Sunday, February 24, 2013

At combine, consider the source(s)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Eagles have eight draft picks

This chart constructed by.Ourlads.com lists the Eagles with eight draft picks.

http://t.co/JKEUUCf0Ly

Only four teams have more picks in the upcoming draft and all had better records than the Eagles.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Nnamdi, DeMeco rumors

http://m.nfl.com/news/0ap1000000140842/

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The new Chip Kelly offense


Dynasty didn't happen.
The skills sets of Eagles quarterbacks Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon are distinctly different.

So, too, is the offense Chip Kelly will run. Different, at least, from the read option that enabled Kelly to go 46-7 at Oregon.

"People try to look at what we've done in the past and where I've been and kind of paint it with one brush because everybody wants a sound bite to say your offense is this," Kelly explained. "I don't think what we do offensively can be said in one or two words that we're either this or we're this.  We're an equal opportunity scoring operation.

"Whether we run the ball over the goal line or throw the ball over the goal line really doesn't bother me. It's how do we move the football.  There have been games we've had to throw it in our league 50 times and there are games we have to run it 50 times.  You need to be built for the long haul."

Vick and Dixon are mobile ... totally different from Foles, who concedes he's strictly a pocket passer. Foles is the least likely of the group to be around for the opener.

Vick and Dixon, on the other hand, almost certainly will be joined by a quarterback Kelly chooses in his first NFL draft.

The gut sense of NFL draft analysts, including Mike Mayock of the NFL Network, is the Eagles won't go for a quarterback in the first round, where they now own the fourth overall pick.

"I don’t see that at all," Mayock said. "They've now got three quarterbacks and I think Kelly is going to be pretty smart with how he handles all of that. I think it’s too early to be taking a flyer on a quarterback given the fact that they’ve got three there right now."

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Monday, February 18, 2013

Oregon defender should be on Eagles radar

The next Aldon Smith...or Jason Pierre-Paul?
The Eagles are in a tough spot in this draft.

That would be the top 10.

The way NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock breaks it down, this isn't a great year to have the fourth overall pick because there's much more of a risk of your guy going bust than in previous lotteries.

But there is a real out-of-the-box selection the Eagles could make to shore up what was a sorry playing defense ... linebacker Dion Jordan. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly coached him at Oregon.



Jordan reminds Mayock of Niners Pro Bowl defensive end Aldon Smith.


"He’s only about 240 pounds but he’s 6-7, he has frightening 
athletic skills," Mayock said on a conference call Monday. "He’s a year away so he’ll be a situational pass rusher in year one. And if he puts 20 pounds on I think he’s going to be a perennial all-pro. But again that’s a little bit of a risk reward for betting on this kid two years from now."

Jordan played through a shoulder issue last year that will be thoroughly evaluated at the combine.

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Monday, February 11, 2013

Vick takes paycut, 1-year deal from Eagles


One more year for Mike.
New Eagles head coach Chip Kelly evaluated veteran quarterback Michael Vick.

And Kelly wants Vick to compete for the  starting job this season.

So much for changing the culture, eh?

Vick agreed to terms Monday on what sources say amounts to a one-year contract. Written as a three-year pact, the deal voids after March 15.
 
Vick is guaranteed at least $3 million. Per a report the one-year deal could be worth $10 million, a hefty cut from the $15.5 million Vick was scheduled to earn this season.

Vick is going to have to compete for the starting job initially with Nick Foles per a source.

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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Report: Eagles pitching paycut to Vick

He wants Vick? Seriously?
Don't believe all the speculation you read.

The Eagles have been so tight-lipped under new head coach Chip Kelly that so-called sources - typically agents attempting to gain leverage for clients - seemingly invent 'news.'

This piece suggests Kelly is on the fence about bringing back quarterback Michael Vick at a salary less than the $15.5 million the veteran is due to begin the new era in Eagles football.

Of course, the flip side is what would anyone expect the Eagles to say to Vick as they attempt to create interest to trade him? That they find it laughable a 33-year-old quarterback with old legs and a history of injuries and turnovers thinks it will all go away with a new system?

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Eagles No. 1 in cap room

The Eagles are 12-20 since the NFL and the NFLPA struck their landmark labor agreement in 2011.

And No. 1 in salary cap room right now assuming the numbers are on target from this national website:

Eagles can carry over up to $23 million in cap space | ProFootballTalk

Below, new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has cap money to burn.

Talking Eagles at 8 a.m. on @WIP

Michael Vick
The future of Michael Vick is the likely topic this morning on WIP 94.1 FM with the Morning Show team of Angelo Cataldi, Rhea Hughes and Al Morganti.

At the least the Eagles have positioned themselves to trade Vick.

Click here for the feed.

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Monday, February 4, 2013

Eagles defensive coordinator search winding down

Ed Donatell?

Ted Monachino?

Todd Grantham?

One way or another, new head coach Chip Kelly and the Eagles should have a defensive coordinator in place in the near future.

Donatell is the secondary coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who were shredded by Joe Flacco on his way to leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII.

Monachino is the linebackers coach of the Ravens.

Grantham is defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia.

All are versed in the 3-4 defense the Eagles apparently will adopt after a lifetime of the 4-3.

The rub is that Saints head coach Sean Payton  also is looking for a 3-4 defensive coordinator.
There's speculation Grantham is lying low until the Feb. 6th national signing day. That would minimize recruiting damage for Georgia.

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