Any Cause for Concern?

Posted: June 3rd, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

There have been two OTA sessions open to the media. We heard a lot of positives from those practices, with one key exception. We didn’t get favorable reports on the QB play.

Is this a concern?

At this point, no. You would prefer the QBs to look good, of course. That’s the most important position in football. If you’re QB plays well, you have a chance to win. If he struggles, you need a lot of other things to go right.

Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee are a talented trio. They are also learning a new offense and that is going to lead to some ups and downs. An offense is at its best when everyone is on the same page and the timing is like clockwork. That doesn’t happen overnight. Kellen Moore and Nick Sirianni are taking two playbooks and building them into one offense. It will take time and reps for things to click. What we’re seeing now is part of the learning process.

If the QBs are up and down in mid-August, that’s a different story. They should improve as they get accustomed to the new offense and develop good timing with the new skill players. Parris Campbell and John Ross are new to the team. Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson are rookies. CJ Uzomah is new to the Eagles. So are Saquon Barkley and Will Shipley.

There is also the X-factor that we don’t know what the coaches are telling the QBs to work on. They might be stressing the short passing game. They might stress working the middle. We see results, but don’t know what is going on behind them.

I’m not saying the QBs should get a free pass for their struggles. It is fair to scrutinize them and keep an eye on the situation. You want the struggles to lessen as the summer moves along. There is no guarantee that happens. Moore is the new offensive coordinator. Doug Nussmeier is the new QBs coach. They have had a lot of success over the years, but every situation is different. We have to wait and see what happens.

The final point to make here is that Hurts is always going to be more of a gamer than a practice QB. Part of what makes him special is his ability to mvoe around and create. That doesn’t factor into 7-on-7’s or most practice periods.

*****

I will be glad when this situation is over. James Franklin made an off-hand comment and somehow that got trumped up into a potential tampering charge. Howie Roseman knows when he can and can’t talk to players. I would be shocked if he actually did anything.

The Eagles shouldn’t get punished unless the league can prove something. I won’t be shocked if they throw some minimal punishment at the Eagles to try to discourage future teams from tampering or anything close to it.

The Falcons are in a very different situation. They will lose a draft pick because they did tamper. The question is how high of a pick.

*****

Bill Walton died last week. There were a million stories about him and what an amazing life he led. Walton is arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time. He was an MVP and two-time champion in the NBA. Walton then became legendary as an announcer and personality. Truly a great life.

I hated Walton for a long time. One of my first sports memories is my beloved 76ers with Julius Erving and George McInnis losing to Walton and the Trailblazers in the 1977 NBA finals. I hated Walton and his red hair and beard and stupid headband. He might have been my first sports enemy. He went to the Celtics and helped them win a title in 1986, which only angered me further. Seeing Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Walton happy together was enough to make me want to jump off a bridge.

Thankfully I decided not to jump since I knew all those Super Bowls were coming with Buddy, Reggie and Randall leading the Eagles.

Oops.

I did learn to enjoy Walton as a broadcaster and personality. He was a great storyteller and had a unique way of looking at things. The world is less interesting without him in it.

http://igglesblitz.com/2024/06/any-cause-concern/

3 hours ago, time2rock said:

The final point to make here is that Hurts is always going to be more of a gamer than a practice QB. Part of what makes him special is his ability to mvoe around and create. That doesn’t factor into 7-on-7’s or most practice periods.

Without doubt this is the most important part to consider. Hurts does seem to be better when it’s game time. So there should be no need to panic or overreact to what has happened the last week or so.

That said there are concerns over QB1 on the back of last year and it’s far from ideal to hear he’s struggled. It may not be unexpected given it is a new scheme with new players etc but it isn’t ideal. It’s one to watch as the article says.

My concern is the DL.  We don't have one DE with size.  And we could use a vet at DT.  

If anyone gets hurt we will be thin.  

I think you can book a DE in the 1st or 2nd round next April

16 hours ago, weko said:

My concern is the DL.  We don't have one DE with size.  And we could use a vet at DT.  

If anyone gets hurt we will be thin.  

I think you can book a DE in the 1st or 2nd round next April

It all really comes down to Huff. If he’s as good as the Eagles think then he’s going to be some addition. That plus Carter showing that year two development.

I will watch Ojomo closely.  He moves well enough he could get some snaps at DE when we want more size.  

And if we lose someone for the season at either position he could play a more prominent role.

I think we sign a vet at DE or DT before pre season.  We need another body there, or 2

15 hours ago, weko said:

I think we sign a vet at DE or DT before pre season.  We need another body there, or 2

I wouldn’t be surprised to see us move a corner for a DE (or WR). Howie quite likes those moves where a player on both sides was probably going to get cut so it’s almost a no risk move.

This is the time of the year when QB's are supposed to look rusty.  I'm expecting a bit of a learning curve - especially for the offense - until around mid-season.  But that aside, it's crazy to infer that a poor showing in OTA's by a QB is indicative of how he'll play when the season starts.

I have no concerns at QB. Having Moore should help Jalen a lot. 

5 hours ago, PoconoDon said:

I have no concerns at QB. Having Moore should help Jalen a lot. 

I like the confidence bud. I think there’s some cause for concern though. He’s coming off a down year (certainly a down second half of the year) and he’s having to learn another new offense. There’s also the concern that he doesn’t seem to be on the same page as the HC. I think it is fair to have some concerns as I’m not entirely sure we know yet how good Hurts is going to be this year and beyond.

7 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I like the confidence bud. I think there’s some cause for concern though. He’s coming off a down year (certainly a down second half of the year) and he’s having to learn another new offense. There’s also the concern that he doesn’t seem to be on the same page as the HC. I think it is fair to have some concerns as I’m not entirely sure we know yet how good Hurts is going to be this year and beyond.

Between finally having a competent OC and a premier RB, Jalen's pressure will be reduced. I expect better play designs to get the ball out of his hands and a strong reliable running game to help a great deal. I don't think he forgot how to throw. I think last year his family friend OC was a disaster.

3 hours ago, PoconoDon said:

Between finally having a competent OC and a premier RB, Jalen's pressure will be reduced. I expect better play designs to get the ball out of his hands and a strong reliable running game to help a great deal. I don't think he forgot how to throw. I think last year his family friend OC was a disaster.

I agree we should know have a competent OC (Moore at the very least has proven that) and a really good RB. My concern is the OL and how that holds up and his relationship with Sirianni. Those things could majorly impact his year.

Hurts stated "95% of the offense is new" so growing pains are to be expected, especially early on in the installment process.  I'll be concerned if they are still looking out of sync come middle of October.  Gut says this teams gets off to a slow start this year but starts to come together as the season progresses (completely opposite of last season).  

12 hours ago, time2rock said:

Hurts stated "95% of the offense is new" so growing pains are to be expected, especially early on in the installment process.  I'll be concerned if they are still looking out of sync come middle of October.  Gut says this teams gets off to a slow start this year but starts to come together as the season progresses (completely opposite of last season).  

I definitely think Moore will push Hurts to do more things than the previous coaches and expect it to take some time before Jalen's comfortable. I believe he can handle the challenge. 

Our front 7 on D is the huge question mark

On 6/29/2024 at 10:16 AM, weko said:

Our front 7 on D is the huge question mark

I think we're OK at DT (can't say that will 100% confidence ... more like 70%).  Carter I think is going to be a beast and even if Davis doesn't take that next step (reportedly he has gotten himself in great shape this offseason ... conditioning was an issue the past 2 years ... we shall see), I think Williams is a bit underrated and could be an effective starter.  Tuipulotu has played well at times as a reserve.  Still curious about Ojomo.  

EDGE is a bit concerning though.  A lot will depend on how well Huff does transitioning into more of a full time role and on a new team.  And of course absolutely need Smith to make a huge jump in year 2 and show he was worthy of a 1st rd pick.    

21 hours ago, time2rock said:

I think we're OK at DT (can't say that will 100% confidence ... more like 70%).  Carter I think is going to be a beast and even if Davis doesn't take that next step (reportedly he has gotten himself in great shape this offseason ... conditioning was an issue the past 2 years ... we shall see), I think Williams is a bit underrated and could be an effective starter.  Tuipulotu has played well at times as a reserve.  Still curious about Ojomo.  

EDGE is a bit concerning though.  A lot will depend on how well Huff does transitioning into more of a full time role and on a new team.  And of course absolutely need Smith to make a huge jump in year 2 and show he was worthy of a 1st rd pick.    

I think Ojomo may be a player and could help out at DE in goal line and short yardage.  Tuipulotou is just a guy.  In college Davis never played that many snaps and at 350 it will be hard for him to do that even if in good shape.  Was he ever in good shape at Georgia?  I doubt it.  Surrounded by NFL talent he could coast there.  Brian Baldinger went off on his play, conditioning and desire last year.  Said he didn't belong on the field.  He was one of the worst DTs in the league last year.  No way we can count on him.  He is on bust watch.  Hopefully the FO and his agent got thru to him about conditioning, playing with desire, maturing.  If not we have a huge hole in the middle of our D with lousy LBs behind.  We'll see how he looks. 

I have no doubt Howie will bring in a DT and a DE.  We have two trade chips that I can see.  Steen is a promising left tackle, the 2nd most important position and the 4th round CB from Georgia who finally got on the field at the end of the season and did ok, who decided not to show up for mini camp.  I would showcase him in the preseason and expect the team will do just that.  We don't need him anymore especially if he has an attitude problem and maybe we could trade for a DT or DE or good LB by dangling these two guys.

3 hours ago, weko said:

I think Ojomo may be a player and could help out at DE in goal line and short yardage.  Tuipulotou is just a guy.  In college Davis never played that many snaps and at 350 it will be hard for him to do that even if in good shape.  Was he ever in good shape at Georgia?  I doubt it.  Surrounded by NFL talent he could coast there.  Brian Baldinger went off on his play, conditioning and desire last year.  Said he didn't belong on the field.  He was one of the worst DTs in the league last year.  No way we can count on him.  He is on bust watch.  Hopefully the FO and his agent got thru to him about conditioning, playing with desire, maturing.  If not we have a huge hole in the middle of our D with lousy LBs behind.  We'll see how he looks. 

I have no doubt Howie will bring in a DT and a DE.  We have two trade chips that I can see.  Steen is a promising left tackle, the 2nd most important position and the 4th round CB from Georgia who finally got on the field at the end of the season and did ok, who decided not to show up for mini camp.  I would showcase him in the preseason and expect the team will do just that.  We don't need him anymore especially if he has an attitude problem and maybe we could trade for a DT or DE or good LB by dangling these two guys.

We took care of quite a few roster needs this offseason but obviously you can't fix everything in a single cycle.  I fully expect next year, armed with 9 picks (currently), to add a DE and a DT along with a TE and a day 2 pick on a slot WR.  

On 7/2/2024 at 10:15 AM, time2rock said:

We took care of quite a few roster needs this offseason but obviously you can't fix everything in a single cycle.  I fully expect next year, armed with 9 picks (currently), to add a DE and a DT along with a TE and a day 2 pick on a slot WR.  

No you can't fix everything in a year but i think we will need to score a lot of points to overcome the front 7 on D.  The O will be good enough to do that if Hurts and Moore are on the same page and the system and play calling work.  It will be interesting to watch this re set on O.  Our success this season depends on it

On 7/1/2024 at 2:18 PM, time2rock said:

I think we're OK at DT (can't say that will 100% confidence ... more like 70%).  Carter I think is going to be a beast and even if Davis doesn't take that next step (reportedly he has gotten himself in great shape this offseason ... conditioning was an issue the past 2 years ... we shall see), I think Williams is a bit underrated and could be an effective starter.  Tuipulotu has played well at times as a reserve.  Still curious about Ojomo.  

EDGE is a bit concerning though.  A lot will depend on how well Huff does transitioning into more of a full time role and on a new team.  And of course absolutely need Smith to make a huge jump in year 2 and show he was worthy of a 1st rd pick.    

I think the issue is we overworked the 1st string DT's last year and we've replaced Cox with nobody, that's a lot of snaps to share around a smaller group. I expect a Vet moneyball DT at some point in final roster cuts.

On 7/2/2024 at 11:40 AM, weko said:

I think Ojomo may be a player and could help out at DE in goal line and short yardage.  Tuipulotou is just a guy.  In college Davis never played that many snaps and at 350 it will be hard for him to do that even if in good shape.  Was he ever in good shape at Georgia?  I doubt it.  Surrounded by NFL talent he could coast there.  Brian Baldinger went off on his play, conditioning and desire last year.  Said he didn't belong on the field.  He was one of the worst DTs in the league last year.  No way we can count on him.  He is on bust watch.  Hopefully the FO and his agent got thru to him about conditioning, playing with desire, maturing.  If not we have a huge hole in the middle of our D with lousy LBs behind.  We'll see how he looks. 

I have no doubt Howie will bring in a DT and a DE.  We have two trade chips that I can see.  Steen is a promising left tackle, the 2nd most important position and the 4th round CB from Georgia who finally got on the field at the end of the season and did ok, who decided not to show up for mini camp.  I would showcase him in the preseason and expect the team will do just that.  We don't need him anymore especially if he has an attitude problem and maybe we could trade for a DT or DE or good LB by dangling these two guys.

You want to trade our projected starting Right Guard?

On 7/10/2024 at 11:52 AM, Cochis_Calhoun said:

You want to trade our projected starting Right Guard?

If he can't play OG yes I would listen if anyone called. The kid has a future at left tackle the 2nd most important position if football.   He has value.  Maybe he can play guard now after an off season of work.  Great if he could as we need a starter there.  He is 1st on the depth chart due to his early 3rd round draft pedigree.  Hopefully he will make the transition from OT.  We will know by the end of the exhibition season.

On 7/10/2024 at 11:52 AM, Cochis_Calhoun said:

You want to trade our projected starting Right Guard?

If a team were to offer a good young DE and Steen isn't taking to OG, would you listen?  I would.  Let's see how he does