September 3Sep 3 From the Athletic article on ranked teams "hopemeter” article. Kind of ironic statement given the death penalty suspension SMU got for paying Eric Dickerson and Craig James"SMU fans cited the return of quarterback Kevin Jennings, Rhett Lashlee’s coaching, an improved roster and the financial backing necessary to survive modern college football."Money buys wins,” SMU fan Ben wrote.”
September 3Sep 3 13 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:been about 2 weeks since the report that Ertz has been fully cleared to play.He was still productive up until his injury. There is probably a team with a bigger need than us who should take a chance on him.I imagine we would be pretty low on his list of options. If he has a list. Then again maybe no one is interested.He may be cleared but I would bet he's not really in shape as of yet. His options probably depend on what he hopes to do. I really don't think there are a bunch of teams that have a need for him. Maybe he could go to Cincy but I don't know that he's an upgrade.
September 3Sep 3 top 100 list100: Jay Cutler99: Mark Rypien98: Brian Sipe97: Jim Everett96: Bert Jones95: Steve Grogan94: Kerry Collins93: Ryan Tannehill92: Brad Johnson91: Daunte Culpepper90: Sam Darnold89: Joe Ferguson 88: Norm Snead87: Ron Jaworski86: Andy Dalton85: Baker Mayfield84: Danny White83: Don Meredith82: Trent Green81: Jeff Garcia80: Frank Ryan79: Derek Carr78: Jim Hart77: Justin Herbert76: Archie Manning75: Arnie Herber74: Vinny Testaverde73: Mark Brunell72: Alex Smith71: Matt Hasselbeck70: Charlie Conerly69: Jack Kemp68: Dave Krieg67: John Hadl66: Tony Romo65: Earl Morrall64: Kirk Cousins63: Dak Prescott62: John Brodie61: Joe Theismann60: Phil Simms59: Rich Gannon58: Michael Vick57: Steve McNair56: Jim Plunkett55: Boomer Esiason54: Jalen Hurts53: Carson Palmer52: Joe Flacco51: Daryle Lamonica50: Andrew Luck49: Drew Bledsoe48: Donovan McNabb47: Jared Goff46: Randall Cunningham45: Joe Burrow44: Roman Gabriel43: Bob Waterfield42: Cam Newton41: Ken Anderson40: Bob Griese39: George Blanda38: Matt Ryan37: Ken Stabler36: Philip Rivers35: Russell Wilson34: Sonny Jurgensen33: Joe Namath32: Eli Manning31: Norm Van Brocklin30: Dan Fouts29: Y.A. Tittle28: Len Dawson27: Bobby Layne26: Warren Moon25: Lamar Jackson24: Jim Kelly23: Matthew Stafford22: Josh Allen21: Troy Aikman20: Kurt Warner19: Ben Roethlisberger18: Terry Bradshaw17: Sid Luckman16: Bart Starr15: Roger Staubach14: Steve Young13: Sammy Baugh12: Fran Tarkenton11: Otto Graham10: Brett Favre9: Dan Marino8: Drew Brees7: John Elway6: Aaron Rodgers5: Johnny Unitas4: Joe Montana3: Patrick Mahomes2: Peyton Manning1: Tom BradyThe list is going to upset a lot
September 3Sep 3 1 hour ago, eagle45 said:Something is going on there. Our OG situation is not good. Seems like it would be unwise to expect much from Dickerson this year. Steen is in the last year of his contract (and it's noteworthy he's being allowed to play through the last year of his contract with no peep from anyone that he should be extended).Meanwhile, Becton was legitimately outstanding here 1 year ago. Granted, he was b-a-d last year. But no one, us included, has any interest.There's no urgency to extend Steen now, he's a 3rd rounder. He could be signed in March. Not everything is some indication of a problem.Kendall has looked good as a backup Guard, there's been confidence in him to start if Dickerson injured. Micah Morris is a promising rookie to develop.
September 3Sep 3 23 hours ago, Joe Ball said:Well, I have 2 favorite teams.#1 The Eagles#2 Anyone playing the Cowboys 😆
September 3Sep 3 Just now, Pliny said:Well, I have 2 favorite teams.#1 The Eagles#2 Anyone playing the Cowboys 😆I can appreciate that, the #2 team for every NFL fan is whoever is playing DAL.
September 3Sep 3 1 hour ago, BigEFly said:From the Athletic article on ranked teams "hopemeter” article. Kind of ironic statement given the death penalty suspension SMU got for paying Eric Dickerson and Craig James"SMU fans cited the return of quarterback Kevin Jennings, Rhett Lashlee’s coaching, an improved roster and the financial backing necessary to survive modern college football."Money buys wins,” SMU fan Ben wrote.”Many teams got caught but none were ever held accountable like SMU was.
September 3Sep 3 I’m actually not as worried about the TE position as most. DG will be fine and I believe he will have a bounce back year as a blocker. I know his health is worrisome but Johnny Mundt is being overlooked. The guy is not just an elite blocker, he’s actually a lot better receiver than he gets credit for and if DG goes down I have confidence he can hold the fort down effectively until his return. Stowers will be fine with time and practice, not worried about him at all. Jenkins is what he is and if push comes to shove with injuries, Ertz is still on the table but I think that’s only if the TE room gets hit hard with injuries.
September 3Sep 3 Interestingly, in the silent week (Beats not even admitted for stretching), we get an article from an interview with Mahaffey on how well Stowers is doing (Zangaro) and two articles on interviews with Moorehead on how well Lemon is progressing (Berman and Kracz). Niceof the Birds to arrange this. (Sarcasm). I wonder if either will be active in ten days.
September 3Sep 3 18 hours ago, just relax said:Mine is Jason Peters but Westbrook is right up there. Saw him at Villanova and was thrilled when the Eagles drafted him- 3rd round, if memory serves.Yup 3rd round
September 3Sep 3 16 minutes ago, Appalachian_Eagle said:I’m actually not as worried about the TE position as most. DG will be fine and I believe he will have a bounce back year as a blocker. I know his health is worrisome but Johnny Mundt is being overlooked. The guy is not just an elite blocker, he’s actually a lot better receiver than he gets credit for and if DG goes down I have confidence he can hold the fort down effectively until his return. Stowers will be fine with time and practice, not worried about him at all. Jenkins is what he is and if push comes to shove with injuries, Ertz is still on the table but I think that’s only if the TE room gets hit hard with injuries.I don't know about all that. He's had Goff, Stafford, Cousins and Lawrence as QB's and his career average is 5.8 yards per game. He's only eclipsed 30 yards in a game 4 times out of 114 games. Almost his entire career has been under the McVay or tree adjacent offense so it's not like he's entering a new offense that will unlock him. I suspect we will be a lot more run heavy which will cut more into his opportunities as well. Goedert and Mundt are both going to be 32 during the season also. Best case scenario is Goedert stays relatively healthy and what you get is what you get from him while Stowers hopefully can play at some point later in the season.
September 3Sep 3 38 minutes ago, NOTW said:There's no urgency to extend Steen now, he's a 3rd rounder. He could be signed in March. Not everything is some indication of a problem.Kendall has looked good as a backup Guard, there's been confidence in him to start if Dickerson injured. Micah Morris is a promising rookie to develop.There should be urgency from Steen's camp. And while he could be signed in March, that's not how Howie operates. Outside of jags and older veterans, he typically doesn't sign anyone he lets get to free agency. It's not a "problem" but I wouldn't be surprised if the plan is to let him walk at the end of the year. It's hard to pay all 5 linemen second/third deals with everyone else needing to get paid.
September 3Sep 3 Alrighty then, let the games begin, and Mannion better not Patullo 💩 all over our season.
September 3Sep 3 8 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:There should be urgency from Steen's camp. And while he could be signed in March, that's not how Howie operates. Outside of jags and older veterans, he typically doesn't sign anyone he lets get to free agency. It's not a "problem" but I wouldn't be surprised if the plan is to let him walk at the end of the year. It's hard to pay all 5 linemen second/third deals with everyone else needing to get paid.Think it makes sense for both to let it play out. 2nd year as a starter, new system, his play has drawn a little buzz in camp. Would it really be that crazy if his play took a big leap this year? We’re talking a whole new tier of $ at that point
September 3Sep 3 Numbers for backup TEs Celek, Ertz and Goedert in their rookie years:Celek: 16 catches for 178 yards (his 2nd year 27 rec, 318 yards)Ertz: 36 catches for 469 yards Goedert: 33 catches for 334 yards Goedert played 15 games last year. In 2024 he played 10, 2023 he played 14. At least 1 game not played were due to resting starters.So backup TE pass catching may not be as much a concern if Goedert remains healthy and the new offense spreads the ball around to different receivers, that can make up for TE receiving production if Goedert misses time. And there shouldn't be much expected of a backup TE in putting up big receiving numbers. A quick ChatGPT search for backup TE numbers from last year, it just produced a short list based on PFF. Just as a sample:PlayerTeam2025 Rec.2025 YardsDawson KnoxBUF36417Noah FantCIN34288Austin HooperNE21263Noah GrayKC21178Adam TrautmanDEN20195Isaiah LikelyBAL27307Tommy TrembleCAR27249Elijah HigginsARI30301
September 3Sep 3 12 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:There should be urgency from Steen's camp. And while he could be signed in March, that's not how Howie operates. Outside of jags and older veterans, he typically doesn't sign anyone he lets get to free agency. It's not a "problem" but I wouldn't be surprised if the plan is to let him walk at the end of the year. It's hard to pay all 5 linemen second/third deals with everyone else needing to get paid.I mean he could be signed in March, but true Howie doesn't usually let starters he intends to keep hit free agency. But this year he's evaluating how everyone plays in the new system. Does Dickerson retire? That could play a factor, may not want to replace both starting guards in the same year. He may want to see how the O linemen do in the new system. Further evaluate Kendall and Morris in the system. Would either of them, or both, be ready to step in to start? He could let Steen walk and draft/sign another guard to replace him. I agree, he may want to shift money to rookie deals on the O line. If Bell works out to replace Lane that's a rookie contract (3rd rounder vs 1st too saving money). My point in the reply to eagle45 was: Guard isn't a problem right now. They have Steen for this season and they have Kendall and Morris is viable backups. And options next offseason.
September 3Sep 3 The top 5 things that concern me heading into this season. Mannion calling plays and adjusting to what the defense is doing: he's just never done it so it's an unknown. If he's the creative genius they say he is, that hopefully won't be an issue.O line health with Dickerson and Jurgens: thankfully it seems they have viable backups in Kendall and Lampkin but will they be stubborn and play injured and be a liability like last year? Or sit them to rest and recover?Kicker: will Elliot recover? If not, what's the plan?Edge: Greenard's health, Nolan Smith hasn't improved enough and entering his contract year, Hunt is solid. But they are thin there. I'd love to see a top Edge prospect drafted next year.Corner depth if injuries. Probably true of every team, thankfully we have strong starters.Most aspects of the team are reasons for hope and optimism though IMO. A playoff team hoping to bounce back with a renewed offense. Defense will be a top 5.
September 3Sep 3 21 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:There should be urgency from Steen's camp. And while he could be signed in March, that's not how Howie operates. Outside of jags and older veterans, he typically doesn't sign anyone he lets get to free agency. It's not a "problem" but I wouldn't be surprised if the plan is to let him walk at the end of the year. It's hard to pay all 5 linemen second/third deals with everyone else needing to get paid.Frankly, I'd be shocked if they keep Steen. Howie's plan is clearly to extend "elite" level guys early (Carter and Davis this offseason), while not overpaying adequate or slightly above average players (Blankenship and Dean). Same reason they paid Baun (all pro) and let Milton walk. The difference between Steen and Kendall/Lampkin isn't worth the money that Steen will command. Let's say Steen gets ~$12mmm AAV on the open market - Lampkin at $1.12mm next year is much greater value.Pay stars, use rookie contracts to fill the rest. Don't cripple the cap by paying above average/elite money to an average starter.
September 3Sep 3 All of mine are on offense or one with the head coach.-OL health and in general I'm not sure many players on this roster can play to the level they did in 2024 and without a super strong running game I think this offense is going to be rough.-Don't think the WRs outside Devonta are anything to write home about. Concerned about the pass game in general.-Don't think the QB has been anything special since 2022. Hasn't been bad, but I don't think he's a QB you win because of. He's a QB you win with.-Brand new OC who's never done this before/an entire team adjusting to a new scheme, new blocking, new everything in one offseason.-A lot has transpired since last season so it's easy to forget how poorly coached the team was last year. Started out looking unprepared for every game, terrible situational decision making by Sirianni. How many times last season in a critical spot did they do something where you were like "What in the F is Sirianni doing?" Things like going for it on 4th and long when you're leading and have a great defense, not running out the clock properly, times where he could've gone for 2 to potentially give themselves a 2 or 3 possession lead, but didn't. Seeing him in every press conference look totally out of answers. I do wonder if 2024 was squeezing whatever juice was remaining out of the Sirianni fruit and we are kinda left with a lame duck at this point, we'll see, but it is a concern of mine.
September 3Sep 3 3 hours ago, eagle45 said:Something is going on there. Our OG situation is not good. Seems like it would be unwise to expect much from Dickerson this year. Steen is in the last year of his contract (and it's noteworthy he's being allowed to play through the last year of his contract with no peep from anyone that he should be extended).Meanwhile, Becton was legitimately outstanding here 1 year ago. Granted, he was b-a-d last year. But no one, us included, has any interest.I suspect he was more of a mauler rather than a dancing bear.Regarding the status of OG, I suspect you are looking for certainty, and the evolving situation at OG … changing of the Guard if you will … is by definition somewhat uncertain.
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