9 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

He has two of the best TEs in football and a RB that came close to ROY In part because of his pass catching.  I think we all pretty much felt like the O was a bit flawed last year.  I think Scagnarello will scheme some motion for Carson.  I think we have to see more out of the WRs than last year.  Lane had a down year from being banged up and it is time to move on from JP at LT.  One hopes in this isolation offseason that Dillard is working on strengthening as bull rushes were a challenge for him.  Hopefully he picked up some punch technique from Peters, who I really hope comes to camp as a coach not a player.  That said, Carson has to get In sync with his WRs.  We can’t see another season of starting slow every game. If I were Press and Doug, I would make every Eagles player read that article and ask themselves how they can personally get better and that starts with Carson.  

Yes, he does have two of the best tight ends in football and a good running back without a good receiver how short do you expect his throws to be? And without a good deep threat how hard is it for them to get open? Like I said let's see what we have w/o practice squad receivers

24 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Dillard was a much better prospect than first-round pick Isaiah Wilson as well, although Tennessee prefers more power than finesse at OT.

I think he is better than jackson and Wilson. I still think he goes first round. However when you read the kapadia article from the athletic i can see why some teams last year had concerns with him. I can definitely see teams using that in their evaluation as a negative. I get it happens to a lot of us at some point in time but it’s not something most teams don’t want to read or hear (add on his dad in the article talks about him potentially not being in love the game)

McGuire: He ends up reporting. He’s between 240 and 245. He was not confident at the time because the other kids showed up in the 270, 280, 290 range. Andre’s doing everything he can to gain it, and he just can’t gain it. I remember there was a time he climbed to about 250, 255 maybe. And he was having a bad day. It was around November. Kind of a gloomy day. I think he had failed a test or something went wrong in a class, and he hadn’t gained the weight. I’d yelled at him pretty hard in practice. I remember coach Russell coming up to me and saying, "Hey, you might need to go check on Andre. He’s having a rough day.” I look over in the end zone. I go up to him, he’s crying in the end zone. And he’s having a hard time ‘cause nothing is working for him. Nothing’s going his way. And everything we talked about during the development process is not working. Of course, had to bring him in, get him back going and talk to him about everything was gonna be all right. Keep your head down, keep working and everything’s gonna work out.

30 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

He has two of the best TEs in football and a RB that came close to ROY In part because of his pass catching.  I think we all pretty much felt like the O was a bit flawed last year.  I think Scagnarello will scheme some motion for Carson.  I think we have to see more out of the WRs than last year.  Lane had a down year from being banged up and it is time to move on from JP at LT.  One hopes in this isolation offseason that Dillard is working on strengthening as bull rushes were a challenge for him.  Hopefully he picked up some punch technique from Peters, who I really hope comes to camp as a coach not a player.  That said, Carson has to get In sync with his WRs.  We can’t see another season of starting slow every game. If I were Press and Doug, I would make every Eagles player read that article and ask themselves how they can personally get better and that starts with Carson.  

Getting in sync takes reps and he was throwing to guys off the street last year is the kind of the point.

Sure, some of that is on Carson but he was the first QB with 4000 yards and not 1 500 yard WR.

That's pretty damn impressive for a guy not in sync, because there really wasn't  time for him to do that with the dreck we marched out there in various players each week.

When it's lose or go home for the essentially the last half of the season you're going to throw to guys you have confidence in.

Also, people expecting 2017 Carson to be his floor may need to realize how crazy of a season he was having in a historical perspective.

It's like expecting Nick to have the 8 TD game or his SB run to be his norm.

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, RLC said:

Andre Dillard > Austin Jackson and Isaiah Wilson as prospects. It's not particularly close.

Last year, Tytus Howard and Kaleb McGary went in RD1. Bad tackles get pushed up. 

As such,  a good tackle shouldn't fall. 

30 minutes ago, Nivraga said:

I've been pointing out the Torrey Smith issue since about mid season last year saying the biggest difference between 2017 and the last 2 campaigns is the absence of that element but you laid it out much better that I ever did - thank you.

 

No one likes ticky tack calls but it's better than the alternative. Refereeing is hard enough without asking them to assess the egregiousness - it's why facemask is now simply a 15 yard penalty. Too often players would practically have their head ripped off only to have a 2nd insult of it being called a 5 yard penalty (or not at all, yikes). OR a player barely passes his fingers over the facemask and gets hit with a 15 yard penalty. I prefer the new rule - take the guess work away from the Ref and if a player is getting hit for 15 yards on what would have been 5 - well you shouldn't grab the face mask.

On defensive holding - it has to be an automatic first down - and if it happens more than 5 yards down field than it should be a spot penalty and a first down. Here's why ... 

If it's only the yardage than every time a DB gets beat clean at the LOS without safety help he's going to reach out and hold (tackle the receiver if he can/ has to) - this is preferable to giving up a big play or TD. Again I don't want Refs to assess how bad the hold was. Holding IMO is holding - players shouldn't do it and the penalty should be a deterrent. THE ONLY exception I would consider is holding away from the play where the QB didn't see it. If it technically didn't have a bearing on the outcome than it should be just 5 yards with those yards determining down and distance. 

I'm not 100% in favor of "away from the play" either. Imagine 3rd and 8 from your own 30. WR A on the left running a skinny post - the QB is trying to look off the safety - so only in his peripheral does he see the DB pull down WR A who had a clean release and was about to run by. The QB dumps off to his "HOT" RB on the right - the hold was "away" from the play and the QB never really looked in that direction so the ref can't be sure the QB saw it. It's now 3rd and 3 instead of a TD - it's gotta be 1st and 10 for there to be any deterrent - players shouldn't hold and when they do they need to suffer consequences  - not be rewarded.

Make it 10 yards then.  But eliminate the automatic first down.  I've heard that argument before about players doing it constantly, and I don't buy it.  In the NCAA, DPI is a 15 yard penalty, and yet we don't see DPIs all the time.  Yes, it happens.  And when it does, the free 15 is better for the defense, bad for the offense.  The NFL wants to tilt the field in the direction of the offense.  Well, I prefer that they tilt it back more toward level... that one change won't tilt it back to level by itself, but it would be a start.

24 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

I think he is better than jackson and Wilson. I still think he goes first round. However when you read the kapadia article from the athletic i can see why some teams last year had concerns with him. I can definitely see teams using that in their evaluation as a negative. I get it happens to a lot of us at some point in time but it’s not something most teams don’t want to read or hear (add on his dad in the article talks about him potentially not being in love the game)

McGuire: He ends up reporting. He’s between 240 and 245. He was not confident at the time because the other kids showed up in the 270, 280, 290 range. Andre’s doing everything he can to gain it, and he just can’t gain it. I remember there was a time he climbed to about 250, 255 maybe. And he was having a bad day. It was around November. Kind of a gloomy day. I think he had failed a test or something went wrong in a class, and he hadn’t gained the weight. I’d yelled at him pretty hard in practice. I remember coach Russell coming up to me and saying, "Hey, you might need to go check on Andre. He’s having a rough day.” I look over in the end zone. I go up to him, he’s crying in the end zone. And he’s having a hard time ‘cause nothing is working for him. Nothing’s going his way. And everything we talked about during the development process is not working. Of course, had to bring him in, get him back going and talk to him about everything was gonna be all right. Keep your head down, keep working and everything’s gonna work out.

Of course it’s part of the eval, but that’s why he’d go after the top 4 tackles this year and still be a first round pick. 

2 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Make it 10 yards then.  But eliminate the automatic first down.  I've heard that argument before about players doing it constantly, and I don't buy it.  In the NCAA, DPI is a 15 yard penalty, and yet we don't see DPIs all the time.  Yes, it happens.  And when it does, the free 15 is better for the defense, bad for the offense.  The NFL wants to tilt the field in the direction of the offense.  Well, I prefer that tilt it back more to level.

I guess we're at an impasse - maybe you're right that it wouldn't be a holding epidemic but I still see it as the defense has the option to hold or not. The receiver can't make a defensive player hold. How would you feel about holding as a spot foul when committed beyond the minimum penalty yards?

Aside from durability, the only concerns I have with Wentz are: a) his propensity to fumble; and b) the fact that he gets passes batted at the line more often than you would expect from a quarterback as tall as he is [long release]. Other than that, I think he's brilliant.

10 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Of course it’s part of the eval, but that’s why he’d go after the top 4 tackles this year and still be a first round pick. 

Don’t disagree on that. However i can see why teams maybe stayed away and he fell last year. My point was more that there were some signs/concerns (besides run blocking— which really he never was asked to do so more unknown)that even with all his athleticism and pass blocking capabilities that got overlooked after we drafted him. 

37 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

Are we overrating the Eagles O-line?  19th seems low for how much praise they get.  Dillard needs to come back stronger and ready to own that LT position. 

Yes, I think we oversell them some.   But remember the injuries.  Lane was beat up most of the season.  Brooks was 9 months fro his injury. Peters was constantly nicked and we had so little motion before the snap. 

18 minutes ago, Nivraga said:

I guess we're at an impasse - maybe you're right that it wouldn't be a holding epidemic but I still see it as the defense has the option to hold or not. The receiver can't make a defensive player hold. How would you feel about holding as a spot foul when committed beyond the minimum penalty yards?

Spot foul, as long as its not an automatic first down, then sure.  The issue to me is the first down, not the yardage.  A 3rd and 22 turning into a 1st and 10, because a DB tugs a little on the back of a jersey 3 yards down field is ridiculous.   I get that we don't know what might have happened if not for the defensive hold.  Maybe it is a TD.  But, offensive holding works the same way.  When a OT holds, how do we know that a defender wouldn't have gotten a strip sack, and returned it for a TD.   Penalties work the same both ways, so they should have equal penalties.  If holding is 10 yards on the offense, then it should be 10 yards on defense.  OPI is 10 yards on the offense, but its a spot foul on the defense... meaning, when the ball is in the air, there is little risk for the offensive player to not initiate contact to generate a little space (and we see them do it all the time), but if the defensive player tries to play in kind, 9 times out of 10 the call goes against the defensive player, resulting in a 30-50 yard gain for the offense, whether its completed or not.  There are a few crews that 'let them play', and those are the games that I enjoy watching the most.  The games where I see the referee holding a conference with 3 or more other zebras 3 or more times a quarter are the games that drive me nuts.  Let the players determine the outcomes of plays, not the penalties.  The fact that after every big play, I have to listen to Joe Buck say, "No flags" makes me hate him all the more.  Not a big play can happen in the NFL without wondering if there's laundry on the field.  It hurts the flow of the game, makes it take longer than it should and can determine the outcomes of games.  It needs to stop.  For me, anything that gives the officials less power in interfering with the outcome on the field is a good thing.   Which is what has me so worried about this proposed end of the game on-side kick alternative.  It means that the back judge (field judge, linesman, etc.) with the itching flag hand can have more impact on the final outcome of the game than the players.  A successful on-side kick requires execution.   A successful 4th and 15 conversion could (sadly) just be the result of a back judge with a 'make-up' call.

 

42 minutes ago, PrinceKelby said:

Getting in sync takes reps and he was throwing to guys off the street last year is the kind of the point.

Sure, some of that is on Carson but he was the first QB with 4000 yards and not 1 500 yard WR.

That's pretty damn impressive for a guy not in sync, because there really wasn't  time for him to do that with the dreck we marched out there in various players each week.

When it's lose or go home for the essentially the last half of the season you're going to throw to guys you have confidence in.

Also, people expecting 2017 Carson to be his floor may need to realize how crazy of a season he was having in a historical perspective.

It's like expecting Nick to have the 8 TD game or his SB run to be his norm.

 

 

 

That kind of goes to a point I made a few months ago.   I thought the Eagles relied on timing throws too much early in the season.  It would take half a game for Carson to be in sync with his WRs.  The injuries also changed the WRs timing.  Part of the early season may also go to not playing starters much in the PS.  As the WRs start dropping, they move Carson out of the pocket on some throws.  You immediately see with Ward, he is throwing to Ward, not a spot.  By that time the whole timing plus all routes from every position has JJAW flustered.  Greg got it because that happened so much to him as a QB in college.   Don’t get me wrong, timing routes have value but I thought the Eagles were over using early last year. It really becomes more, I see the WR and we sync so I know he will continue the route to the point I throw it too.  That’s what makes Ward more than a JAG too.  
 

The person that needs to understand 2017 is Carson.  You can’t repeat it because the NFL competition catches up.  Build on it.  But Doug and company need to,take the same approach and I think have this offseason  

32 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Make it 10 yards then.  But eliminate the automatic first down.  I've heard that argument before about players doing it constantly, and I don't buy it.  In the NCAA, DPI is a 15 yard penalty, and yet we don't see DPIs all the time.  Yes, it happens.  And when it does, the free 15 is better for the defense, bad for the offense.  The NFL wants to tilt the field in the direction of the offense.  Well, I prefer that they tilt it back more toward level... that one change won't tilt it back to level by itself, but it would be a start.

Sorry but what is DPI in the NFL is routine in college.   Anything goes until the ball is in the air. Not just DPI but OPI too 

1 hour ago, bpac55 said:

Are we overrating the Eagles O-line?  19th seems low for how much praise they get.  Dillard needs to come back stronger and ready to own that LT position. 

Keep in mind the stat being used here. PBWR is an ESPN stat that measures if the O-linemen can hold his block for 2.5 seconds. If he can't hold it for 2.5 seconds, the rusher gets the win. If he holds the block for more than 2.5, the O-linemen gets the win. This is also measured by chips in the pads, not guys watching film. Basically what i'm getting at is I think the stat needs a little more context. What if the play is a screen pass? The linemen doesn't need to hold his block for 2.5 seconds. They need to initially block, disengage and then move on. What if the play is a bootleg? Some of the guys then don't need to hold a block for 2.5 seconds either. In both scenarios the O-linemen get credited for a loss, despite doing exactly what they should be doing.

1 minute ago, BigEFly said:

Sorry but what is DPI in the NFL is routine in college.   Anything goes until the ball is in the air. Not just DPI but OPI too 

No need to be sorry.  The college game is, generally speaking, officiated far better than the NFL game.   I don't care about the fact that the NFL has far more stringent rules about what is or isn't DPI... the fact that its a spot foul versus a 15 yard penalty doesn't mean that DBs are more likely to overtly commit it than NFL DBs.  Yes, they do on occasion because they are beat so badly... but, that happens in the NFL too on double moves.  At least in those situations, the ball is placed at the spot of the infraction, not where the ball lands.

I like defense, and I like it when players determine the outcomes of games.  I'm not a fan of arena league football where its a race to 50 points, and offenses get too much power.

43 minutes ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

Aside from durability, the only concerns I have with Wentz are: a) his propensity to fumble; and b) the fact that he gets passes batted at the line more often than you would expect from a quarterback as tall as he is [long release]. Other than that, I think he's brilliant.

Sheil brought up the fumbling. 34 over the last three seasons.  Tied with Jameis Wilson for worst in the NFL.  

11 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

That kind of goes to a point I made a few months ago.   I thought the Eagles relied on timing throws too much early in the season.  It would take half a game for Carson to be in sync with his WRs.  The injuries also changed the WRs timing.  Part of the early season may also go to not playing starters much in the PS.  As the WRs start dropping, they move Carson out of the pocket on some throws.  You immediately see with Ward, he is throwing to Ward, not a spot.  By that time the whole timing plus all routes from every position has JJAW flustered.  Greg got it because that happened so much to him as a QB in college.   Don’t get me wrong, timing routes have value but I thought the Eagles were over using early last year. It really becomes more, I see the WR and we sync so I know he will continue the route to the point I throw it too.  That’s what makes Ward more than a JAG too.  
 

The person that needs to understand 2017 is Carson.  You can’t repeat it because the NFL competition catches up.  Build on it.  But Doug and company need to,take the same approach and I think have this offseason  

That also requires holding the ball longer... but then Carson will get criticized for holding the ball too long.  Or, he'll be on the move, and he'll take a hit that people don't think he should have and he'll be criticized for being reckless.   

The poor kid put up great numbers with Larry, Moe and Curly at WR... and yet, here we are debating what he did wrong, or what he needs to understand.   God forbid we recognize that he was put in an unenviable situation that no franchise QB should ever have to face... and did far more with it than should have been reasonably expected... Carson goes out and does what he does, and he needs to 'not regress'... We just can't have nice things around here it seems.  

 

Carson doesn't need to understand anything about 2017.  I have no idea what you are driving at that he doesn't understand.  He does what the coaches ask him to do.  That's his job.  And frankly, I'll say it again, he was the least of the problems on the offense last year.  The problems were generally greatest outside the numbers... they had no one outside that could force a defense to play them honestly, and he had no idea on a given play that his receivers would be in the spot he was supposed to look for them to be.  2019 wasn't Carson Wentz' issue.  It was the front office failing to actually have the right pieces in place (I remember being against Agholor's 5th year option at $9M before the season, because he wasn't worth that).  It was the front office's issue for not having a second speed option available (as the offense clearly needs to have at least one legitimate speed threat to be most effective) and they should have recognized only having 1 aging speed option was a problem after 2018 and losing Wallace after Week 1.  Further, it was the coaching staff's fault for not recognizing the need to move the pocket more often earlier in the season than they did.  It was the coaching staff's fault for not recognizing that JJAW needed LESS on his plate to focus on.  It was the coaching staff's and front office's fault for not recognizing that bringing back Jordan Matthews was a non-starter.  It was the coaching staff's fault for not moving Greg Ward up the depth chart sooner than they did, because he was the best WR option they had left on the roster.  Carson needs to 'take what the defense is giving him' more, and we saw that down the stretch as well.  It wasn't hero ball, it was methodical.  This coming year, what the defense gives them will likely include some more deep shots than last year... just like we saw against Washington.  Carson didn't force the ball deep to Desean, he took it when it was there.  Heck, the first TD Desean's route was just a clear out, and not actually a read, but Wentz saw him on that route early and told him if he got the same look from the defense again, to look for the ball... and it paid off.    No, this isn't a Carson issue.  This was a personnel and scheme issue.  Carson will be just fine.   He needs to keep doing what he's been doing, and he needs to stay on the field.  That's it.  Everything else around him will be fine.  No more nit-picking.  Its been done to death.  No QB is perfect.  But, I'll take my chances with Wentz over 29 other starting QBs in this league... and I'd say its more a tie between Mahomes, Watson and Wentz than it is either of them being above him.  And Lamar Jackson means completely overhauling the offense, so he's in a separate category.   Brees, Rodgers and Brady are too old to even consider.  Wentz has some things to work on, certainly, but its not about what he does or doesn't 'understand'.  I'm pretty sure he 'understands' the NFL far better than you, me or anyone else posting on the EMB.

11 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

Sheil brought up the fumbling. 34 over the last three seasons.  Tied with Jameis Wilson for worst in the NFL.  

That is a problem he needs to work on.

2 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

Sheil brought up the fumbling. 34 over the last three seasons.  Tied with Jameis Wilson for worst in the NFL.  

Definitely an issue and I think they are addressing it with the Scangarello hire. Lots of motion, moving the pocket, different protections, heavy play-action, all designed to give the QB a little more time.

31 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Keep in mind the stat being used here. PBWR is an ESPN stat that measures if the O-linemen can hold his block for 2.5 seconds. If he can't hold it for 2.5 seconds, the rusher gets the win. If he holds the block for more than 2.5, the O-linemen gets the win. This is also measured by chips in the pads, not guys watching film. Basically what i'm getting at is I think the stat needs a little more context. What if the play is a screen pass? The linemen doesn't need to hold his block for 2.5 seconds. They need to initially block, disengage and then move on. What if the play is a bootleg? Some of the guys then don't need to hold a block for 2.5 seconds either. In both scenarios the O-linemen get credited for a loss, despite doing exactly what they should be doing.

You mean advanced metrics have giant fundamental flaws in them that can't be used as a cure all for determining who is doing what and who did the right thing, versus who did the wrong thing?  

Guess its time for Jim Mora to remind us... 

1 hour ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

Aside from durability, the only concerns I have with Wentz are: a) his propensity to fumble; and b) the fact that he gets passes batted at the line more often than you would expect from a quarterback as tall as he is [long release]. Other than that, I think he's brilliant.

My biggest concern, which coincide to your first two points, is his natural instinct to feel like he needs to be Houdini.  

9 minutes ago, Shocker54 said:

Yo today I be hadin an impifany over my henny. Reagors gonna use his athletic abeality to create you know. 

Yo dawg. How you want him used? 
 

Hopefully he’s worth the hype and I’m wrong but I didn’t like the pick. 

34 minutes ago, 4for4EaglesNest said:

I don't think it's a lack of durability.  I think it's more about putting himself into harms way, way too often.  It's not like he suffered questionable injuries.  His style of play is what concerns me. 

See and that is the main area I saw progress with Wentz in taking what was there and not going for the home run as in times past.

I thought he matured a ton throughout the year in that regard.

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Keep in mind the stat being used here. PBWR is an ESPN stat that measures if the O-linemen can hold his block for 2.5 seconds. If he can't hold it for 2.5 seconds, the rusher gets the win. If he holds the block for more than 2.5, the O-linemen gets the win. This is also measured by chips in the pads, not guys watching film. Basically what i'm getting at is I think the stat needs a little more context. What if the play is a screen pass? The linemen doesn't need to hold his block for 2.5 seconds. They need to initially block, disengage and then move on. What if the play is a bootleg? Some of the guys then don't need to hold a block for 2.5 seconds either. In both scenarios the O-linemen get credited for a loss, despite doing exactly what they should be doing.

Screen plays are specifically excluded from this metric. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24892208/creating-better-nfl-pass-blocking-pass-rushing-stats-analytics-explainer-faq-how-work

1 hour ago, Iggles_Phan said:

You mean advanced metrics have giant fundamental flaws in them that can't be used as a cure all for determining who is doing what and who did the right thing, versus who did the wrong thing?  

Guess its time for Jim Mora to remind us... 

See above.