2 hours ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

It's created a really interesting conversation. Because Eagles fans for decades have wanted a team with strong defense and running game, old school, blue collar tough work ethic team. They get that, deliver the franchises 2 first Super Bowls, and under Siri they've made the playoffs every year, 2 SB appearances, 1 SB win. A top defense thanks to Fangio and better drafting from Howie. And in 2024 they have a great defense and run game. That's what fans have wanted for a long time.

But some still complain the QB doesn't have enough individual passing stats. Yes it's a problem when the offense doesn't perform enough in the pass game, but winning is ultimately what matters. In 2022 they had a much better offense, Hurts had his best statistical year and they went to the SB and he played MVP level in that game including passing. Had they won, he would have been the clear MVP. In 2024 they won differently.

Would you rather a QB with impressive passing stats who chokes? Or a guy who has lower numbers in the regular season but is clutch and wins?

59 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Five Offense Captains and only two Defense Captains?

Who on defense is a veteran respected leader that should have been a captain?

Q and DeJean maybe in the future.

2 minutes ago, NOTW said:

Who on defense is a veteran respected leader that should have been a captain?

Q and DeJean maybe in the future.

Greenard.

Jordan Davis looking like a guilty 5 year old who just heard their mom yell "who did this?!?!" from the other room.

Hmmmm, I wonder if the Iggles will wear - at some point, prolly next season? - the white "Kelly green” era jerseys?

Kelly green helmets, white jersey, silver pants, black shoes/cleats. Yes!!!

Oh also, it was obvious that Chest was a clone. A bad one at that. They are easily spotted. 😊🙃

5 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

Jordan Davis looking like a guilty 5 year old who just her their mom yell "who did this?!?!" from the other room.

16 minutes ago, NOTW said:

It's created a really interesting conversation. Because Eagles fans for decades have wanted a team with strong defense and running game, old school, blue collar tough work ethic team. They get that, deliver the franchises 2 first Super Bowls, and under Siri they've made the playoffs every year, 2 SB appearances, 1 SB win. A top defense thanks to Fangio and better drafting from Howie. And in 2024 they have a great defense and run game. That's what fans have wanted for a long time.

But some still complain the QB doesn't have enough individual passing stats. Yes it's a problem when the offense doesn't perform enough in the pass game, but winning is ultimately what matters. In 2022 they had a much better offense, Hurts had his best statistical year and they went to the SB and he played MVP level in that game including passing. Had they won, he would have been the clear MVP. In 2024 they won differently.

Would you rather a QB with impressive passing stats who chokes? Or a guy who has lower numbers in the regular season but is clutch and wins?

Personally, it’s not so much the passing stats of Hurts that bothers me. I don’t care about stats. It’s that he has a lot of frustrating plays where you think, "a better QB would have done this or that thing differently and the game wouldn’t have been so close.”

But, Howie is right — Hurts is a winner, and maybe more importantly he’s a clutch player. I’ve never seen a QB in eagles green who I would be so certain would show up for the big game. And at QB, for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, that’s an invaluable trait!

And unfortunately this isn’t a video game where you can create a player, so realistically how many players would I rather have over Hurts? And what would it take to get them?

Unless you can get a Payton Manning to Denver or Tom Brady to the Bucs type of situation, there really isn’t a clear way to get an upgrade. Hurts is a good, but flawed, player. But those flaws he has can be overcome. QBs who come up small in big moments are much harder to overcome.

5 minutes ago, TEW said:

Personally, it’s not so much the passing stats of Hurts that bothers me. I don’t care about stats. It’s that he has a lot of frustrating plays where you think, "a better QB would have done this or that thing differently and the game wouldn’t have been so close.”

But, Howie is right — Hurts is a winner, and maybe more importantly he’s a clutch player. I’ve never seen a QB in eagles green who I would be so certain would show up for the big game. And at QB, for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, that’s an invaluable trait!

And unfortunately this isn’t a video game where you can create a player, so realistically how many players would I rather have over Hurts? And what would it take to get them?

Unless you can get a Payton Manning to Denver or Tom Brady to the Bucs type of situation, there really isn’t a clear way to get an upgrade. Hurts is a good, but flawed, player. But those flaws he has can be overcome. QBs who come up small in big moments are much harder to overcome.

Nice post. I would offer that Payton at Denver was a shadow of his former self but your point is well taken. Stafford winning with the Rams is closer to the mark. HE, with all his busting on Hurts, has never come up with anything better than a metaphorical QB to replace him.

4 minutes ago, TEW said:

Personally, it’s not so much the passing stats of Hurts that bothers me. I don’t care about stats. It’s that he has a lot of frustrating plays where you think, "a better QB would have done this or that thing differently and the game wouldn’t have been so close.”

I get that point, and we've all seen plays where we wish the player (any player) would have done something different. Other QBs around the league make frustrating plays, choke, throw INTs, fumble, miss open receivers, etc. Josh Allen had a hilariously bad playoff game where he scrambled without any purpose, held the ball like a loaf of bread and then fumbled it. QB play around the league isn't what it was when there were a lot more great to elite QBs. People are still stuck comparing to the era of Brady, Peyton Manning, Rivers, Brees, Big Ben, Eli, and others.

Hurts has flaws, and I do believe there are some other QBs that would elevate the passing game with this roster. But some of those also wouldn't have the same running ability (which wasn't really there last year but was in prior years), and maybe not the clutch winning factor. One aspect I also like about Hurts is that when he makes a mistake like an INT, he doesn't let him shake him. He stays focused. When he loses, he has that killer instinct to want to correct it and win. People used to hate when McNabb would smile or act silly when he wasn't playing well or after a loss. They wanted him to be more serious. Now they criticize Hurts for being too serious.

I've said I agree that if Hurts is really bad this year and it's obvious the system is good but he's a problem, he probably won't get another contract. But you also look at recent draft classes, the QBs aren't good. So be careful what you wish for. One scenario that would be interesting is Joe Burrow, he's desperate for a change of team, having won in college and been to a Super Bowl he also knows how to win and he's been stuck in that franchise.

1 minute ago, vikas83 said:

@eagle45 from the discussion about the guard position.

• The team is extremely high on Willie Lampkin and Micah Morris, while Drew Kendall was brought up on multiple occasions, unprompted. Depth at iOL seemed to be in flux post-draft, but is now viewed as a massive strength.

2 minutes ago, just relax said:

Nice post. I would offer that Payton at Denver was a shadow of his former self but your point is well taken. Stafford winning with the Rams is closer to the mark. HE, with all his busting on Hurts, has never come up with anything better than a metaphorical QB to replace him.

True on Manning. He wasn’t the same guy at that point in his career. But obviously you get what I’m saying.

Stafford is an interesting example. The Rams gave up a good, younger QB in Goff, a third round pick, and TWO first round picks.

Obviously it’s worked out for them, but without the benefit of hindsight I’m not sure if I would pull the trigger on that trade. Keep in mind that Stafford had only made the pro bowl once at that point, had never been named an all-pro, and hadn’t won his team anything. Yes, it was back when the Lions were a disaster, but still — that was a tremendous risk for the Rams to take for what would be an older player and seemingly marginal upgrade.

If someone asked for Hurts, two firsts, and a third for any QB in the NFL today would you do it? Mahomes is an interesting comp to Stafford. They both put up big numbers but Stafford was less accomplished. Not sure I’d do it for Mahomes. Maybe Allen is a guy you might do it for, but again he’s far more accomplished individually. But do you think he has the clutch gene?

I think it’s just a very difficult situation to get a clear upgrade that’s worth the price. If we take away my Manning example, really it’s only Tom Brady you can point to and think, "yeah that was a clear upgrade on the field and the price was right.”

Wtf is happening

1 minute ago, Sack that QB said:

Wtf is happening

Very clearly AI.

10 minutes ago, NOTW said:

I get that point, and we've all seen plays where we wish the player (any player) would have done something different. Other QBs around the league make frustrating plays, choke, throw INTs, fumble, miss open receivers, etc. Josh Allen had a hilariously bad playoff game where he scrambled without any purpose, held the ball like a loaf of bread and then fumbled it. QB play around the league isn't what it was when there were a lot more great to elite QBs. People are still stuck comparing to the era of Brady, Peyton Manning, Rivers, Brees, Big Ben, Eli, and others.

Hurts has flaws, and I do believe there are some other QBs that would elevate the passing game with this roster. But some of those also wouldn't have the same running ability (which wasn't really there last year but was in prior years), and maybe not the clutch winning factor. One aspect I also like about Hurts is that when he makes a mistake like an INT, he doesn't let him shake him. He stays focused. When he loses, he has that killer instinct to want to correct it and win. People used to hate when McNabb would smile or act silly when he wasn't playing well or after a loss. They wanted him to be more serious. Now they criticize Hurts for being too serious.

I've said I agree that if Hurts is really bad this year and it's obvious the system is good but he's a problem, he probably won't get another contract. But you also look at recent draft classes, the QBs aren't good. So be careful what you wish for. One scenario that would be interesting is Joe Burrow, he's desperate for a change of team, having won in college and been to a Super Bowl he also knows how to win and he's been stuck in that franchise.

Yeah, exactly right on the "be careful what you wish for,” part at the end.

It’s going to be extremely difficult to replace Hurts without taking an inordinate risk. That risk might be in trade compensation or in draft risk, but the risk will be real.

And Hurts is still just 28 years old, so it’s not like we can use one of our first round picks in 2028 with the excuse that Hurts will be retiring soon. hopefully we can stumble into a mid round pick at the right time, but that is seldom how these things work out.

7 minutes ago, TEW said:

Yeah, exactly right on the "be careful what you wish for,” part at the end.

It’s going to be extremely difficult to replace Hurts without taking an inordinate risk. That risk might be in trade compensation or in draft risk, but the risk will be real.

And Hurts is still just 28 years old, so it’s not like we can use one of our first round picks in 2028 with the excuse that Hurts will be retiring soon. hopefully we can stumble into a mid round pick at the right time, but that is seldom how these things work out.

Howie is also very calculated and takes long-term view, thinks ahead. He likes to collect options for "the QB factory." If he were to move on from Hurts, he wouldn't just rely on a rookie. He'd also have a veteran backup. We've also seen more QBs change teams in recent years than it happened in the past. It's becoming more common, so it's still possible to get a decent QB in free agency or trade. In the past teams held onto QBs for dear life even if they were mid, afraid of the risk. Howie weighs risk and will always want options.

He may even extend Hurts and draft his replacement. They've done that in the past with Kolb, Foles, Wentz, Hurts drafted right after signing Wentz.

43 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Tenor is blocked at work, so this is all I got:

40 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

Ricky P.... they had Brian Robinson Jr... Yeah, checks out.

16 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Very clearly AI.

Yep. 1000% fake.

My first thought was AI but you figure TMZ would confirm before posting online, it's not like they're new to this.

2 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

My first thought was AI but you figure TMZ would confirm before posting online, it's not like they're new to this.

Ah yes, TMZ the gold standard of journalistic integrity.

34 minutes ago, NOTW said:

@eagle45 from the discussion about the guard position.

• The team is extremely high on Willie Lampkin and Micah Morris, while Drew Kendall was brought up on multiple occasions, unprompted. Depth at iOL seemed to be in flux post-draft, but is now viewed as a massive strength.

Yes, arguably 4 of the 5 backup positions are solid. Very good work from Howie in only a year. These guys may play this year too and will help.

56 minutes ago, NOTW said:

People are still stuck comparing to the era of Brady, Peyton Manning, Rivers, Brees, Big Ben, Eli, and others.

I would add to that that People have selective memory. For players we like/revere we remember the highlights and forget the lowlights, and for the players we flagellate we remember the failures and forget the successes.

Only one team has ever ended the year undefeated.