On 5/12/2022 at 2:47 AM, austinfan said:

Smith wasn't that wide open last year, he struggled with press coverage and physical CBs at times. Watkins was often lost in his routes, and Reagor dropped a number of catchable balls and didn't run good routes.

So it wasn't like Hurts could drop back and be confident his receivers were going to be where the play was drawn up. Nor did his WRs always do a good job of getting open when he scrambled - problem with an inexperienced group - veteran WRs know when to break off routes and come back to the QB.

Part of the problem was Sirianni was feeling out his whole offense, he didn't know what he had in Mialata and Dickerson and Driscoll/Herbig on the OL, he didn't know Hurts' strengths and limitations, or have a chance to coach up his young WRs.

The switch to a run heavy offense wasn't just about Hurts, it was also about trading Ertz (making Smith a primary option and Watkins the #2), which took a TE out of the passing game in the 1-2-2 formation, or forced them to rely on Reagor in a 1-1-3. And about the growth of Mialata and Dickerson and the return of Lane - suddenly he's got the best run blocking OL in the NFL - he'd be pretty stupid not to take advantage of that. Especially given how piss poor the defense was against any decent QB.

It'll be interesting to see how things look this fall, with Brown, they have a proven commodity at WR, taking the pressure off Smith, Watkins has another season under his belt, and Pascal gives you a reliable if limited target. Reagor won't see the field if he doesn't make big strides this summer. Gainwell should be stronger and more comfortable - which will allow him to play a bigger role in the passing game. Sanders is in his contract year and has a lot to prove, but he can be a dynamic receiver out of the backfield.

Hurts will have to take advantage of a better offense, but it will also make it easier on him to have more reliable targets, and receivers who have a better understanding how to respond when Hurts buys time (which is the real value of athletic QBs, making plays when the protection breaks down).

 

Cutting Herbig was an interesting move, they wanted to save the $2M, but it was also a statement from Stoutland that he had maxed out Herbig, the same way he maxed out Pryor, got them to play at a passable level but there was no upside - though note was is passable here started in Indy.  I think this was a vote of confidence in Driscoll, Opeta and Awosika. Though the wildcards will be Dillard and Jergens. Dillard has bulked up, if he can play RG, they'd be the opposite of most teams, who are athletic on the left side and power on the right side - if he shows he can handle the job, Howie will sign him to an extension by game 6. Jergens isn't this grossly undersized center like Linderbaum, 6'3 303, he's got 33 1/2 arms, 10" hands, 25 reps at 225, which is normal for an athletic guard - you don't have to do a lot of bulking up. In fact, he's the same size as Seumalo as a rookie, but more athletic. Remains to be seen if Seumalo is 100% back from the liz franc.

The three UDFA OL are fighting it out for admission to Stoutland U (the practice squad).

 

Herbig wasn’t a great fit.  But I also think Opeta is done.  He was awful against the Tampa DL.   I wonder how they feel about Toth.  Although he was on the PS most of the year, I really liked his play at G.  I suspect cutting Herbig reflects what they have seen of Seumalo in the off season program as much as anything.  I am curious about Awosika. I am also very curious about Dillard as a G.

19 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

I don't follow the Sixers closely, but it's hard to rationalize bringing Doc Rivers back.  His handling of Ben Simmons by itself was telling; coddled him way too much and the Sixers ended up with a useless, highly paid dysfunctional malcontent.  Easy for me to say from here -- but Simmons needed to be coached hard and kept in line.  He is a player that people thought could/should have been great but didn't want to put the work in.  Those guys need to be pushed by the coaches.

Rivers' PC should have had a 'Joe Judge effect'.  "We weren't going to fire you but, wow, now we HAVE to fire you".  It's deeply concerning when a head coach doesn't take accountability.

Tbh this isn’t just a Glenn Rivers thing with Simmons. The sixers since they drafted him decided to coddle him. They let him sit out an entire year so he could potentially win rookie of the year. He was healthy enough to play around midseason. Yet they just let him sit out (granted it also helped them in tanking for a high enough pick to make a move for fultz). Then brett brown and the organization basically never made him work on his flaws and shoot the basketball. He did whatever he wanted and sixers ownership allowed it. I do remember there was a story Elton brand wanted to deal Simmons due to all these warts when he first got the job but ownership didn’t let him do it and basically catered to Simmons.

Add on they basically bent over backwards to him on the Jimmy butler situation. He said he didn’t want to be here if butler was brought back. which coddled him more. Ultimately after an entire season of defending Simmons, his issues resurfaced in the playoffs. Simmons still refused to acknowledge or want to fix the issue saying it what it is. The  embiid and Glenn snapped at the presser after losing to the hawks. it was the first time people in the organization aired it out publicly, Simmons got upset and took his ball home.

Frankly i tend to think Simmons really wanted his max from the sixers as it was the most he could get at that time from anyone. Once he had that, he figured he’d coast and if things got bad he’d sit out and get himself traded to California.  

I find it so Fing funny even after all the years I’ve been following the NFL/Eagles, that I’m surprised that a majority of the media seem to be taken in by the cowboys hype train. 

Just now, EaglesIreland said:

I find it so Fing funny even after all the years I’ve been following the NFL/Eagles, that I’m surprised that a majority of the media seem to be taken in by the cowboys hype train. 

That’ll never stop. 

Just now, EagleJoe8 said:

That’ll never stop. 

I know but still it’s baffling. I wouldn’t mind as much had the Cowboys actually won something other than a division title since the mid nineties but the giants have two Super Bowls and the eagles have one in that time. 

7 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

Herbig wasn’t a great fit.  But I also think Opeta is done.  He was awful against the Tampa DL.   I wonder how they feel about Toth.  Although he was on the PS most of the year, I really liked his play at G.  I suspect cutting Herbig reflects what they have seen of Seumalo in the off season program as much as anything.  I am curious about Awosika. I am also very curious about Dillard as a G.

Agree. Herbig wasn't mobile enough for Stoutland. You're right that Opeta did not play well against Tampa but Vea makes fools out of a lot of guys. I wonder what Toth weighs now; he's athletic but he came here too light to be effective. They've bulked him up but how much an is it good weight? Hope you're right about Seumalo and curious, too, about Dillard. 

20 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

okay...

Well we won that trade 

2 minutes ago, Swoop said:

Well we won that trade 

We won that trade the second I saw Vrable’s reaction 

Saints gotta stop signing players they need to tank for us lol

GDit I hate when that merge posts

It’ll be nice that wentz will get to play us early in the season and connect with eagles players by throwing at them which he didn’t do much in the end of his time in Philly.

7 minutes ago, Damanick10 said:

Saints gotta stop signing players they need to tank for us lol

They have implode written all over them. But they’ll string together 5 wins in their last 6 games just to give the eagles the 14th pick

Just now, EaglePhan1986 said:

They have implode written all over them. But they’ll string together 5 wins in their last 6 games just to give the eagles the 14th pick

I would agree if their defense wasn't so good. I think they'll surprise people even without Peyton this year and having Jameis. 

1 hour ago, austinfan said:

Yeah, because you draft for positions, not talent.  Jeez.

Dickerson could play center, but he was so promising at LG they'll keep him there - so that's a negative?

Yeah, just like JJAW - they drafted him at WR and now he is a TE...

Of course, JJAW won't reach his full potential until they move him to H-back...

1 hour ago, gregbwfc1 said:

Oh she would be up for seeing the game, no problem. And Mexican food too 👍. 

Haven't ventured out of the UK for a while (some pandemic been doing the rounds), and she is looking at florida, which would be great.

But this seems like a great opportunity to take in a game as part of a cool trip.

What's it like being in the crowd as an away fan ?

For our soccer over here, we get segregated but I don't think that is a thing over there. Us English  just can't be trusted to behave 😄

Ummm last time I went to Phoenix to watch the Cards-Eagles (2008 NFC championship) I got jumped in the bathroom at halftime.  The cop outside just shrugged his shoulders and said I'm on my f'n break.  It was crazy experience with brawls all over the parking lot.  Wear your jersey and have fun 😅

1 hour ago, RLC said:

This means Michael Thomas is in rough shape, because they play the same position.

I am not sure what the Saints may end up doing in terms of wins.  Landry is going to be 30 and is coming off of a bad year.  I am not sure how productive that group will be given that they are reliant on Olave as a rookie.  They likely will have Penning starting as a rookie at OT.  Jameis is a question mark. Brand new head coach for the team. On defense they have 2 new safeties that may not be any better.   Kamara may face suspension due to the Vegas arrest. They also have the the 7th hardest strength of schedule.  They are playing in a weak division and should be better than the Falcons and Panthers.  I could also see the wheels falling off if they start slow. 

25 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

GDit I hate when that merge posts

Yeah, they is a real pain

 

5 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

They have implode written all over them. But they’ll string together 5 wins in their last 6 games just to give the eagles the 14th pick

OL is a serious concern for them. Crab legs is gonna be running a lot. 

1 hour ago, Texas Eagle said:

MT, Olave, Landry is a solid WR group. They are getting better with each move they make. I expect that pick to be late-teens at best.

Yeah, very solid. 

36 minutes ago, EaglesIreland said:

I find it so Fing funny even after all the years I’ve been following the NFL/Eagles, that I’m surprised that a majority of the media seem to be taken in by the cowboys hype train. 

ALMOST EVERY YEAR- "This is the cowboys year!"   Pretty sure they do it, because the Cowboy fans and the non cowboy fans are more active when they are overhyped, giving the media, more clicks, likes, views. Kind of like how Russian collusion fed MSNBC/CNN for 4 years, and now that they dont have much Trump talk, their ratings are much much lower. It's pandering to the lowest common denominator.  They whip up the cowboy fans like the media whipped up the Orangeman bad crowd.  It's why when you see that type of media, I just dont participate. 

But, If they keep saying it every year, eventually they may actually be right (after being wrong for decades)

31 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

[The Saints] have implode written all over them.

I am not sure why that opinion is so prevalent here.

The Saints were 9-8 last year, which was not a fluke - they outscored opponents collectively by 29 points.  They went 9-3 when their starting QB (Jameis) or backup QB (Hill) started a game, including wins over the Packers, Patriots, and Bucs (twice).  Only when forced to a 3rd or 4th string QB did they go 0-5. 

Defensively, they gave up the least amount of points of any team in the NFC.

Offensively, they did that despite losing their starting QB, with Michael Thomas, an elite WR, not playing at all in 2021, and with Alvin Kamara, an elite RB, having an injury-riddled season.  They have added Olave and now Landry at WR, and first round pick Penning at OT.

No, they do not have an elite QB, but the Saints could easily be among the elite teams in the NFC this season.

2 minutes ago, Ipiggles said:

ALMOST EVERY YEAR- "This is the cowboys year!"   Pretty sure they do it, because the Cowboy fans and the non cowboy fans are more active when they are overhyped, giving the media, more clicks, likes, views. Kind of like how Russian collusion fed MSNBC/CNN for 4 years, and now that they dont have much Trump talk, their ratings are much much lower. It's pandering to the lowest common denominator.  They whip up the cowboy fans like the media whipped up the Orangeman bad crowd.  It's why when you see that type of media, I just dont participate. 

But, If they keep saying it every year, eventually they may actually be right (after being wrong for decades)

The question i have is whether we can beat the Cowboys.

They were the better team last year.

39 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

We won that trade the second I saw Vrable’s reaction 

He felt like I did when Braman wouldnt sign Reggie...

1 minute ago, CouchKing said:

The question i have is whether we can beat the Cowboys.

They were the better team last year.

Well to be fair, they had the better QB, and likely still do. But I do think they lost enough players to even the teams out a bit. WIll depend on how well Hurts develops.