5 minutes ago, Thrive said:

Listening to podcasts from Philly media and a resounding talking point is that the Eagles miscalculated how Carson would handle drafting a QB in the second round. everything.

 

 

27 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

One thing is for sure, Howie is comfortable enough in his job to move on from sunk costs. He just traded a guy he moved Heaven and Earth to go get, and in the process took on the biggest dead cap hit in the history of the sport without breaking a sweat. Moving on from a 2nd rd pick after a year is easy money for him.

Just saying Adam schefter like 3 weeks ago said wentz is still traded but he was told the eagles didn’t want to trade him and we’re trying to mend fences. He said this multiple times from the last couple weeks of the season when he got benched til a couple weeks ago (about mending fences and wanting him back). Additionally McManus also has said that wasn’t their original intention to trade him on 975. And Andrew Brandt discussed that yesterday they would’ve brought him back if the fracture didn’t get to how big it got even with his poor performance and money owed for 2022.  

So those reports tell me it didn’t start in their minds at the end of the season as a sunk cost for them. They thought they could salvage Carson Wentz, the relationship and get him back on the right track. That to me does not sound like at that point in time like they thought wentz was a sunk cost. If they thought it was a sunk cost from the very beginning they would’ve said this guy sucks, we don’t care about what value and we just need him gone and out of the building from the very beginning. Instead they tried to mend fences and bring him back first. The sunk cost didn’t happen until down the road when they finally realized they couldn’t mend fences as the fracture was deeper than they thought. 

9 minutes ago, Thrive said:

Listening to podcasts from Philly media and a resounding talking point is that the Eagles miscalculated how Carson would handle drafting a QB in the second round.

Folks just act like the media just have all the insights and the FO (although certainly clownish in behavior) are grossly incompetent. Certainly the FO understood that Carson very well could react negatively to the drafting of Hurts. Even us TATERs understood this; we all saw how he got twisted in pretzels over Foles. 
 

To me, the more telling point is that the Eagles were aware that Carson could likely react negatively to getting Hurts and went ahead and drafted him anyways.

Was listening to an interview with Louis Riddick and he was basically saying how the Colts need to handle Wentz.  Pretty much telling him he's the guy and he doesnt have to worry about someone taking his job.  What a load of BS if true.  If he's truly so good and talented then he shouldn't be worried about a QB behind him taking his job.  

Just now, 315Eagles said:

Was listening to an interview with Louis Riddick and he was basically saying his the Colts need to handle Wentz.  Pretty much telling him he's the guy and he doesnt have to worry about someone taking his job.  What a load of BS if true.  If he's truly so good and talented then he shouldn't be worried about a QB behind him taking his job.  

To see the poise of Hurts and his way of handling things made moving on from Wentz easy for me.

1 minute ago, DumbleBear said:

Good summary. Hey maybe 11 does go to the Colts and have great success. What people won't understand is. It wasn't going to happen on Pattison Avenue. 

That's the AR paradox.  Probably does apply to Wentz too.

IMO, the Eagles primarily failed Wentz, not the other way around.  They gave him a bad offense that focused on tunnel vision up the middle of the field to the TEs and horizontal passing to HORRIBLE WRs.  And then they yanked the OL/pass protection out from under him.  All while failing to enforce basic mechanics (some of that part is on Wentz).

And now the team is too bereft of functional talent to fix Wentz, even with the right coaching.  The OL and WRs are going to suck again next year, so it's no situation for Wentz to fix himself.

So maybe Wentz does get back to 2017 (I think 2018-2019 is more likely), but like you said, it's not happening here.

Regardless on how anyone feels about Wentz (myself included) we have to hope that Hurts can be the guy and throw our support behind him until otherwise indicated.

Just now, Infam said:

To see the poise of Hurts and his way of handling things made moving on from Wentz easy for me.

Yup, as long as you don't watch him on the field, it's very reassuring.  

4 minutes ago, Thrive said:

Listening to podcasts from Philly media and a resounding talking point is that the Eagles miscalculated how Carson would handle drafting a QB in the second round.

Folks just act like the media just have all the insights and the FO (although certainly clownish in behavior) are grossly incompetent. Certainly the FO understood that Carson very well could react negatively to the drafting of Hurts. Even us TATERs understood this; we all saw how he got twisted in pretzels over Foles. 
 

To me, the more telling point is that the Eagles were aware that Carson could likely react negatively to getting Hurts and went ahead and drafted him anyways.

To me, the more telling point is that they were stupid enough to take this action.  It was unprecedented, insane, and beyond what any GM or owner would have contemplated.  The results have been predictable... because they were predicted right after the pick was made.

I'll again reference my post the next day.  If a random TATER sees it, you have literally clowns making decisions.

https://www.eaglesmessageboard.com/topic/33-emb-blog-once-again-politics-to-cvon/page/500/?tab=comments#comment-30450

Quote

I'm just going to document here what I think the Eagles did, how big of a mistake it was, and why.  

 

Hurts Pick - A Deeper Dive

 

This post will look at the overall implications and impact of the pick.  This is NOT A POST for those that are searching for reasons to justify the pick of Jalen Hurts in the second round and rationalize it.  I would encourage anyone who would rather take that approach to not read any further.  

 

I've previously shared several articles analyzing the pick, and specifically refuting the various claims made by the Eagles on this pick.  This is a good summary of that, and I won't waste time restating these points:

https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2020/4/26/21236656/philadelphia-eagles-2020-draft-jalen-hurts-howie-roseman-excuses-quarterback-oklahoma-carson-wentz

 

Instead of rehashing these same obvious points, I will try to document what I haven't seen *fully* explained yet.  Again, I expect much of what I'll say here to be obvious to many of you, as long as you aren't in the mode of trying to rationalize.

 

How to Undermine Your Franchise Quarterback

 

When a team is fortunate enough to have a franchise quarterback, success is dependent on building around that quarterback.  Commitment to supporting the franchise quarterback and facilitating his success and the team's success must be ABSOLUTE.  Margins are too small, resources too limited, and information too ubiquitous to do otherwise.  You have very few dumb people running NFL teams these days.  You cannot rely on being able to outsmart and out-plan the opposition.  You have to use everything at your disposal in the best possible way, and get a little lucky as well.  Analytics only further level the playing field.  You cannot, under any circumstances, afford to HEDGE against your franchise quarterback (while in his prime) somehow NOT being your franchise quarterback.  Resource constraints don't allow this, and furthermore, any type of hedge will manifest itself into various other issues, all of which are detrimental to the team.  This is why it is not done.

 

The best way to undermine your team and your franchise quarterback is to draft ANOTHER quarterback high in the draft.  This is a risk, a cost, to be weighed and debated seriously at the appropriate point in your quarterback's career, or after the circumstances have dictated that such a consideration is, unfortunately, necessary.  It's a tough call.  Instead of adding starters and key players to invest in your quarterback, replace departed or declining talent, and get ahead of your competitors, you take a guy who, if everything plays out favorably and luck is on your side, will not even PLAY.  Furthermore, you show the world, and especially your team, that you do not TRUST your quarterback, and you may want a DIFFERENT quarterback.

 

What team would do that?  None, right?  Well, until exactly one week ago, this had never been done before.  Never in history has a team had a franchise quarterback, in his twenties, entering a franchise level compensation 4 year deal, taken a quarterback in the 2nd round.  That would go against everything and anything the team stands for at that point in time.  Who would do that?  No one would.  No owner would allow it!  Even owners that do not "mettle" will step in when they see something happening that presents undue risk or falls short in basic strategic vision.  To be honest, I am shocked that Lurie did not step in here, as I thought he had learned enough over time to be that kind of owner.  

 

When the proposition was raised to Lurie, the owner and CEO of a multi-billion dollar organization, this is how I would have expected him to react.  "What?  Wait, did we not just commit the largest amount of guaranteed money in NFL history to our current quarterback, who is young, entering his prime and talented, and with your full buy in and recommendation?  And now you are in my office, not even a year later, telling me you want a different quarterback high in the draft?  I need to understand this, who wants this and why?"  (I need to understand the thought process and decision making, so I can identify who specifically I need to fire and replace ASAP.)

 

Now that this has actually happened, many/most of the team's players have serious questions.  Whether they get asked, or not, the questions are now there.  Why did they do this?  Is something wrong with Carson?  If they invested that high of a draft pick at the expense of other good players in this new kid, they expect something out of him, right?  They must not trust Carson.  Is Carson hurt again?  Is he too injury prone?  Do they think this kid is a better prospect than Carson?  Is the plan for him to take over in the next year or two?  I guess they thought this was more important than adding a key weapon, a key defensive player, or someone that could come in and help us win with Carson at QB.  I'm a veteran trying to win another super bowl.  How does this help me this year?  Next year?

 

For those who would say "it's just pick 53," or "it is just a second round pick," once you understand that they compared the player they took to Russell Wilson, and to Lamar Jackson, this argument falls apart quickly.  When you compare a quarterback you just took in the draft the current NFL MVP QB as well as the likely runner up, are you talking about a player that is being selected to be a backup?

 

I see someone has at least written about the obvious point, that this confirms the Eagles doubts about Wentz (despite the recent long term financial commitment):

https://94wip.radio.com/blogs/joe-giglio/philadelphia-eagles-unsure-about-carson-wentz-jalen-hurts

 

More recently, Shiel Kapadia at the Athletic has come around to this analysis, although he remains confused as to the Eagles story and response continues to evolve:

https://theathletic.com/1780643/2020/04/29/kapadia-what-the-jalen-hurts-pick-says-about-how-the-eagles-view-carson-wentz/

 

"Carson, what is your reaction to the Eagles taking Hurts?  Did they talk to you about it?  Do you see yourself as a mentor?  Will you teach him what you know?  Does having a young, highly drafted QB behind you make you think that maybe the team wants to go in a new direction?  What about the fact that they passed on some very good prospects to take him?"

 

"Jalen, when did you think the Eagles had serious interest in you?  Have they told you that they see you as a starter?  Were you disappointed to come to a team with a young starting QB who just received a big contract?  Do you see yourself as a starter?  What are they going to do to develop you here, did you talk about how many reps you will get and sharing the load with Carson?"

 

How to Call Your Quarterback's Leadership Into Question

 

These last couple of years have been somewhat unique for Carson Wentz as a QB, and therefore, leader of the Eagles.  He was drafted to be the quarterback of a team that was blessed with some very good players and several vocal veteran leaders.  Malcolm Jenkins, Jason Peters, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox among others all have significant voices.  Last year, on All or Nothing, we wintessed how Wentz came into his own, leading the team and a rag-tag group of backups (on offense) to the playoffs, against all odds.  Two of the major team leaders, arguably the biggest, in Jenkins and Peters, are gone, paving the way for this to truly become Wentz's team.

 

The best way to undermine your quarterback as a leader, and his standing with the team, is to not ONLY select a new quarterback early in the draft, but to talk about what a "great locker room guy" and "great teammate" the new quarterback will be, and how you look forward to his contributions in this area.  If you choose to talk about a ROOKIE BACKUP QUARTERBACK having a big impact on your CULTURE, you have nailed it.  Wait, we are drafting another quarterback to come in here and change our culture?  What about our culture needs to change and why?  I guess the new guy is the guy now?

 

The Quarterback Factory

 

This characterization will go down in history, along with comments like the "Gold Standard," as unbelievably arrogant and completely lacking in self awareness.  First of all, why would a team ever admit to desiring to be in the business of "producing" quarterbacks, like at a factory?  Furthermore, what about the current Eagles front office and coaching staff is indicative of Quarterback development, outside of Carson Wentz?  We all thought that the GM had learned so much, especially on his year off tour, and the major lesson was it was about building a TEAM and not just compiling talent.  What is a Quarterback Factory?  Is it part of building a championship team?  Is having 3 starting quarterbacks better than having one?  What was that famous saying again?

 

Is a quarterback controversy good for a team?  What happens when you invest in quarterback at the expense of other positions?  How many quarterbacks are on the field at once?  How many reps do they get in practice?

 

What about becoming a Quarterback Factory to sell the quarterbacks for draft picks?  Does this happen often?  Outside of the AJ Feeley example from long ago, when have the Eagles done this?  What about other teams?

 

What About Having "2 guys on the field who can throw the ball?"

 

The Eagles staff loves to be "innovative" on offense.  This new idea, as discussed by Press Taylor and now referenced by others, is getting "two guys on the field that can throw the ball."  So what does that mean?  The Eagles are going to run a significant number of plays with two quarterbacks on the field?

How is that going to work?  Carson under center, Hurts in the backfield?  Hurts out wide, motion into the backfield?  Carson lateral to Hurts, who throws downfield?  Hurts in the pistol.  Ohhhhh... who is going to throw the ball?  You have no idea, man!  How do you stop it??!   There is a reason that on NFL passing plays, the ball comes out in less than 3 seconds.  To forecast this change in the game is to suggest that some kind of trickery or misdirection will lead to having a second "quarterback" can touch the ball and then get a pass off is highly optimistic, at best.  Something less than that, at worst.

 

Great teams may implement a few **** plays, and may call a few during a season.  They don't attempt to re-invent the offense around a concept that is loaded with additional risks and flaws.  Especially in today's practice limited world, and more so in the current environment, where no one knows when teams will be allowed to practice again.  If you don't have faith in your franchise quarterback to be the one throwing the ball, then by all means, take a new quarterback in the draft.

 

Taysom Hill on Steroids

 

The Eagles really took Hurts because they have been observing the effectiveness of the Taysom Hill plays run by the Saints.  They want their own Taysom Hill, only better, and will implement a new package for him that will be Taysom Hill on steroids.

 

There are a few major differences between Taysom Hill and Jalen Hurts that are worth remembering:

• Taysom was an undrafted free agent, and was willing to do anything to contribute and make a team.  He caught on with the Saints and they got creative with his abilities.  He was not a draftable/viable NFL QB prospect.  He was not a second round pick investment.
• Taysom Hill ran a 4.4 at the combine. He played special teams, receiver, and running back.  Jalen Hurts is a good athlete, but not nearly the same.  He ran a 4.6 - fast, not *that* fast.  He does not have the same skill set as Taysom.  Some will say he throws better than Taysom, that may be true, we will see.  But he is not the same kind of "weapon."  I would agree he is more of a quarterback, and he can run the ball some.
• Jalen has different goals and expectations than Taysom.  He expected to be drafted, was drafted high, and wants to be a starting quarterback.  His actions have demonstrated this.

 

Jalen is not Taysom.  Jalen has a different skill set and expectations than Taysom.  The story that came out about Jalen lining up as a "straight RB" is also interesting.  Do we believe that is correct?  There was a kid from Ohio State available at 53, may have been a pretty good addition to the backfield.  How would Jalen react to becoming a "straight RB?"  We know he is not going to line up at WR, in the slot, or do many of the things that Hill does.  He will be able to run the same type of option plays from the QB position.  Which everyone on the field will know is coming.

 

What kind of team takes a player for a gadget role in the second round, when they have so many other needs?  Not a smart team.  That kind of irresponsible drafting is far outside of anything that any GM who knows how to build a team would do, under any circumstance.  These are the kind of things you do later in the draft.

 

How Does This Work for Hurts?

 

Hurts has been drafted by a team with a 27 year old franchise quarterback, entering a new contract.  His team has indicated a desire to implement a Taysom Hill package for him (on steroids), and wants to bring him into their Quarterback Factory.  How excited is this guy right now?

 

As a second round pick, would he be content to become a gadget player?  Or will he be worried at all about realizing his dream to become a starting NFL quarterback?  How many reps will he get as a quarterback?  Will he be supportive of a Taysom Hill type role?  How is he going to be developed?  What is his path to becoming a starting quarterback?  Do you think that he will be content, for the next several years, if he is getting limited reps, maybe some option type plays, and/or is typecast as a gadget player?

 

How did he react when he lost his job at Alabama?  Did he stay put, and was he content to come in and run some option plays to give Tua a breather?  Or did he switch programs to where he could have the most success as a quarterback?

 

Long Term Value of Highly Drafted Backup QB

 

Teams that have franchise quarterbacks don't draft other quarterbacks high to be backups, especially because the draft actually is not "all about value, and taking players that have the most value."  It should be about building the best possible TEAM, but again, that concept was most certainly NOT learned, despite prior assurances to the contrary.  

 

Good teams with franchise quarterbacks don't take these other quarterbacks high in the draft for "value" because:

1. they don't have time or reps to develop them and maximize their "value"
2. if they don't play, they can't and don't "build more value" as in for a potential trade
3. the relative value to taking a player at another position/opportunity cost of doing so when your team is already competitive and needs all available resources
4. the time value of the picks is too important to those with the privilege of being in charge at the current time
5. it is rare, very rare. that a team trades a quarterback for "higher" draft return than the initial pick(s) used

The "financial impact" of taking a high draft pick, let's say a second round pick, in cap savings has been grossly overstated and is being used as part of a litany of excuses for the pick.  Yes, the Eagles have overspent on backups, especially in the recent past.  League wide, the cost of a reasonable backup in most instances is not substantially more than the second round pick; certainly the savings relative to the overall cap are nominal, at best.  Even in instances where the team is inclined to spend more than usual on a backup, the viability of the veteran backup and likelihood of success with the veteran backup is significantly greater the young player in the vast majority of situations.

 

Who Should Be the Backup Quarterback?

 

If Carson were to go down again at some point this season, what quarterback would give the Eagles the better chance of winning?  Would it be Jalen Hurts, with whatever assumptions you can make about his development, usage, and reps, along with his particular skill set and upside?  Would it be Nate Sudfeld?  Or a veteran quarterback that was or is available?

 

When a team is a true contender, which prior to this disastrous decision, I had expected the Eagles to be, I would argue that in ALL cases, you want to have a veteran quarterback on your team as your backup.  Perhaps Nate Sudfeld, with his several years of experience in the system, and some flashes of competence in the past, could be that guy.  Personally, I would have looked to sign someone with more experience, even with some cap allocation associated with it.  

 

Falling Behind, One Draft at a Time

 

I'm not spending much time discussing what Jalen Hurts is as a QB prospect.  That is subjective at this point, though I'll state my opinion for the record, even though I don't care if they took Joe Burrow, it doesn't change the basic issue I have with what they did.  I personally don't think Hurts has much of a chance of being very good as an NFL starting QB, and admit on that point I could be wrong.  When you watch his film, what special skills do you see?  Vision, poise, arm, etc?  I don't see any of it, I'm sorry, but I don't.  I see a guy that lost his job at Alabama to a freshman because he was essentially a good runner as an option QB, he can make one read and then looks to run, but has an awkward motion and mechanics, and isn't a great passing quarterback, even by SEC standards.  I don't see how he projects to be a top level QB in the NFL.  The Eagles have compared him to Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson.  He may be a great kid, and he is clearly a "winner," a team guy, a tough player and so forth, that is great.  He put up great numbers at Oklahoma.  I would encourage anyone who has not to go look at his film and then formulate your own opinion.  Don't just go on what you have read or heard.  Quarterback is the easiest position to have a reasonable opinion as a knowledgeable fan.  You usually know it when you see it.  Go watch him.  For comparison, watch some of Carson's film from the Bison days.  Then for extra credit, go watch Russell Wilson at Wisconsin and tell me you see ANY comparison between how he plays and how Hurts played in either of his schools.  Russell was "short," but he was a tremendous player and passer.

 

None of that evaluation has anything to do with this post.  This post is about the true cost and implications to the Eagles of making this decision.

 

While the Eagles were taking a quarterback in the 2nd round (backup?  gadget player?  new franchise qb?), the rest of the league and most certainly the division was getting better.  Each of the division rivals got a lot better.  This is on the heels of the Eagles poor, perhaps very poor, overall drafting in the last 5-6 years.  When you aren't getting better, you are getting worse.  Look at the rest of the NFC East drafts.  Each one of them added guys that will help immediately and probably for the long term.  It is hard to say the Eagles did that.  We hope Reagor is the right fit (As I said at the time, I think it was absolutely wrong to pass on Jefferson), but many of the picks are/were head scratchers.

 

Baldy is a pretty smart football guy.  He is also generally very positive and favorable to the Eagles.  His comments on this draft:

https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagles-draft-brian-baldinger-missed-boat-analytics-jalen-reagor-justin-jefferson-jalen-hurts-carson-wentz-packages-kvon-wallace-starter-20200428.html

 

Here are just a few of the players that the Eagles could have taken with pick 53.  Think about the impact any of them could have had this upcoming season and for the next few.

• Denzel Mims - imagine Mims and Reagor -- there were those on here that wanted Mims in round 1!
• AJ Epenesa - possibly best DE in draft after Chase Young; high floor player 
• Jeremy Chinn - freak athletic saftey, Malcolm is gone BTW
• Kristian Fulton - fast potential starting CB from DB University
• Logan Wilson - tell me this guy is not a long time starting MIKE in the NFL?  With good athleticism and great instincts? could we use that?
• Ashtyn Davis - possibly the most range of any safety in the draft; could be useful on a team that is burned deep often
• J.K. Dobbins - anyone watch Ohio State?  How about this guy with Sanders this year

 

Whatever you think of Hurts, and even if you disregard all of the problems the Eagles caused making this pick, they could not AFFORD to take a QB with this pick.  This was a kind of luxury pick that they don't have the money to cover.  This is the proverbial guy going out and buying a car when he can't afford his rent payment.  Nice car buddy... now you will be living in it.

 

Marcus Hayes made a salient point in a column yesterday.  The Eagles brass drafts like they have no accountability, no fear of ever being fired.  The word is hubris.

https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/nfl-draft-eagles-jalen-reagor-jalen-hurts-howie-roseman-doug-pederson-20200430.html

 

Summary

 

To summarize this, as succinctly as I can:

• The Eagles made a monumental (and obvious) mistake in drafting Jalen Hurts
• The draft pick indicates that the Eagles are not committed to Carson Wentz, even after giving him a massive guaranteed money extension
• Not being committed to your franchise quarterback is an insane position for a team to take, and will deteriorate quickly
• Like it or not, their choice of Hurts will now lead to many questions, of Carson, Jalen, the coaches, and the team, all of which will be negative
• This selection, like it or not, fractures their relationship with Carson as the intentions are obvious, regardless of what words are exchanged and statements are made by all parties, including Carson
• Because Carson is in place now with serious long term dollars committed, outside of a major injury, there is a decent chance they will not have the time or opportunity to develop Jalen appropriately.  Best scenario for Jalen is Carson gets hurt again soon.  If Carson plays well, Jalen's development will be limited at best, sub-optimal at worst (for him)
• If Carson continues to play well enough, and remains healthy, Jalen's role and development path are unclear; something he is unlikely to be happy about (just look at his college history for an example of how he may handle)
• Jalen does not have the same skill set (esp speed) as Taysom Hill, and is unlikely to flourish in a similar role; as the coaches have said, he is coming in as a quarterback
• You do not draft "gadget" players in the second round; for reference, Taysom Hill was an UDFA
• The concept of putting "two guys on the field that can throw the ball" is not new, and while the Eagles staff may have new, innovative ideas on how to implement this, they are unlikely to amount to more than "gadget" plays that have a nominal impact on the teams success.  At worst, the concepts may not work at all, and may result in sub-optimal game outcomes that could have been avoided.
• The Eagles could not afford to take a pick for an "insurance policy" at quarterback when they have so many other needs
• The Eagles passed on a likely starter in a deep draft to take a "backup" quarterback
• The Eagles were much better served procuring another veteran backup, if in fact Sudfeld is not up to the task
• The cap implications and "value" of saving money on a backup quarterback have been grossly overstated
• While the Eagles were drafting backup quarterbacks and "fast" players, the rest of the NFC east had outstanding drafts and addressed needs
• The General manager is talking about Quarterback Factories and "taking players that have the most value;" clear indications he did not learn anything on his hiatus, or has quickly reverted back to who he is; senior, competent personnel leadership is needed
• Regardless of who the GM and/or coaches wanted, the owner should have been able to see what was happening and prevent this disaster.  The fact that he did not prevent the high level strategic mistake indicates that he needs to delegate this important responsibility to someone else.  Someone like a Joe Banner, who came out and said he would not have made the pick.  He needs help as he should have seen this and squashed it, as 31 other NFL owners would have done.

I've said what I wanted to say.  Maybe in a few years, we can look back and say "wow, John was so wrong" as Carson is out of the league and Jalen is hoisting his first Lombardi in midnight green.  Unfortunately, I think it will be a very different outcome.  

•  

 

1 minute ago, eagle45 said:

Yup, as long as you don't watch him on the field, it's very reassuring.  

Looked like a total baller on the field for the most part. And he really shouldn't have given the situation.

17 hours ago, vikas83 said:

Clearly, we were trying to repeat with the same core -- hence the dummy years to spread out the cap hits, bringing in vets, etc. It's just that 2017 was the perfect storm where every move worked (Alshon, Torrey, Ajayi, Blount, Foles, etc.). So then they kept re-upping older players and mortgaged future years through contract shenanigans chasing a repeat. But then 3 things happened: (i) they drafted TERRIBLY, (ii) Wentz regressed horribly and (iii) COVID hit the cap. So what was already a questionable strategy completed face planted as 2017 proved to be luck (vets staying healthy and playing way above expected value). 

Basically, Howie was banking on Wentz being here, his draft picks coming through, and the cap always going up. None of that happened. 

Injuries were substantial although for this team it needs to be assumed

4 minutes ago, greend said:

Regardless on how anyone feels about Wentz (myself included) we have to hope that Hurts can be the guy and throw our support behind him until otherwise indicated.

I only halfway agree.

I 100% think that Hurts is a bad passer with the upside of becoming a mediocre one.

Contrary to popular belief, even if I do not show it on the blog, I actually enjoy being surprised by players who I did not think were good enough.  So if Hurts can be the guy, great.  But we have a FO whose judgement I do not trust.  So I am absolutely concerned that Hurts will be just good enough to fool the FO and waste our time.

I'm not going to actively root against the guy, but I don't think it would be the worst thing if the decision was made more obvious for our moronic FO.  Not to mention, I want a top 3 pick in 2022.

5 minutes ago, 315Eagles said:

Was listening to an interview with Louis Riddick and he was basically saying how the Colts need to handle Wentz.  Pretty much telling him he's the guy and he doesnt have to worry about someone taking his job.  What a load of BS if true.  If he's truly so good and talented then he shouldn't be worried about a QB behind him taking his job.  

QBs have egos. 

2 minutes ago, Infam said:

Looked like a total baller on the field for the most part. And he really shouldn't have given the situation.

Define baller?  He just ran around on broken plays.

1 hour ago, greend said:

I just threw up in my mouth

IMO hes the closest player comparison.

Adequate arm, OK accuracy, but can use his legs to move the chains.  Needs a running game and some good skill position players to play at his highest level.

Really, this is kind of a new trend in the NFL anyway.  Both in style and in team composition.  It makes sense to develop a team that way, for many reasons

The problem is, as we all know, that wasn't the Eagles' intention at all.  They were trying to take the "High level franchise QB and adequate skill players" approach and just failed miserably at it. 

So thats why I say our only shot is to adjust the strategy to a "mid level franchise QB and high level skill players" approach.    

Unless of course they do draft a QB at 6, then we start over where we were in 2016.

13 minutes ago, Infam said:

It takes wins. All that matters to fans. If he wins, people will come around in no time. 

I think it will take more than that actually.  For people to get on board, he's going to have to look like a QB that can win a SB.  Anything short of that and I think most people will be more than ready to move on.

And I think he's got a short timeline to look the part too.

1 hour ago, T-1000 said:

Hey dumb F, has Tannehill been significantly better than Wentz over the last two years. I didn't even have him as a top 10 QB either, that's how far your little North Dakota hero has fallen. 

You just made an idiotic statement that was immediately destroyed by your own argument, but yeah Im the dumb F

I love fans like you who continually trash your own team and players then wonder why theyre not "tough enough" to play here.  They're plenty tough enough theyd just rather not play for neanderthal idiots

3 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

IMO hes the closest player comparison.

Adequate arm, OK accuracy, but can use his legs to move the chains.  Needs a running game and some good skill position players to play at his highest level.

Really, this is kind of a new trend in the NFL anyway.  Both in style and in team composition.  It makes sense to develop a team that way, for many reasons

The problem is, as we all know, that wasn't the Eagles' intention at all.  They were trying to take the "High level franchise QB and adequate skill players" approach and just failed miserably at it. 

So thats why I say our only shot is to adjust the strategy to a "mid level franchise QB and high level skill players" approach.    

Unless of course they do draft a QB at 6, then we start over where we were in 2016.

A running game and a running QB is not a trend in the NFL.  It's a discussion that pops up once every 3 years for a few flawed teams who stumble into a surprisingly good season and then fall back to anonymity 1 year later.

High level franchise QB and high level skill players while just getting by on defense is the right approach, at least until multiple teams consistently prove otherwise.

1 minute ago, purplefiggy said:

I think it will take more than that actually.  For people to get on board, he's going to have to look like a QB that can win a SB.  Anything short of that and I think most people will be more than ready to move on.

And I think he's got a short timeline to look the part too.

Nah, say he wins the first three games, everyone is on board. 

Lol Schefter reporting that Carson and Doug went up to 10 weeks without talking to each other last season 😂😂 

Just now, St0nedsk8er said:

Lol Schefter reporting that Carson and Doug went up to 10 weeks without talking to each other last season 😂😂 

wtf... for real? If true, thank god we got anything back for him.

1 minute ago, St0nedsk8er said:

Lol Schefter reporting that Carson and Doug went up to 10 weeks without talking to each other last season 😂😂 

Where? I'd like to read/listen.

Just now, Swoop said:

Where? I'd like to read/listen.

Just check out 97.5 the fanatic morning show on Spotify and it’s on there. 

It's amazing that the Eagles won 4 games last year.  There was drama all over the place.  QB, HC....GM fighting with players at practice.  We haven't made a definitely good draft pick in ages.  We are redefining what it means to be in cap hell.  QB: gone.  HC: gone.  Entire staff: gone.  GM: going strong.

10 minutes ago, Infam said:

To see the poise of Hurts and his way of handling things made moving on from Wentz easy for me.

Please elaborate, because whenever I saw Hurts on the sideline he wasn’t listening to Doug; just nodding his head blankly — and whenever Wentz went to speak with him Hurts ignored him and stared into his iPad.  
 

To be blunt, I have concerns about this poise and way of handling things.  He doesn’t look like a communicator at all

Just now, Thrive said:

Just check out 97.5 the fanatic morning show on Spotify and it’s on there. 

Thank you