Why Eagles’ Nick Sirianni compares Landon Dickerson to Pro Bowl guard and N.J. native

[time2rock]

Why Eagles’ Nick Sirianni compares Landon Dickerson to Pro Bowl guard and N.J. native

Updated: Dec. 07, 2021, 8:30 a.m. | Published: Dec. 07, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

By Chris Franklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

When Nick Sirianni spent three seasons in Indianapolis as the Colts offensive coordinator, he had a lot of time to see guard Quenton Nelson push defensive lineman off the ball.

Nelson, a native of Holmdel, has developed a reputation of being one of the best guards in the league based on his power, size, and nastiness, three traits that most teams look for in their offensive lineman. It is also one of the reasons why Nelson has made the Pro Bowl three straight seasons and is in line for a fourth in 2021.

Now in the role of head coach for the Eagles, Sirianni suddenly finds himself with someone very similar to Nelson and could have a similar career track if he continues to develop quickly: Rookie left guard Landon Dickerson.

Speaking a day after defeating the Jets and watching the video, Sirianni said that Dickerson has continued to make strides in his development.

"I know this is high praise, but I do see some of the physical movements that Quenton Nelson had,” Sirianni said. "There are some things that I see, and I’m like, ‘That looked like Quenton right there.’ Obviously, I think Quenton is a great football player, so that’s high praise because Quenton has done a lot for me in my career in the teams that I’ve been on.”

The Eagles compiled 185 yards on the ground Sunday, with Dickerson and the rest offensive line plowing the way for the running backs, led by Miles Sanders, to succeed. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Eagles averaged 4.8 yards on nine carries running in the area that Dickerson lines up. The Eagles also had one of their explosive runs, characterized as one that goes for more than 10 yards, behind Dickerson.

Sirianni said that Dickerson’s continued improvement has been aided by offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and the players that line up on each side of the rookie.

"What an opportunity for him to play alongside Jason Kelce and help him through that first year and forward,” Sirianni said. "Also being able to have combination blocks with Jordan Mailata. He’s huge, and so now you get those two huge bodes on the left side working combination blocks, whether that’s on the front side of a run, which you saw on the touchdown run by Kenny (Gainwell) working a combination block into the linebacker, or whether that’s on the backside of a run where they’re working that combination block. He’s got two good guys to work with alongside him, too, and obviously, Coach Stout is a great coach that is continuing to develop him along.”

https://www.nj.com/eagles/2021/12/why-eagles-nick-sirianni-compares-landon-dickerson-to-pro-bowl-guard-and-nj-native.html

[weko]

Need to draft a center high in April to take over for Kelce if he leaves or retires

[time2rock]

1 hour ago, weko said:

Need to draft a center high in April to take over for Kelce if he leaves or retires

I agree it is probably time to find Kelce’s successor … I have a gut feeling he hangs em up at the end of the season.  But it doesn’t necessarily need to be a high pick.  I mean after all Kelce was a 6th rd pick.  If we were to take someone high I’m hoping for Linderbaum.