagles Draft 2012

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Draft Grades

 

12. DT Fletcher Cox A

Fletcher Cox would have been a minor reach had they traded up to somewhere like 7 to grab him, but at 12, he makes a lot of sense. He was 13th on my board and fills a primary need.

46. OLB Mychal Kendricks B-

How much rope did it take to tie up Andy Reid so this pick could be made? He never takes linebackers early. They definitely needed one, however, but I had a 3rd round grade on Kendricks. Zach Brown is a more natural outside linebacker and a much better value at this point.

59. DE Vinny Curry C-

I don’t see this as the phenomenal value that many see this pick as. I had a mid 2nd round grade on Curry, so while the late 2nd round is a good value for him, I didn’t see the need for another defensive lineman. They had 50 sacks last year. Trent Cole and Jason Babin combined for 29 and Brandon Graham might finally be healthy in 2012. Cox can also play end. Where does Curry fit?

88. QB Nick Foles C

They needed a quarterback behind an aging and injury prone Vick, but Nick Foles didn’t make a lot of sense over Kirk Cousins. Foles is a mess of a prospect and probably won’t ever be a capable starter in this league. I had a 5th round grade on him.

123. CB Brandon Boykin A

What an excellent value! If Boykin were a few inches taller, I might have had a borderline 1st round grade on him. Instead I had him as a high 3rd rounder so he’s an excellent value in the 4th round and fits very well with the Eagles. They traded Asante Samuel, not just because of his salary, but because they had 3 outside cornerbacks and no one who could play on the slot. Boykin will play there, where his size won’t matter as much and he’s one of the best pure cover cornerbacks in this draft class so he should excel there. That will move Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the outside, where he should bounce back from a career worst season. Remember, this guy once made the Pro Bowl. The Eagles could have one of the best secondaries in the league last season.

153. OT Dennis Kelly C

I had Kelly outside of my top 250. That would be fine in the 6th or 7th round, but this is the 5th round. They did need another tackle behind Demetress Bell, but I don’t think Kelly offers much help there. King Dunlap probably remains the superior option in case of another annual Bell injury.

194. WR Marvin McNutt A

The Eagles were considering signing Plaxico Burress in free agency to add size to their receiving corps. Now they don’t have to sign the washed up Burress. McNutt fills that role well and is an excellent value in the 6th round. I had a 3rd round grade on him.

200. G Brandon Washington A

Another excellent value in the 6th round. Washington doesn’t fill a need whatsoever, but who cares when the value is this good. You can always use more offensive line help.

229. RB Bryce Brown A

I didn’t have Brown in my top 250, but I get this pick. Brown is a former top recruit who was kicked off of two major college football programs. He’s the type of boom or bust pick it’s absolutely fine to take in the 7th round. Dion Lewis looks entrenched as the #2 back behind LeSean McCoy, but Brown can compete to be the 3rd string with undrafted free agent Chris Polk among others.

The Eagles’ #1 priority of this offseason had to be fixing their linebacking corps. I don’t know how much Mychal Kendricks helps, but he could be a decent starter on the outside and remember, they did trade a 4th rounder from this draft for DeMeco Ryans so that factors into this grade as well. They also had to sort out their secondary and they did that by trading away Asante Samuel, albeit for pennies on the dollar, which factors into this grade, moving DRC to the outside, and getting an exceptional value on Brandon Boykin in the 4th round. He should make an impact right away on the slot. Overall, I think they’ll have a very good secondary next season.

Their first round pick was Fletcher Cox. He was a fine value and filled a need at defensive tackle with Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson. Vinny Curry in the late 2nd didn’t make as much sense. There’s already a logjam at defensive end. Curry might not see the field very much in 2012 if Brandon Graham is healthy. Nick Foles and Dennis Kelly were also reaches, but they made up for those with excellent value picks in the late rounds. This was a solid draft.

Grade: B

 

Eagles 2011 Needs

stevenlourie Uncategorized

Free Agency Priorities

Offensive Tackle

Why didn’t they draft a replacement for Winston Justice? Hopefully they can find one in free agency because Winston Justice sucks. 

Cornerback 

Can Curtis Marsh or Trevard Lindley step up as the starter opposite Asante Samuel? Maybe, but I’m skeptical and depth is never a bad thing at cornerback.

 

Draft Needs 

Offensive Tackle

Jason Peters has been overrated his entire career, while Winston Justice struggled mightily down the stretch. Overall, they gave up 50 sacks last year, despite having Michael Vick under center for most of the year. That can’t continue to happen. Vick isn’t a big guy and he takes enough hits in the open field anyway. Plus, he really struggled (by his standards) when pressured late last year. They’ll probably upgrade Winston Justice, but they really should bring in two new tackles. Peters’ contract might make that difficult, but either way, Gabe Carimi is definitely an option at #23.

Guard

More offensive line help. Mike Pouncey is definitely an option at #23.

Drafted Danny Watkins (#23), Drafted Julian Vandervelde (#161), Drafted Jason Kelce (#191) 

Cornerback

Dmitri Patterson sucks in coverage and Ellis Hobbs is facing an untimely retirement after a nasty neck injury last year. At least one corner should be added for this team, which ranked 18th against the pass, despite having Asante Samuel and a strong pass rush. They might add two depending on how they feel about 2009 4th round pick Trevard Lindley.

Drafted Curtis Marsh (#90) 

Outside Linebacker

Moise Fukuo needs to be upgraded. If they resign Stewart Bradley, they can move him to the outside and keep Jabar Chaney inside, but Bradley is injury prone and Chaney was a late round rookie last year. Ernie Sims is also a marginal player so I could see them adding one more outside linebacker in the mix.

Drafted Brian Rolle (#193) 

Center

More offensive line help, though this depending on how they feel about Jamaal Jackson coming off an injury.

Defensive Tackle

Depth is needed at the position.

 

Eagles 2010 Recap

stevenlourie Uncategorized

This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook were gone, replaced by Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy. They were also missing several 2009 starters from their defense, including cornerback Sheldon Brown. However, Michael Vick had something to say about that.

Vick took over for an injured Kevin Kolb week 1 against the Packers and made an immediate impact, almost completing an amazing comeback, passing for 175 yards and rushing for another 103. Vick would stay on as starter, abusing both the Lions’ and the Jaguars’ weak defenses in weeks 2 and 3 before getting hurt on a run (that ironically didn’t even count because of a penalty) week 4 against the Redskins.

Kevin Kolb came in and did a solid job in his next 2 starts, winning both games and pushing the Eagles’ record to 4-2. Michael Vick would return soon, but many, including me, argued that they should stick with the young Kolb because Vick was a free agent after the season and Kolb, a 2007 2nd round pick, had never gotten his fair shot. Well, all of us, including me, were wrong. Nothing against Kolb, but when Michael Vick came back to the 4-3 Eagles week 9, they were noticable better.

In Vick’s first start, he outdueled Peyton Manning in a 26-24 Eagles victory over the Colts. The next week, however, was Vick’s Madden Bowl. Vick abused the Washington Redskins like he was playing Madden, scoring 4 first quarter touchdowns in route to a 59-28 Eagles win IN Washington. Vick was 20-28 for 333 yards, 4 touchdowns, 8 carries for 80 yards and 2 more scores. All of a sudden, a potential Super Bowl trophy was in sight.

Vick wouldn’t be quite the same down the stretch, but it’s hard to say 137-219 (62.6%) for 1668 yards (7.6 YPA), and 10 touchdowns to 6 picks in his final 6 games was a bad performance. The Eagles had clinched the NFC East once again by week 16, thanks to an amazing comeback against the Giants. Down 31-10 with 8 minutes left in the game, the Eagles once again showed their explosive potential, winning 38-31.

Despite a loss to Minnesota week 16, the Eagles still had high hopes heading into the playoffs as a #3 seed. They had Michael Vick at quarterback, and explosive playmakers like DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin all over the field. However, they would still fall in the first round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, 21-16.

Still, it was a very impressive season for the Eagles. Michael Vick was impressive enough to make most of America forgive him for dogfighting. Andy Reid cemented his status as an elite developer of quarterbacks. Say what you want about him, he’s fat, he doesn’t know how to manage a clock, he hates to run the football, Michael Vick completed 6.2% more percent of his passes this season than any season before and Donovan McNabb had arguably his worst season of his career in Washington without Reid. 

 

Dwight Lowery Jaguars

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Dwight Lowery played alright at safety for the Jaguars last season, ranking slightly above average in coverage and slightly below average against the run. ProFootballFocus had him as their 35th ranked safety last season. 4 years might seem a little much for a safety who doesn’t even have a full season at safety, but the Jaguars have so many other needs and this is such a weak safety class in free agency and in the draft, that this is a reasonable deal (13.6 million over 4). He didn’t get a ton of guaranteed money either, 4 million.

Grade: B

 

Dwight Jones Scout

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Wide receiver

North Carolina

6-3 230

Draft board overall prospect rank: #87

Draft board wide receiver rank: #16

Overall rating: 70 (3rd round)

40 time: 4.55

Games watched:  North Carolina/Louisville, Clemson/North Carolina, NC State/North Carolina, Virginia Tech/North Carolina

Positives

·         Great size (6-3 230)

·         2 years of strong production (62/946/4 85/1196/12)

·         Incredibly consistent (70+ yards in 12 of 13 games as a senior)

·         Produced on a weak passing offense

·         Physical and willing to run block

·         Tough to bring down in open field

·         Big strong hands

·         Catches the ball well in stride

·         Good 40 for his size (4.55)

·         End zone threat

·         Great athlete for his size

·         Uses his body well

Negatives

·         Got into some off the field trouble that temporarily made his ineligible for their Bowl Game this season

·         Struggles to get separation (especially at Senior Bowl)

·         Not as fast as his 40 would suggest

·         Looked out of shape at The Combine

·         Work ethic could use help

·         Poor explosion (1.62 10 yard dash)

·         Not fast off the line of scrimmage

·         Poor Combine performance

·         Has some problems with drops

NFL Comparison: Roy Williams

At one point, Dwight Jones was one of my more underrated prospects. I liked his size and consistency and his athleticism for his size. He had a great senior season on a mediocre passing offense, catching 85 balls for 1196 yards and 12 touchdowns with at least 72 yards in 12 of 13 games. He was super physical with great size.

However, it was all kind of downhill from him after the season. Once seen as a 2nd round prospect, Jones has fallen into the 4th round range at best. Character issues surfaced about problems with his coaches and an off the field incident which almost cost him eligibility in his team’s bowl game. He really struggled in the Senior Bowl. He was one of the highest rated prospects there coming in, but struggled to get separation all week in practice and in the game. There were rumors he was out of shape.

He didn’t help himself at The Combine. His 40 was fine, but his vertical (33 inch) and broad jump (9 foot 1), were underwhelming, as were his drills. He is an incredibly physical player with a ton of upside, but lethargy and drops are major problems with him. His lack of elite speed isn’t a huge problem because he can still be a #2 receiver and end zone threat, but I worry he won’t reach his full potential as a player.

I still have a 3rd round grade on him and I’m higher on him than most are, but he does remind me a little too much of Roy Williams. His career could be similar, a few good years, before eventually declining while still young and ending up out of the league, where Williams could be after this season. However, if he reaches his full potential, he’s got the ability to like Roy Williams when he was at his best.

<p> </p><p id=”dontshowthis”> </p>
<script type=”text/javascript”
src=”http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js&#8221; mce_src=”http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js”&gt;