14 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

It would be kind of funny if it was Patullo after Hurts glowing endorsement video

Yeah that was a bit iffy.  That's Hurts. I've never seen him give anyone a glowing endorsement really tho

16 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

And if Smith catches the ball...

The expectation for a backup QB to come in mid-game, without a significant number of reps during the week, should be must less for a backup QB that knows they will be starting.

Koy Detmer is the poster child for this.  He looked like an All Pro when he started against the Niners in 2002 after McNabb broke his ankle.  He looked like crap when he came in to relieve McNabb in the 2003 NFCCG.

The context was how good Pickett is relative to McKee. There seem to be quite a few people who still think Pickett is better than McKee even now, which is... amusing.

5 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

It will be very hard for this team to repeat as a Super Bowl Champion next season.  They are undoubtedly still the best team in the NFC just looking at the players under contract.  In retrospect, they have a much more solid core than the 2017-18 team had.  We thought we had the QB of the future in Wentz in 2018. Hurts is who he is and, if anything, has more upside potential than Wentz at this point.  In order for the team to repeat we will need: 

Offensively

1) Barkley to stay healthy

2) Hurts to stay healthy and improve his passing efficiency

3)  Mailata and Lane to stay healthy for most of the season

4) Dickerson and Jurgens to stay healthy most of the season

5) AJ and Smith to stay healthy most of the season

6) Development of a 3rd receiving threat

The good news is that they don't have to add anyone necessarily.  I do think keeping Becton gives them depth in case of injury and makes the interior much better. 

Defensively:

1) Replace production from losses on the d-line - likely both Sweat and Williams

2)Re-sign Baun or replace him with an equally productive player. 

3) Re-sign CJGJ or replace him with an equally productive player.

4) Replace Slay 

5) Carter must stay health

6) Nolan Smith stays healthy

7) Secondary stays healthy

The work is on the defensive side of the ball.  

 

8 of your 13 points are about guys have to stay healthy. Which is always true of every team. You act like it's some insurmountable obstacle to repeat.

This roster is loaded, even with guys that will leave. There are replacements that have already been drafted, this year's draft class will likely have at least 1 significant contributor.

7 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

I guess. We know the Huff move was bad and a small number of the others were underwhelming perhaps. Not sure what's gained from harping on them at this point as opposed to talking about FAs or draft prospects. But again people can do what they want

Not harping, just reflecting on things now that we know the outcome was a Super Bowl victory. I've watched the SB maybe 5 times now? NFLN has been playing the Eagles playoff games on repeat and watching them now is a different experience.

For instance, and this is not a complaint, but just an observation by watching the games, GB/LA Hurts was different than Washington/KC Hurts. We was EXTREMELY frustrating in the pocket those first 2 games. AJ Brown didn't help in the Rams game but Hurts was making some questionable decisions in the pocket. For Hurts to truly take that next step and be in that elite QB group, I think he needs to continue to improve in the pocket. He can't run backwards and in circles and take sacks.  He was SO DECISVIE in the SB. When the pocket collapsed, he saw the pressure and took off straight up field. That's the weapon he is and needs to be. 

I think it's important to look back and examine every move that's made. Just because they won the SB doesn't mean the season was perfect. Always strive to be better and being critical of yourself is one of the best ways to get better. I'd hope Howie is doing the same with his scouts and coaching staff and I'm sure he is. 

1 minute ago, NOTW said:

How do you guys think the Chiefs respond? Will this break them and they will start to regress? Or will this motivate them and they will come back with a vengeance next year? At some point, Kelce and Reid will retire but probably not this offseason.

Other teams have now seen the Bucs and Eagles dominate with defense especially the pass rush. Expect the AFC playoff teams to try to use that blueprint, and the Chiefs to be aware and address their O line and strategy. (They seemed to think stopping Barkley and letting Mahomes be "magic" was going to make an easy win. They were blindsided.)

The refs also were fair in the SB. There was too much national attention. I hope that continues next year, the Chiefs can't keep getting assists from the refs so blatantly. Will the Bills, Bengals or Ravens make it to the SB next year instead? 

Its a great question. To be honest a lot will depend on how they do in the offseason? Which I know is kind of unhelpful and kind of sitting on the fence but I genuinely think that is where they are at.

I don't know much about their cap situation so that also factors in. But I believe Nick Bolton is up for an extension? So that is a move they need to act on one way or another.

The reason I say a lot will depend on their offseason is because I think as they are currently constructed they will regress. Kelce is at the end of his career, Hopkins is retiring, Jones I think is an older guy? They have Worthy who looks a really good young WR but then Hollywood Brown is I believe a FA? So their already struggling offense is likely to take a step backwards and they will need to replenish. 

Chiefs need to build their OL, give Mahomes weapons and if they do that then they can get back to the Super Bowl. With Reid and Mahomes they always have a chance and that defense will still be good for sure. But I think it is time for a regression so if I were a betting man I'd bet on that. Especially as we all know how hard it is to even make the playoffs the year after being the Super Bowl loser.

9 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

It will be very hard for this team to repeat as a Super Bowl Champion next season.  They are undoubtedly still the best team in the NFC just looking at the players under contract.  In retrospect, they have a much more solid core than the 2017-18 team had.  We thought we had the QB of the future in Wentz in 2018. Hurts is who he is and, if anything, has more upside potential than Wentz at this point.  In order for the team to repeat we will need: 

STAY HEALTHY

 

FYP

Really like James Pearce and Mike Green a lot. Hopefully one can be there for them or for a small trade up. Pearce seems to be all over the place. A year ago was considered a top 7 2025 prospect. Now guys like Jeremiah have him going bottom of the first round. Some still have him top 15.

Also like Jack Sawyer a lot if he's around in the 2nd round and I'm not sure he will be. Seems like a winner high character culture type and a grinder.

Some have Mykel Williams falling, that would be a dream.

I do like TJ Sanders.

If Malaki Starks fell to the Eagles I wonder if they'd take him. We've seen safeties fall in recent years.

Going to be going through upcoming free agents soon to compile a list of guys I like.

3 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

The context was how good Pickett is relative to McKee. There seem to be quite a few people who still think Pickett is better than McKee even now, which is... amusing.

So please explain the collective brain fart at NovaCare, where they have Pickett ahead of McKee.

 

Re 2003 AFCCGs: To be fair to McNabb, Manning, and Detmer; go back and watch some highlights. If that game was played under current rules the Eagles and Colts would have both scored in the 70s from all the PI calls. The NFL immediately changed the rules in the offseason over just how bad the DB muggings were. The mediocrity on Carolina who grabbed everyone probably made 10 million dollars off of that game.

14 minutes ago, NOTW said:

This team has gone through some stuff and matured and changed. I think there are some core things that have been cemented for going forward. 

• Howie's drafts have improved dramatically. There will be misses like any team, but they found a formula with coaches, scouts, personnel department and not reaching.
• They have the coaching in place to take chances on players that didn't work out on other teams, but had potential.
• Fangio transformed the mindset of the defense and brought accountability and focus.
• Siri matured and balanced his passion and aggressive nature with more wisdom. 
• There's not a single selfish player on the team. They don't care about individual stats, they all talk so much about the team and winning.
• The team mindset has matured. Even CJGJ was calming guys and avoiding altercations toward the end of the season. Carter is continuing to mature. Baun in mic'd up told DeJean that his pick 6 showed veteran mindset and vision. 
• There are enough veterans that have seen the ups and downs and what it takes to win, to help the young guys mindset. And now they're all champions and know what it takes.
• Hurts' focus on winning is contagious. When he said "that changed my soul" about losing the SB, that was something. He, Smitty and AJ have all talked about not being satisfied and getting back to work. 
• There is a hunger, confidence and aggressiveness that will continue to drive them.

This is why I feel strongly they will repeat. Sure, they might not. Anything can happen. But I don't think this is a team that will get overly cocky and prideful. They will stay hungry and focused. They want more.

All great points. If BG retires, and Slay is moved, the remaining veteran presence is Lane Johnson. We're going to see a changing in the guard with veteran leadership. CJGJ leads in his unique way. Hurts is the anti Brian Dawkins. He's a quiet leader on the field, but behind closed doors he makes his messages heard. Dickerson and Mailata are young leaders. They have a great mixture of young veterans who all lead in different ways. 

7 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Really like James Pearce and Mike Green a lot. Hopefully one can be there for them or for a small trade up. Pearce seems to be all over the place. A year ago was considered a top 7 2025 prospect. Now guys like Jeremiah have him going bottom of the first round. Some still have him top 15.

Also like Jack Sawyer a lot if he's around in the 2nd round and I'm not sure he will be. Seems like a winner high character culture type and a grinder.

Some have Mykel Williams falling, that would be a dream.

I do like TJ Sanders.

If Malaki Starks fell to the Eagles I wonder if they'd take him. We've seen safeties fall in recent years.

Going to be going through upcoming free agents soon to compile a list of guys I like.

I'm staying away from James Pearce. He reminds me of Ricky Sapp. He made plays in college but his build is so lean. He's the kind of edge rusher the Giants love.  

A lot of draft pundits also have Malaki Starks comparison to none other than Lewis Cine...who happens to be an Eagle now.

Chiefs are most likely a 12-5 team next year. And will not have HFA throughout the playoffs. They have way too many question marks on that roster and doubt they will be solved in one offseason. Feel like they lose 2 out of 3 key free agents in Justin Reid, Trey Smith and Nick Bolton. They will be in the hunt, but have them ranked number 3, behind Buffalo and Baltimore. But pretty close though.

I think the Ravens are the best team in the AFC. I think they were the best team in the AFC this season honestly, but they make a lot of mistakes and underachieved because of it. I think the Eagles would've won the SB regardless, they were just determined, but I think the Ravens would've been the toughest matchup if they got there. I'm picking them to come out of the AFC next season.

Here's a question: Did the Eagles offense look better in the final 2 games more because Jalen Hurts played better or because Kellen Moore called better games? Can only pick one.

I foresee Bengals fixing the roster and get back to the playoffs

Just now, pgcd3 said:

Here's a question: Did the Eagles offense look better in the final 2 games more because Jalen Hurts played better or because Kellen Moore called better games? Can only pick one.

Coaching: they took the straight-jacket off Jalen.

The Rooney Rule interview. A Duce Staley special. 

1 minute ago, pgcd3 said:

Here's a question: Did the Eagles offense look better in the final 2 games more because Jalen Hurts played better or because Kellen Moore called better games? Can only pick one.

Hurts

He threw the ball away instead of taking stupid sacks. He also took shots when it was there. Not sure why the lightbulb took until the NFCCG to turn on but thankfully it did

5 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

All great points. If BG retires, and Slay is moved, the remaining veteran presence is Lane Johnson. We're going to see a changing in the guard with veteran leadership. CJGJ leads in his unique way. Hurts is the anti Brian Dawkins. He's a quiet leader on the field, but behind closed doors he makes his messages heard. Dickerson and Mailata are young leaders. They have a great mixture of young veterans who all lead in different ways. 

Just to kind of set the perspective right regarding Mailata, he's been on the Eagles for 7 seasons (1st 2 on IR) and is about to turn 28 years old. He's a veteran and not really so young these days. He spent 3 years under Pederson's staff and 4 under Sirianni. He saw good and bad moments. He was also a professional Rugby player before he was drafted. We think of him as "young" because as a "football player," he hasn't been doing it until he was drafted. But he's now been through and seen a lot and has been coached and mentored by the best. 

3 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

I foresee Bengals fixing the roster and get back to the playoffs

If the chargers actually get offensive talent at the skill positions i could see them making another jump. I think they are going to be in on Higgins to go with mcconkey. 

19 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

So please explain the collective brain fart at NovaCare, where they have Pickett ahead of McKee.

 

Oh an appeal to authority, yeah I guess coaches are infallible and have never made mistakes before. Like Devin White sucking here was just an anomaly, I guess. And Bryce Huff? Should we ask why it took so long for his snap counts to be nuked into oblivion? Remember when we had Morrow and Cunningham as our LBs last year? Collective brain farts or just innocent victims of unfortunate circumstances, only you can decide.

1 minute ago, bpac55 said:

All great points. If BG retires, and Slay is moved, the remaining veteran presence is Lane Johnson. We're going to see a changing in the guard with veteran leadership. CJGJ leads in his unique way. Hurts is the anti Brian Dawkins. He's a quiet leader on the field, but behind closed doors he makes his messages heard. Dickerson and Mailata are young leaders. They have a great mixture of young veterans who all lead in different ways. 

The offense has a bunch of leaders. Dickerson (who was said to be a leader in college as well) seems to have become that Kelce replacement as far as personality, being vocal and motivating. Barkley and Brown have been leaders. Barkley was calming guys and keeping them focused in the Super Bowl (the mic'd up was really cool to see that). 

On defense, they have young guys emerging. Baun if he is re-signed showed leadership this year. Nakobe Dean was said to be one of the leaders of the Georgia defense, and you saw how the players responded honoring him when he was injured. And he is one who spoke at the team meeting the night before the Super Bowl. I think he's one of the new leaders. 

Jalen Hurts said twice during SB media week and then after the game, that a key difference in team culture was the Georgia players that came from a championship team and already had connection, and that spread to others. Not that they are a clique or something, but that teamwork and focus on winning was contagious.

1 minute ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

If the chargers actually get offensive talent at the skill positions i could see them making another jump. I think they are going to be in on Higgins to go with mcconkey. 

I kept saying that and they kept disappointing. I think the team is just cursed. Shame because Herbert is wasted there

 

2 hours ago, ManuManu said:

How many GMs would you take over Howie?

Lets see how he manages the winning. He failed bigly last time. Remains to be seen if he learned and improved.

the drafting last few years is night and day. But also got a real DC