5 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

So is the schedule not getting released today as planned?

I thought it was planned for May 12.

8 minutes ago, just relax said:

We should not be talking about a 53-man limit, not with the changes to practice squad rules. It’s 69 players now, with teams able to protect a certain number of PS guys and can activate and move them up and down as needed. Covey only has to be one of 69.

With restrictions.   PS players can only be elevated 3 times.  And the non-vested players have to pass through waivers before they can be signed to the PS, which is why some players are being discussed as roster red-shirts.    I've got no issue with Covey as one of the 69.   I don't even have a problem with Covey on the 53 and one of the 46 dressed, IF he can offer more than PR only duty.   That remains to be seen.

If DeJean is to play a significant role, I can’t see him returning punts. They won’t risk him like that. I think Ainias Smith and Hunt will be the competition for Covey and possibly Campbell.

5 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

I thought it was planned for May 12.

A day or two ago it was supposed to be today. I doubt they release it on a Sunday, they make a big hooplah about it during primetime. Plus that's Mothers Day so I don't see it happening then. Guessing they pushed it back to next week.

7 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

A day or two ago it was supposed to be today. I doubt they release it on a Sunday, they make a big hooplah about it during primetime. Plus that's Mothers Day so I don't see it happening then. Guessing they pushed it back to next week.

Pause for dramatic effect.

12 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

A day or two ago it was supposed to be today.

That's a good title for a poem.

37 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

That's good for injury insurance, but only 46 get to dress on gameday.   You've already got 3 spots dedicated to niche positions with the LS, P and PK.  Do you need a 4th for PR?  Ideally, the PR is also the KR and offers something else, either on ST or offense/defense.   If you don't dedicate one slot for PR only, it frees up another OL to dress... or whatever else they need in a given week where they might need to dress more DBs due to some guys being banged up and try to give it a go... or an extra LB or extra RB.  Whatever.   It just gives options to not dedicate one of the 46 slots to a guy who is only a PR.   It's not out of the question, but having added so many other options, it seems like a luxury for a guy who isn't an elite PR.  If he were, there'd be no discussion.   He's top 5 of the crop from 2023.  With an influx of young talent in this draft, he might drop down lower than that to about top 10.   Is that really worth a roster spot when someone could do more than one thing and be relatively equivalent as a PR?

How do you define relatively equivalent? Covey was pretty damn good last year. 

14 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

A day or two ago it was supposed to be today. I doubt they release it on a Sunday, they make a big hooplah about it during primetime. Plus that's Mothers Day so I don't see it happening then. Guessing they pushed it back to next week.

Announced for May 15

Sounds like Kellen Moore and Fangio are going to talk finally today 

1 minute ago, tuffstuff07 said:

Sounds like Kellen Moore and Fangio are going to talk finally today 

1 pm

2 minutes ago, tuffstuff07 said:

Sounds like Kellen Moore and Fangio are going to talk finally today 

Neither has said a word since being hired by the Eagles, much to the delight of their wives 

47 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

So is the schedule not getting released today as planned?

18 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

If DeJean is to play a significant role, I can’t see him returning punts. They won’t risk him like that. I think Ainias Smith and Hunt will be the competition for Covey and possibly Campbell.

I think his return ability is one of the things they wanted. I think it's likely he gets reps at punt return and kick return. Also, I think Shipley will be in the mix for at least kick return.  

25 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

How do you define relatively equivalent? Covey was pretty damn good last year. 

I defined it earlier.   He was top 5.   7 20+ yard returns.  "Average" was 3.   2 40+ yard returns.   Average was 1.   14.4 ypr, "average' was 11.4.

Now, statistically, those are 'Double' the average.  But, when you look at the aggregate of what it really boils down to... we are talking about 5 extra yards per game (29 returns for Covey last year).   Roughly ~85 net yards over the course of 17 games.   

What would make it a bigger difference would be scoring plays.  But, he's not really a threat to take it to the house and he offers nothing (currently) as a WR.  Are those 80-90 yards really a difference maker?    Does his presence force opposing teams to change how they approach punting the ball to the Eagles because they fear him?    Not at all.   He's a nice PR, but he's not special.   As I pointed out earlier, he's not Devin Hester, Dante Hall or Brian Mitchell.  Those types of PR can be PR specialists, because they CAN be game changers.  Covey isn't that.  He flipped the field twice last year.   The average PR flips it once.  I don't see this great delta between him and an average guy that warrants a roster spot by itself.    For me, a specialist roster spot like that needs to be the undisputed best at what he does, OR he needs to do something else.  

 

So, I'd be very happy with a top 15-20 PR, if that guy was also covering punts, covering kickoffs (especially with the new rules) and ideally returning kickoffs.   Maybe have a role on defense or offense as well.   If the PR is going to be a PR only, I think he needs to be the very top to justify that position.  It's a philosophical distinction much more than a statistical one.   But, I can't justify the philosophical choice of a dedicated PR if he's only providing marginal improvement (5 yards per game) statistically.

14 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I defined it earlier.   He was top 5.   7 20+ yard returns.  "Average" was 3.   2 40+ yard returns.   Average was 1.   14.4 ypr, "average' was 11.4.

Now, statistically, those are 'Double' the average.  But, when you look at the aggregate of what it really boils down to... we are talking about 5 extra yards per game (29 returns for Covey last year).   Roughly ~85 net yards over the course of 17 games.   

What would make it a bigger difference would be scoring plays.  But, he's not really a threat to take it to the house and he offers nothing (currently) as a WR.  Are those 80-90 yards really a difference maker?    Does his presence force opposing teams to change how they approach punting the ball to the Eagles because they fear him?    Not at all.   He's a nice PR, but he's not special.   As I pointed out earlier, he's not Devin Hester, Dante Hall or Brian Mitchell.  Those types of PR can be PR specialists, because they CAN be game changers.  Covey isn't that.  He flipped the field twice last year.   The average PR flips it once.  I don't see this great delta between him and an average guy that warrants a roster spot by itself.    For me, a specialist roster spot like that needs to be the undisputed best at what he does, OR he needs to do something else.  

 

So, I'd be very happy with a top 15-20 PR, if that guy was also covering punts, covering kickoffs (especially with the new rules) and ideally returning kickoffs.   Maybe have a role on defense or offense as well.   If the PR is going to be a PR only, I think he needs to be the very top to justify that position.  It's a philosophical distinction much more than a statistical one.   But, I can't justify the philosophical choice of a dedicated PR if he's only providing marginal improvement (5 yards per game) statistically.

He was second in the league in punt return average by a fairly sizable margin. No, he isn’t an all-time great like Hester or Mitchell or whatever, but he’s a plus player there, and we have room for that.

I don’t have a ton of interest in DeJean returning punts. It’s not so much about injury, but not overwhelming DeJean. I suspect he’ll be playing inside, outside, potentially some safety. No need to put more on his plate. 

Ainais Smith wasn’t exactly sure handed in college. Who else is taking the job?

1 hour ago, ToastJenkins said:

Its stupid to think he has any value on the roster 

New year new coaches new opportunities.

54 minutes ago, just relax said:

We should not be talking about a 53-man limit, not with the changes to practice squad rules. It’s 69 players now, with teams able to protect a certain number of PS guys and can activate and move them up and down as needed. Covey only has to be one of 69.

But the risk of losing a PS player at cutdown and every week not protected is real unlike the 53.  With injury, there needs to be more than one option at RS and it should be RS not PR and KOR.  So Covey to PS might be the back up.  But @Iggles_Phan is right, it’s not about the 69 or 53, it’s about the 46 active.  

Look at it this way.  Lovato is active on all coverage teams plus FG and Extra Points.  Elliott is active on all KO coverage teams plus FG and Extra Points.  Mann is active on all Punt coverage teams plus FG and Extra Points.  Covey was on all PRs and rarely seen otherwise.  

Let’s look at Big WR, a position that I refer to as the Pascal position.  JJAW was the blocking WR but signaled the play type because he didn’t have agility to be much of a receiving threat, so he was replaced by Pascal.  I would argue that position was lost to Covey last year and it showed on offense.  Eagles have sure sent the message they are going to have the big blocking receiver again and Wilson fits that plus he has competition.  Smith fits competition with Campbell and Covey for the WR3 and WR5 position.  

Will the WR5 be active or even on the 53?  There will be other WRs on the PS.   So active is likely Brown, D Smith for sure.  Someone needs to be WR3.  Campbell seems the most likely with his speed and experience and he can play slot and outside but has been a bit fragile so may need a backup.  WR3 and the Big WR (WR4) will split time, I suspect.  Wilson can play both outside and slot and can block.  If WR5 is active that might mean a RB or TE is inactive.  (8 OL, 2 QB, 3 RB, 3 TE, 4 WR is 20 active on O).  21 and 22 aren’t necessarily O. Determined by game plan and what they offer on STs.  So they are competing with LBs, DBs, RB4, TE4 etc.  With coverage teams, FG, Extra Point, a VanSumerin or J Hall and some of the myriad of DBs might have more use.  Smith and Covey are also going to battle with the Big WR back up (likely a PS position) and that may fall to what is displayed at camp by other WRs.  
 

 

I don’t think as currently constructed the Eagles would have to make a difficult cut to keep Covey on the 53 and active on game day. 

Just now, ManuManu said:

He was second in the league in punt return average by a fairly sizable margin. No, he isn’t an all-time great like Hester or Mitchell or whatever, but he’s a plus player there, and we have room for that.

I don’t have a ton of interest in DeJean returning punts. It’s not so much about injury, but not overwhelming DeJean. I suspect he’ll be playing inside, outside, potentially some safety. No need to put more on his plate. 

Ainais Smith wasn’t exactly sure handed in college. Who else is taking the job?

I'm all in favor of Dejean returning punts.   I don't see it as 'more on his plate'.  I see it as more opportunities for him to make plays.  He's a playmaker.  That's what got him noticed at Iowa... that hot bed of DB talent.   And we heard Ferentz say that if he had returned to Iowa, he likely would have gotten some opportunities on offense.   I want that guy maximizing his opportunities.   And I don't see punt returns as something that will tax him mentally.  I think at this point it would be mostly instinctual for him.  Let him go back there and make plays.

 

Now, all that said... Covey might still win the job, but I think this is his last year here.   I don't see him coming back as a RFA after the season, because I think the long term plan is absolutely to use Dejean back there.   If they wait a year for that... so be it, but I think he's their top choice.

21 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Ainais Smith wasn’t exactly sure handed in college. Who else is taking the job?

Rodgers has college experience fielding punts, Smith and DeJean have already been mentioned. 

This isn't a super complicated formula. They didn't have any options before, and now they do. So Covey might make the team or he might not. 

But building the argument that they can't cut him because he is special at the one job he can do seems odd, especially since if it's that crucial, DeJean is probably better at it. And if it's too dangerous to expose a second round pick to it, it isn't worth burning a roster spot on specifically for that role. 

ESP is such a snake. 

8 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I don’t think as currently constructed the Eagles would have to make a difficult cut to keep Covey on the 53 and active on game day. 

That's what I think it really comes down to.  The piece that we don't seem to have this year, that we had in other years is as much positional versatility amongst the backup OL.

Let's assume the starters are set and Steen is the RG.

Who are the backups?   Do we have a swing OT that can play both sides?  Or, is it a situation with Fred Johnson as the primary LT backup, and Becton as the RT?   Is Becton able to play the left side after the knee injury?   The Jets flipped him to RT after that.  What was the reasoning?

Who is the interior backup?   Hennessey seems to be the guy... but I think we need 8 OL dressed, MINIMUM, and might need 9.  

Top 5, Johnson for LT, Becton for RT, Hennessy for OG/C... and then maybe one of the interior rookies as a JIC.

9 is more than last year as I think they generally only had 7 or 8 OL dressed most weeks.   I'd be happy to hear if that's true or not, but that's what I seem to remember.

28 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

He was second in the league in punt return average by a fairly sizable margin. No, he isn’t an all-time great like Hester or Mitchell or whatever, but he’s a plus player there, and we have room for that.

I don’t have a ton of interest in DeJean returning punts. It’s not so much about injury, but not overwhelming DeJean. I suspect he’ll be playing inside, outside, potentially some safety. No need to put more on his plate. 

Ainais Smith wasn’t exactly sure handed in college. Who else is taking the job?

Luckily we also have more free agents to sign especially after pre season cuts. Having drafted 2 WRs, and re-signing 2 we’re probably locked into 4 on the roster. Campbell or Parker will make 5. Not sure where Covey fits if they like A.Smith, Shipley. 
 

Isaiah Rodgers also has return capabilities as well. 

10 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I don’t think as currently constructed the Eagles would have to make a difficult cut to keep Covey on the 53 and active on game day. 

Unless they're keeping 7, I think it means one of Parris Campbell or DaVante Parker need to go.  My hope is that' Parker goes over Covey.  

32 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

New year new coaches new opportunities.

special teams, special plays, special players