EMB Blog: 2021 Training Camp / Preseason

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, MillerTime said:

And that’s a narcissist comment. Not saying you are one btw. But that’s like me saying i could be running back and gain a yard in an NFL game. I can’t. It’s easy to judge from the outside. Tampa Bay traded multiple picks to draft a kicker in the 2nd round years ago. That’s an example of being worse. 

🥱. Drafting a kicker is silly in any round.  In the 2nd it is grounds for a GM to be fired on the spot.

 

That statement was hyperbolic in nature.  But, I was on record as having Jefferson dramatically higher than Reagor, and that would have been a better selection.  Of course, again, I don't have the access that they do, so I shouldn't be better.  But, I think it is hubris, not narcissism that you are intending to mean.

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, MillerTime said:

To me doug is the one that played him though. I agree howie gave him a bad contract. I dont agree that he made doug play him. Doug stood strong in his beliefs this past year and it got him fired.

I don’t care about practice or any other BS narrative.  He did this over 4 games, and then Jeffrey got his snaps the first game back.

 

[MillerTime]

1 minute ago, Iggles_Phan said:

🥱. Drafting a kicker is silly in any round.  In the 2nd it is grounds for a GM to be fired on the spot.

 

That statement was hyperbolic in nature.  But, I was on record as having Jefferson dramatically higher than Reagor, and that would have been a better selection.  Of course, again, I don't have the access that they do, so I shouldn't be better.  But, I think it is hubris, not narcissism that you are intending to mean.

Okay great you had Jefferson higher. It’s easy to congratulate yourself on a success story. But let’s here a story about a player you liked that has failed. Everyone liked the good players after the fact. No one admits to liking the bad players.

[HazletonEagle]

17 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Answered, but it isn't my job to fire and hire.   It is also not my job to draft.  But, if it were, I'd venture I couldn't do worse than Howie has, even with my limited access to information.

 

I've never seen either afan or HE say that they had a desire to move on.  But they are welcome to actually say it if they'd like.

I've said months ago that it was probably time to split it all up. But I also said if they want a new GM they shouldn't hire one during this cap situation where he will be hamstrung by a bad team with no ability to make changes.  I suggested that it's probably smarter to keep Howie as a lame duck GM one more year to suffer through this. With the condition that he is not allowed to make any long term moves to significantly impact the cap. Once he has dug out of the hole a bit would be the time to bring in a new guy to rebuild.

 

I don't want it.  But I figured it's probably time. Kind of like the Iverson trade. 

I still know Howie is great. And I bet he can rebuild this again.  Quickly. And I'm alright with seeing that happen too.

[MillerTime]

3 minutes ago, downundermike said:

I don’t care about practice or any other BS narrative.  He did this over 4 games, and then Jeffrey got his snaps the first game back.

 

Agreed he shoudn’t have been benched. He killed it. 

[Iggles_Phan]

1 minute ago, MillerTime said:

Okay great you had Jefferson higher. It’s easy to congratulate yourself on a success story. But let’s here a story about a player you liked that has failed. Everyone liked the good players after the fact. No one admits to liking the bad players.

I have liked plenty that went belly-up.  I preferred Nate Allen to Earl Thomas.  Big swing and a miss.  And... I don't have the access, so I shouldn't be better.  It was hyperbole.  Do you want to stick on that?  I made a foolish, hyperbolic statement to illustrate how poorly Howie has drafted in recent years.

[Iggles_Phan]

3 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

I've said months ago that it was probably time to split it all up. But I also said if they want a new GM they shouldn't hire one during this cap situation where he will be hamstrung by a bad team with no ability to make changes.  I suggested that it's probably smarter to keep Howie as a lame duck GM one more year to suffer through this. With the condition that he is not allowed to make any long term moves to significantly impact the cap. Once he has dug out of the hole a bit would be the time to bring in a new guy to rebuild.

Fair enough.  

[austinfan]

Actually, I have no interest in moving on from Howie right now.

He built the SB team from the wreckage of Chip, that's no small accomplishment.

He overdid it trying to return to the SB, sometimes you have to know when to fold your hand. And he had a lot of injury bad luck, if they go 11-5 and 10-6 and go deeper into the playoffs with a healthier team fans would cut him more slack.

He's done a good job so far initiating this rebuild, I think he's actually a better GM rebuilding than working with a successful team, in that he can focus on incremental improvements. He hired the right HC for the job, whether Siri can coach when it counts remains to be seen, but he runs a first rate teaching camp.

Check back in 2023, if this team isn't primed to be competitive by then, I'm ready to move on - but Howie has earned this opportunity to fix his mistakes. But people focus on mistakes instead of the body of work, every GM misses on draft picks, trades and signings - but you can miss if you hit later in the draft, SFAs and the waiver wire.

But I wouldn't totally write off this team's chance to surprise, they're going to have an elite OL and a top DL, and when you excel on both sides of the LOS, you always have a chance.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

20 minutes ago, austinfan said:

That's because the last coach was an idiot who didn't hire a single coach who anyone considered first rate after Reich left, he inherited Stoutland from Chip.

What do you call the guy who wanted to fire reich after the first season here and was debating replace doug with Schwartz? 

[austinfan]

6 minutes ago, downundermike said:

I don’t care about practice or any other BS narrative.  He did this over 4 games, and then Jeffrey got his snaps the first game back.

 

Fulgham also dropped balls and ran bad routes when Jeffrey returned, did Jeffrey have a voodoo doll in his locker.

Competitors don't whine and lose focus because a veteran pushes them back to the bench, they work harder and take advantage of every opportunity to prove the HC wrong.

[austinfan]

Just now, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

What do you call the guy who wanted to fire reich after the first season here and was debating replace doug with Schwartz? 

Given that Wentz looked awful the last 12 games of his rookie year after a hot start, I'd have my doubts about Peddy/Reich after that first year.

Which is why none of this is an exact science.

[MillerTime]

4 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I have liked plenty that went belly-up.  I preferred Nate Allen to Earl Thomas.  Big swing and a miss.  And... I don't have the access, so I shouldn't be better.  It was hyperbole.  Do you want to stick on that?  I made a foolish, hyperbolic statement to illustrate how poorly Howie has drafted in recent years.

So if you had all the access do you believe that you would draft better than Howie?

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, MillerTime said:

So if you had all the access do you believe that you would draft better than Howie?

That would remain to be seen.  But, sure... why shouldn't I say "yes" and take the job.  If I don't draft better... fire me in 3 years.  That's how it works in the NFL, isn't it?  If someone doesn't live up to the expectations, they aren't around for long.  

[BigEFly]

16 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I'm on record as saying I want Jeremiah.  The cap specialist doesn't need to be the one negotiating and targeting free agents... just in crossing "T"s and dotting "I"s.

 

But, it is also not my job to know who the better option is in the NFL circles.  I do not have access to the personnel people and the chance to network at league meetings, or glad hand whenever the NFL types get together... the draft, Senior Bowl, Combine, etc.  So, its an easy deflection to say, "Who would you hire for GM?"  The truth is that most of us couldn't name more than half a dozen GMs in the league right now.  That doesn't mean we can't identify when one is doing a poor job by evaluating the results.

I would take that bet.  I think the majority in here know the names of at least a third of the GMs out there.  But baring a firing, Howie’s replacement won’t be a lateral move and it is fair to say that we don’t know the assistant GMs and scouting department leads.  So who does that?  Don?  A committee?   Real easy for us fans to shout "fire”.  Not so easy for the team to find a better replacement. 

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, BigEFly said:

I would take that bet.  I think the majority in here know the names of at least a third of the GMs out there.  But baring a firing, Howie’s replacement won’t be a lateral move and it is fair to say that we don’t know the assistant GMs and scouting department leads.  So who does that?  Don?  A committee?   Real easy for us fans to shout "fire”.  Not so easy for the team to find a better replacement. 

Sure is.  But, that's why those on the team get all those big checks, right?  Because it's hard.   And when they fail, someone else gets the big money to take their place.  

 

Of course, when I go to a new city, I don't know which restaurant is the best either... but I have to choose one... and if it doesn't meet expectations, I don't return.  And if it does, I might, either on that trip, or perhaps on the next visit. 

[MillerTime]

2 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

That would remain to be seen.  But, sure... why shouldn't I say "yes" and take the job.  If I don't draft better... fire me in 3 years.  That's how it works in the NFL, isn't it?  If someone doesn't live up to the expectations, they aren't around for long.  

He won a Super Bowl with moves he made. Agreed NOW he is on a short leash. But his last 3 years of drafting could end up being good players right? 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

14 minutes ago, austinfan said:

Given that Wentz looked awful the last 12 games of his rookie year after a hot start, I'd have my doubts about Peddy/Reich after that first year.

Which is why none of this is an exact science.

So when howie got the GM job in 2010 and they went from 10-6 to 8-8 to 4-12 which is a decline over three seasons shouldn’t have been fired but after 1 year with garbage talent at WR (literally DGB and agholor were starters at WR— you don’t think that had something to do with it?)and their oline missing its best player for 10 weeks due to a suspension it was justifiable when they finished 7-9. also gonna go on a limb and firing Doug to hire Schwartz as a head coach wasn’t going to help Carson wentz’s development. Schwartz isn’t a QB whisper unless Fitzpatrick or Kirk cousins is playing against his defense

[BigEFly]

17 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

🥱. Drafting a kicker is silly in any round.  In the 2nd it is grounds for a GM to be fired on the spot.

 

That statement was hyperbolic in nature.  But, I was on record as having Jefferson dramatically higher than Reagor, and that would have been a better selection.  Of course, again, I don't have the access that they do, so I shouldn't be better.  But, I think it is hubris, not narcissism that you are intending to mean.

I was at least as aggressive about Jefferson as you, if not more so.  But I am also on record that if Patrick Johnson doesn’t make the team or even the USC DT or Tarron Jackson, Howie would have been better off drafting Smith, the punter from Cincinnati.   Look, I think they overreached due to extremely bad kicking at Tampa. But third day kickers, punters and others who are primarily STers is a good use of draft capital if a need.  

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, MillerTime said:

He won a Super Bowl with moves he made. Agreed NOW he is on a short leash. But his last 3 years of drafting could end up being good players right? 

His moves or the moves made by Douglas?  Hmmm... when one isn't responsible for failures, then how responsible is he for success?  

The Eagles won a Super Bowl... who gets the credit, gets the blame... only Howie remains of the brain trust... was he the only one responsible for 2017 and not responsible for what has transpired since then?  Seems unlikely.

[Iggles_Phan]

1 minute ago, BigEFly said:

I was at least as aggressive about Jefferson as you, if not more so.  But I am also on record that if Patrick Johnson doesn’t make the team or even the USC DT or Tarron Jackson, Howie would have been better off drafting Smith, the punter from Cincinnati.   Look, I think they overreached due to extremely bad kicking at Tampa. But third day kickers, punters and others who are primarily STers is a good use of draft capital if a need.  

Very few kickers prove their worth to stay on a team for 4 years, even fewer who are drafted.  The Eagles' best kicker was a FA signed away from Washington.  Their current kicker is a guy that they poached from a PS.   Kickers are easy to find.  Great kickers are often lucked into much more than they are specifically targeted in the draft.   I wouldn't use draft capital on a kicker.  On a guy to primarily play ST, sure.  But, not a kicker.  They are just too hot and cold.

[MillerTime]

3 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

His moves or the moves made by Douglas?  Hmmm... when one isn't responsible for failures, then how responsible is he for success?  

The Eagles won a Super Bowl... who gets the credit, gets the blame... only Howie remains of the brain trust... was he the only one responsible for 2017 and not responsible for what has transpired since then?  Seems unlikely.

Douglas got hired in 2016, he left after 2019. Every draft from 2016-2019 has been questionable. 

[BigEFly]

16 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I have liked plenty that went belly-up.  I preferred Nate Allen to Earl Thomas.  Big swing and a miss.  And... I don't have the access, so I shouldn't be better.  It was hyperbole.  Do you want to stick on that?  I made a foolish, hyperbolic statement to illustrate how poorly Howie has drafted in recent years.

Nate Allen had the instincts of a slug.  Instincts are a big part of a S’s role.  But I have given up on S for the Eagles.  My position decades ago and one the Eagles refuse to draft well since Dawk. 

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, MillerTime said:

Douglas got hired in 2016, he left after 2019. Every draft from 2016-2019 has been questionable. 

Sure.  But was Douglas only responsible for the draft picks?  I thought that Howie had final say?   Douglas had the connection to Jeffery and to Jernigan.   Were they his moves or Howie's?   

 

[BigEFly]

18 minutes ago, austinfan said:

Actually, I have no interest in moving on from Howie right now.

He built the SB team from the wreckage of Chip, that's no small accomplishment.

He overdid it trying to return to the SB, sometimes you have to know when to fold your hand. And he had a lot of injury bad luck, if they go 11-5 and 10-6 and go deeper into the playoffs with a healthier team fans would cut him more slack.

He's done a good job so far initiating this rebuild, I think he's actually a better GM rebuilding than working with a successful team, in that he can focus on incremental improvements. He hired the right HC for the job, whether Siri can coach when it counts remains to be seen, but he runs a first rate teaching camp.

Check back in 2023, if this team isn't primed to be competitive by then, I'm ready to move on - but Howie has earned this opportunity to fix his mistakes. But people focus on mistakes instead of the body of work, every GM misses on draft picks, trades and signings - but you can miss if you hit later in the draft, SFAs and the waiver wire.

But I wouldn't totally write off this team's chance to surprise, they're going to have an elite OL and a top DL, and when you excel on both sides of the LOS, you always have a chance.

Ever the optimist.   I have a bit of that too, despite having significant reservations about Hurts and significant concerns about DL 2023. 

[Iggles_Phan]

Just now, BigEFly said:

Ever the optimist.   I have a bit of that too, despite having significant reservations about Hurts and significant concerns about DL 2023. 

I was once an optimist.  Now I consider myself a realist.  

 

If this team manages more than 6 wins, I'll take back every negative thing I've said over the past months about Howie.