Player Updates

Posted: October 1st, 2021 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

The Eagles host the Chiefs on Sunday and that is going to be a tough game. KC has started the season 1-2 and a sense of urgency has certainly crept in on Andy Reid’s team. They will come to Philly on a mission.

One of the things that might help the Eagles deal with that high-powered offense is getting Rodney McLeod back.

The good news is that McLeod was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. That means he should play on Sunday and if he’s good to play, I would imagine he’ll start. The coaches might rest him here and there to make sure he’s good for the whole game. After all, he’s not played since the 2020 season finale.

We don’t know what the OL will look like. Andre Dillard will likely be the LT, but the guard positions are wide open. Both starters are hurt. Landon Dickerson has played RG the past two weeks, but there might be wisdom in shifting him to the left side. Brandon Brooks will be coming back in a few weeks so Dickerson would have to move at that point if the Eagles still want him on the field. Why not do it now?

I would imagine Nate Herbig would take over at RG, which I think is his best spot. Jack Driscoll might be available, but he was up and down this summer as he learned to play the OG position. He looked more natural at RT last year.

We also might get to see Davion Taylor’s return to action. The defense could use a speedy playmaker in the middle of the field. Taylor has that kind of potential…with potential being the key word.

*****

Jimmy Bama wrote a good piece on Dillard and his solid performance on Monday night.

There weren’t exactly a ton of positives to take from that game, but Dillard’s play was one of them. That was his best game in the NFL. This doesn’t mean he’s headed to Canton, but it was very encouraging to see him play well. He can get confidence from that and build on his performance.

The next test is to show that he can "stack games”, meaning to play well again and again and again. Consistency is the biggest challenge for young players.

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Glazer says the Eagles are out on Deshaun Watson.

That is a big relief for me. There is no questioning Watson’s ability as a player, but I didn’t want to deal with the character questions. At the very least, he is a highly flawed person with sexual issues. The other side of that spectrum is him being a serial sexual-assaulter. Trying to figure out exactly what he did and where it fits in there? No thank you.

I’m a football fan. I want to argue about arm strength, accuracy and normal QB issues, not the legal definition of sexual assault.

*****

Shady is retiring.

Is he the best Eagles RB of the 21st century? You can have an interesting debate between Shady and Brian Westbrook. Shady had the better career and better overall numbers. Westbrook was the more complete player and helped the Eagles win a lot of games.

I’m still sticking with Tony Hunt as my top Eagles RB for this century.

http://igglesblitz.com/2021/10/player-updates-3/

Yes the Eagles are out of the Watson trade.  He has a no trade clause and is smart enough to want no part of the Lurie Howie meddling