Hype Not Hope

[time2rock]

Hype Not Hope

Posted: June 12th, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

Last year the Eagles offseason was more about hope than anything else. We hoped Nick Sirianni would prove to be a good coach. We hoped Jalen Hurts would be a good QB. We hoped DeVonta Smith would play like a #1 receiver. We hoped the back seven would be functional. We hoped the team would avoid another injury-plagued season. Enough of the hopes panned out that the Eagles went 9-8 and made the playoffs.

This spring there is more hype than hope.

Adam Rank says the Eagles have the best roster in the NFC East. He had really good things to say about the offseason.

I know the Eagles have a not-so-great history with offseason hype; even now, nearly 11 years later, who can forget the way Vince Young’s infamous "Dream Team” fell flat? All that said, it’s hard to contain my excitement around some of the moves Philly made this offseason. This team has been almost perfectly average since winning Super Bowl LII, compiling a record of 31-33-1 in that span. But I think the Eagles really helped set themselves up for 2022.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1535698386023686144

The thought of the Eagles having a Top 5 WR corps would have seemed nuts in the middle of last season. WR was a major need heading into the offseason and the Eagles don’t have a good track record of finding them in recent years.

The team signs Zach Pascal in free agency and then trades for AJ Brown. Boom. You suddenly a good group of players with some high end talent and some depth.

Speaking of Brown…enjoy five minutes of his highlights.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1534942146536644608

Having an outstanding group of receivers doesn’t do you any good if the QB can’t get them the ball. Jalen Hurts certainly has his share of believers right now.

Schein lists him as a "guaranteed riser”.

Hurts is a winner and a natural born leader. This fall, I see him guiding the Eagles to an NFC East title. And you better believe this team will be a tough out in January.

Is this all too much too fast? Should we be nervous?

I don’t think so.

The NFL can be a quick turnaround league. The Eagles were mediocre in 2015 and 2016. Then they became a dominant team in 2017 and ended up winning the Super Bowl (in case you forgot). The Eagles hit rock bottom in 2020, for a variety of reasons. It looks like they have bounced back quickly.

Last year the Eagles took advantage of a soft schedule. This year they appear to have a legitimately good team. And that has led people to buying in.

There are no guarantees that things will work out, but let yourself believe. Enjoy the hype. The team had a good core in place and then had a great offseason. We’ve come a long way from last year when hope was the primary currency.

*****

Allen is a longshot to pan out, but with world class speed, he’s worth taking a chance on. At the very least, he will drive some DBs crazy this summer.

http://igglesblitz.com/2022/06/hype-not-hope/

[Cochis_Calhoun]

The thing with Allen is, if he's that good at hurdling, isn't he going to want to go to the World Championships in July?  The Olympics in 2024?

[time2rock]

3 hours ago, Cochis_Calhoun said:

The thing with Allen is, if he's that good at hurdling, isn't he going to want to go to the World Championships in July?  The Olympics in 2024?

I honestly don’t see how he’d make the roster, even if he killed it as a returner (which would seem to be the main reason they brought him in for a look).  Seems the top 4 are set with Brown, Smith, Watkins, and Pascal.  And highly doubt Reagor is going anywhere due to the dead money hit (unless by some miracle of miracle Howie manages to trade him).  At best he’d earn a spot on the practice squad and maybe be called up only if we suffer an injury at the group.