1 minute ago, greendestiny27 said:

And not against a good defense by any stretch and that was after their team was already thrashed and gashed for 3 and a half quarters. I'd be much more comfortable with Gainwell spelling Barkley.
Gonna need to draft a back, probably on the 3rd day. There's quite a few we can nab in that territory. 

So, you trust an as yet undrafted rookie over a guy who will have had a year and an offseason in the system?

We don't need to go back and forth with Pickett stuff. I'd soon rather talk about how Siposs isn't the worst punter. 😄 Or how Reddick needs to be signed to a long term deal. 

We have a Superbowl to win here. And multiple ones hopefully. We know Howie kicked butt with these trades in total. Dont even have to wait 2-3 years to assess this either. Anyway, there's a good chance, our wizard GM flips Pickett for better value this offseason. No worries. Pickett was cheap help and a slight upgrade on Mariota.

I'm looking forward to the 2025 draft and his next Masterclass. Assume he will be getting more picks by trading back and trading 2026 draft capital with a few compensatory picks likely in the stash. This youth movement moves forward with several vets probably playing their last game here. 

32 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

 

He can break the post-season rushing record. Needs 169 yards.

He can break the regular season + post season record.  Needs 30 yards.

He can break the super bowl record of 205.  Needs 206 yards.    

He can be the first player with 3,000 total yards in a season.  Needs 241 yards.

 

Bunch of records to watch.

 

Oh... you know I'm watching...

17 minutes ago, DrPhilly said:

He can get four carries again once the game is in hand.

2 minutes ago, just relax said:

So, you trust an as yet undrafted rookie over a guy who will have had a year and an offseason in the system?

I wouldn’t worry too much about it TBH. Obviously Gainwell is the preferred back out of the two.  He’s playing at a very high level, he can block and has experience in this system and in big games.  Shipley has also looked decent in his limited experience. 
 

That said, this is the Super Bowl.  Absolutely zero reason to rest Barkley.  Barring injury or if he somehow tires during the game (highly doubtful) - expect Barkley to get 95% of the carries/touches from the RB position.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets 30 carries with another 3-4 touches. 

8 minutes ago, just relax said:

I like it! An American Tail.

Are you comparing him to Fievel the mouse?   

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, Ace Nova said:

TBH at this point records aren’t even on my mind.

  I was a huge proponent of giving him the opportunity to break the regular season rushing record -  but now that’s over with - there’s only ONE goal and that’s winning the Super Bowl.  

Everything else - including records - is by far secondary (or doesn’t even matter) imo. 

Here's a crazy thought: if Barkley gets all those records, the Eagles win in a laugher.    

This entire season has hinged on Barkley doing super human things, so...

Barkley is the conductor of this train.  Ride him to finish the job.   

There won't be a reason to pull him out at the end... there won't be a reason to limit his touches.

 

In 1983 when John Riggins set the postseason record for rushing yards in a single postseason, they gave him 38! carries to do it, and he only put up 166 yards.  Saquon is 2 yards behind that pace... he's well rested and in the prime of his career.   Riggins was an old man of 33 years at that time... but that offense, as with this offense relied on their massive OL advantage and running game to win.  That's the exact same formula as the Eagles have used all year.  Changing that up for this game would be the absolute dumbest move they could make.  They NEED to ride Barkley.  Hurts can play second fiddle and just be as efficient with his passing as he was in the NFC CG.  But, if they don't ride Barkley with AT LEAST 25 carries, they are very unlikely to win this game.   And if he gets those carries, he has a very very real possibility of breaking all of those records.   The first one could actually fall on his first touch of the game.  

18 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

That's a valid concern.  Not to worry.  Just go empty when he's in there for some passes... and there you go.   Now he can't miss a block.   

 

As for what we can or can't trust Shipley to do... he had some really big moments in some really big games at Clemson.  Not exactly one for one... but last Super Bowl win we had some massive impact from a rookie RB.  🤷‍♂️.  The Super Bowl almost always ends up with some unsung hero making some extraordinary plays for the winning team.

That rookie RB had plenty of real playing time during the season.  This one has had next to nothing.

Give me Gainwell.

33 minutes ago, DrPhilly said:

Yeah but not in the SB   Give me a healthy Gainwell 100x out of 100 for this game.  We've won 15 of 16 now with the only loss the crazy Wash game where Hurts was knocked out in the first 5 minutes.  There is ZERO reason to change the formula.

The reason to change the formula is that we do not have a healthy Gainwell (apparently).  Are you saying you prefer an unhealthy Gainwell to a healthy Shipley?

47 minutes ago, mattwill said:

When you are making love to your favorite honey and the lovemaking results in multiple orgasms do you reflect only on the individual orgasms, or on the lovemaking as a continuity?

Individual orgasms because it’s not fair I can only orgasm once per session while the honey can orgasm four or five times. Equal rights, my ass.

Just now, DrPhilly said:

That rookie RB had plenty of real playing time during the season.  This one has had next to nothing.

Give me Gainwell.

Sure.  Ideally, but... we don't know that that's a realistic option.   We can't magically make him better.  

Just now, Iggles_Phan said:

Sure.  Ideally, but... we don't know that that's a realistic option.   We can't magically make him better.  

Right.  If Gainwell can't go then we put our trust in Shipley.  No debate on that one.

1 minute ago, mattwill said:

The reason to change the formula is that we do not have a healthy Gainwell (apparently).  Are you saying you prefer an unhealthy Gainwell to a healthy Shipley?

I prefer a cleared Gainwell.  If he doesn't clear protocol then sure we go with Shipley.

9 minutes ago, DrPhilly said:

Right.  If Gainwell can't go then we put our trust in Shipley.  No debate on that one.

And I'm getting out in front on it.   The best part is that the end of that game against Washington (even the kick return to start the game) should give him some really nice confidence going into potentially needing him to play a huge role.   AND... he's going to get a ton of reps in practice and has two weeks to prepare.  If there was ever a time for him to step up... this is it!  

Let's enjoy some Will Shipley!

 

 

35 minutes ago, Freshmilk said:

I don't think he blitzes as much with Saquan in the game.  I trust Gainwell more than Shipley.

I trust a healthy Gainwell more than a healthy Shipley too.  But we do not have a healthy Gainwell.

In addition it doesn’t matter what we fans trust. What matters is what the coaches and players trust.  We are simply a helpless audience.

2 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

And I'm getting out in front on it.   The best part is that the end of that game against Washington (even the kick return to start the game) should give him some really nice confidence going into potentially needing him to play a huge role.   AND... he's going to get a ton of reps in practice and has two weeks to prepare.  If there was ever a time for him to step up... this is it!  

Again, I'm talking about the entire package including receiving and pass protection.  He's shown enough running ability but that's only one of the three parts.

If Gainwell can't go then we will all get to see and root for Shipley.  Let's hope that isn't what happens.

Last time we won the SB a rookie RB put up some numbers in the SB. Shipley will be ready. 

Just now, DrPhilly said:

Again, I'm talking about the entire package including receiving and pass protection.  He's shown enough running ability but that's only one of the three parts.

If Gainwell can't go then we will all get to see and root for Shipley.  Let's hope that isn't what happens.

Don't worry about the receiving part.   Check out the video I posted about his scouting report.  They saw him as a 3rd down back early.    The pass pro is the only concern I have.   But, even with that... he can be used as an outlet hot route against the blitz.   But Barkley will need to be on the field for big 3rd down plays, regardless of Gainwell's health.  

Just now, Iggles_Phan said:

Don't worry about the receiving part.   Check out the video I posted about his scouting report.  They saw him as a 3rd down back early.    The pass pro is the only concern I have.   But, even with that... he can be used as an outlet hot route against the blitz.   But Barkley will need to be on the field for big 3rd down plays, regardless of Gainwell's health.  

At this point, I really don't care what he did in college, sorry.

Gainwell has been rock solid in pass protection and in both collecting the swing passes and evading a tackler in the open field to get the 1st down.  I can't remember Shipley doing either of those even one time this year.

Just now, DrPhilly said:

At this point, I really don't care what he did in college, sorry.

Gainwell has been rock solid in pass protection and in both collecting the swing passes and evading a tackler in the open field to get the 1st down.  I can't remember Shipley doing either of those even one time this year.

You have to care a little, because they didn't use him much this season, but its much better that he did things in college than he didn't.  If he had never done anything at any level like this, then we would have far less confidence.  We aren't talking about Khari Blasingame doing these things.  

48 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Yup.  The next trade was not part of the original deal, and there was no guarantee such a deal could have been struck.  Take away the Kenny Pickett deal and who knows what alternative deals could have been done instead.  Too many variables to really roll everything into a single process.  

So, the Pickett trade is what it is.  The next transaction needs to then be weighed on its own merit, as with any other subsequent move overall. 

The total aggregate of moves can be pushed together to discuss the draft weekend as a whole.  But the individual moves need to stand alone in evaluating the effectiveness of each move.  

For example, we can't give Howie a pass for the move to select Andre Dillard in 2019, because the had drafted Jordan Mailata in 2018.  On the contrary actually.  Had they known what they had in Mailata (clearly they didn't at that time), they never would have panicked into making the selection of Dillard without properly vetting him.  There were a number of options available to them that would have been more beneficial. So, we can't just flip those two and say... well, Mailata is LIKE getting a free first round pick talent, so that negates the wasted pick on Dillard.  And the Dillard pick is really just costing the 2 7th rounders.   It doesn't work that way at all.  (Incidentally, no one is perfect in all their picks, but the process that brought us Dillard was just a really bad broken process.). 

I understand your opinion and its logic, and I am not trying to change that opinion.  Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

With that said, when you look at your Dillard/Mailata example, which I agree is a good illustration, create a @paco vector diagram and you will find that any connection between those two players is indirect.  There is no direct line between them like there is between the Pickett trade and the 2025 3rd Round pick. Similarly, there is no direct line in pack’s chart between Pick #120 and Pick #171 that resulted in the selections of Wilson and McMahon.

 

7 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

You have to care a little, because they didn't use him much this season, but its much better that he did things in college than he didn't.  If he had never done anything at any level like this, then we would have far less confidence.  We aren't talking about Khari Blasingame doing these things.  

Yeah, I said "at this point".  I'll care heading into next season when he probably becomes the #2 and I'll be hoping he brings that lift in the backup RB spot that you've been clamoring for several years now.

4 minutes ago, mattwill said:

I understand your opinion and its logic, and I am not trying to change that opinion.  Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

With that said, when you look at your Dillard/Mailata example, which I agree is a good illustration, create a @paco vector diagram and you will find that any connection between those two players is indirect.  There is no direct line between them like there is between the Pickett trade and the 2025 3rd Round pick. Similarly, there is no direct line in pack’s chart between Pick #120 and Pick #171 that resulted in the selections of Wilson and McMahon.

 

51 minutes ago, just relax said:

So, you trust an as yet undrafted rookie over a guy who will have had a year and an offseason in the system?

I'm saying I would draft another RB in a strong RB draft on day three to compete for the # 2.

58 minutes ago, just relax said:

So, you trust an as yet undrafted rookie over a guy who will have had a year and an offseason in the system?

Not an either or. But if you could add Henderson to the mix? Now thats a stable of rb…

with an offense this reliant on the run we have to add more talent both as contingency and succession planning