12 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Yeah, Sweat seems to be the most underrated Eagle in the Blog. His sack production comes in spurts (phrasing?), but he gets solid pressure and is very good against the run. 

Run defense from DEs rarely seems to get much credit in here. 

I don't mean to be overly critical of him.  I think part of it comes from wanting a stud at DE.  You're right, his sacks come in spurts.  That's what I meant by he's very hot and cold.  A good DE shouldn't go 5+ games without a sack....and yes, there is more to a DE game then just sacks.  He's solid vs the run and he does get pressure.  I just want more consistency from him in the finishing department.  

13 minutes ago, RLC said:

If Buddy Ryan cared even a little bit about offense, maybe the Eagles could have developed Cunningham instead of just telling him to make a play.

Loved Randall. He’s the reason why I’m an Eagles fan. Like E45 said, he’s the ultimate "what-if” player. He had terrible coaching in Philly, had a terrible OL and developed bad habits. He was insecure and stubborn. 

He was fun as hell to watch though for 10-year-old Manu. 

16 minutes ago, shlo said:

This is exactly why I'd trade down if the Eagles get the option with a high pick from the Saints. This is also why it's dangerous to keep trading away 3rd and 4th round picks to move up. The Eagles are going to have to find guys in rounds 3-5 who can play. (but no 4th and 5th round picks this year.) Having Tariq Woolen going one pick before the Eagles were up last year hurts. 

I suspect Howie's rationale is that he 100% intends to trade out of the Saints pick.  That will probably involve multiple mid-round picks, so he probably figures to get something for the ones we've got now rather than have a bottleneck of them.

Ironically, I think Howie does a much better job mining talent from late round picks than he does with his premium picks (relative to NFL average and expectations).  

11 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

From a personal vantage point, Randall Cunningham is the reason I'm an Eagles fan. Growing up watching him, I didn't care about winning and losing as much as I cared about excitement. I was 9-12 years at that time. Randall and that defense were the reasons to watch those late 80s, early 90s Eagles teams.  He put the Eagles on the map for so many fans.  I didn't care about the Whitney Houston stories nor did I ever hear about them until media became more prevalent across sports.  He's 100% a flawed player and I'm sure as an adult he would drive me crazy.

He was also the epitome of cool back in the day.  He was a celebrity.  I was watching Martin the other day and there's Randall playing himself on TV.  He was a guest on the Arsenio Hall Show.  Plus he had the flat top, the earing, the suits...you name it, Randall was it.  He was Cam Newton before Cam Newton was.  I hate the term swag but Randall had it and I understand why so many are drawn to Jalen Hurts because of it.  As a kid, you're drawn to what's cool.  It's a bit embarrassing that so many grown men today use it as a measuring stick but that's another conversation. 

Now that I'm grown, I can look back and look at all of Randall's flaws and go over the what ifs.  What if he took the game more serious in Philly?  What if he had a great coaching staff?  What if he never tore his ACL or broke his leg?  What if he played in today's NFL?  

Always thankful for Randall Cunningham.  One of my favorite Eagles of all time and the reason I'm a fan today.  He's also opened the door for so many other quarterbacks after him so he's a huge part of NFL history and the evolution of the game.

Well put. My Randall Kelly green jersey was always popular with my classmates. This was back when you scored cool points with your jerseys and Starter jackets (and for a very short while, Logo Athletic jackets). 

Howie hitting on UDFAs has helped off-set some draft misses.

2022: Blankenship
2021: Stoll
2020: none
2019: Bates, Herbig, Opeta, Edwards. Even Anthony Rush played. An incredible UDFA class.
2018: Chandon Sullivan
2017: Clement, Cameron Johnson, Ward,

I'm surprised there isn't more talk about what to do with all our FA's at the end of the year.

Sanders, Bradberry, CJGJ, Epps, Edwards have all been excellent starters this year.  BUT, their respective levels of performance this year have been uncharacteristically good for them.  

Hargrave and Bradberry have been really good...2 of the biggest impact players on the list...but their age is an issue for how much money their performance dictates.

Edwards, Epps, and Seumalo are glue guys.  Not spectacular...but do we really want to burn draft capital replacing reliable players?

 

 

 

 

I guess I'm not quite as worried about the impending as as other people. Sign White, CJGJ and Bradberry. See if Graham will come back on a short reasonable deal. Let Dean take over for Edwards. Draft DT and DE high. Get a RB in the middle rounds. Replace Epps with some combo of a vet FA and a draft pick. 

Losing Hargrave will sting but Davis+ a first round pick and some vet bandaids and I think the DL will be fine. If we have to let Bradberry and Hargrave walk that'll be tough but not impossible to overcome with McPherson and our high picks (plus maybe some development in our PS guys if we get really lucky)

1 minute ago, eagle45 said:

I'm surprised there isn't more talk about what to do with all our FA's at the end of the year.

Because they don't have to make a decision now. Also, I think Howie learned from 2017 about the dangers of overextending the score (Alshon and Brooks specifically) when you don't have to.

1 minute ago, DEagle7 said:

I guess I'm not quite as worried about the impending as as other people. Sign White, CJGJ and Bradberry. See if Graham will come back on a short reasonable deal. Let Dean take over for Edwards. Draft DT and DE high. Get a RB in the middle rounds. Replace Epps with some combo of a vet FA and a draft pick. 

Losing Hargrave will sting but Davis+ a first round pick and some vet bandaids and I think the DL will be fine. If we have to let Bradberry and Hargrave walk that'll be tough but not impossible to overcome with McPherson and our high picks. 

I'm more worried about Howie finding some absurd calculus to re-sign all of them than I am about losing them.  

A mere 1-2 years from now, I think some of those names will be considered useless, while others will be key players for the Eagles (or other teams).  When the whole team is gelling and playing out of its mind, it is quite hard to figure out which of these guys should be cast aside.

2 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I'm surprised there isn't more talk about what to do with all our FA's at the end of the year.

Sanders, Bradberry, CJGJ, Epps, Edwards have all been excellent starters this year.  BUT, their respective levels of performance this year have been uncharacteristically good for them.  

Hargrave and Bradberry have been really good...2 of the biggest impact players on the list...but their age is an issue for how much money their performance dictates.

Edwards, Epps, and Seumalo are glue guys.  Not spectacular...but do we really want to burn draft capital replacing reliable players?

I’m stunned we have signed anyone to an extension yet. 

Just now, ManuManu said:

I’m stunned we have signed anyone to an extension yet. 

There could be politics involved.  It's one thing to do it for Mailata/Maddox/Sweat/Goedert when there are no other players on the roster deserving contracts and few obligations.

Now...extending CJGJ could piss off Epps and Bradberry.  Extending Edwards could piss off White.  Hargrave: Cox.  Etc. etc.  They are playing next to guys at the same position who also need deals.  Might be best not to tell the children who the favorite is in the middle of a great season.

4 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

I guess I'm not quite as worried about the impending as as other people. Sign White, CJGJ and Bradberry. See if Graham will come back on a short reasonable deal. Let Dean take over for Edwards. Draft DT and DE high. Get a RB in the middle rounds. Replace Epps with some combo of a vet FA and a draft pick. 

Losing Hargrave will sting but Davis+ a first round pick and some vet bandaids and I think the DL will be fine. If we have to let Bradberry and Hargrave walk that'll be tough but not impossible to overcome with McPherson and our high picks. 

I’ve resigned myself to Bradberry walking. I think one of Epps/CJGJ leaves,  and same with White/Edwards.

My preference is to keep CJGJ because of his growth potential at safety and the vet all versatility. I’m not sure where Dean best slots in at, but he will start somewhere next year. I think Edwards would be the priority over White.

Hargrave is the tricky one. He’s really good, but he’s at the age apex. I suspect he’ll get re-signed. 

8 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I'm surprised there isn't more talk about what to do with all our FA's at the end of the year.

Sanders, Bradberry, CJGJ, Epps, Edwards have all been excellent starters this year.  BUT, their respective levels of performance this year have been uncharacteristically good for them.  

Hargrave and Bradberry have been really good...2 of the biggest impact players on the list...but their age is an issue for how much money their performance dictates.

Edwards, Epps, and Seumalo are glue guys.  Not spectacular...but do we really want to burn draft capital replacing reliable players?

 

 

 

 

I would replace Sanders with a draft pick/cheap veteran free agent and give Nakobe Dean a shot to replace Edwards if it meant we can sign the rest of the group. CJGJ and Bradberry are musts in my opinion.  Bradberry is not replaceable despite age and you’re gambling trying to replace someone like that in the draft.

27 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Loved Randall. He’s the reason why I’m an Eagles fan. Like E45 said, he’s the ultimate "what-if” player. He had terrible coaching in Philly, had a terrible OL and developed bad habits. He was insecure and stubborn. 

He was fun as hell to watch though for 10-year-old Manu. 

I don't mean this as a criticism of you. Not by any means. So don't take this personally.

But I think you nailed it. People who remember Cunningham fondly are often people who were too young to really know what was going on when he was actually a player. They look back through a different kind of lens than they do for players they watched later on.

I thought he was a good player, sometimes very, very good. But he was never some HOF caliber player who was being held back because of circumstances. He was never THAT good.

7 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I'm more worried about Howie finding some absurd calculus to re-sign all of them than I am about losing them.  

A mere 1-2 years from now, I think some of those names will be considered useless, while others will be key players for the Eagles (or other teams).  When the whole team is gelling and playing out of its mind, it is quite hard to figure out which of these guys should be cast aside.

I'm hoping Howie already learned that lesson the hard way in 2018. He did come out and say he got too focused on keeping that team together after the SB so we'll see. 

My point is I think we could easily keep 3 of those guys on defense and not see a dramatic step back. You're right they have to pick the right players to keep, but their defensive personnel decisions recently have been spot on so I have some hope. 

3 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I’ve resigned myself to Bradberry walking. I think one of Epps/CJGJ leaves,  and same with White/Edwards.

My preference is to keep CJGJ because of his growth potential at safety and the vet all versatility. I’m not sure where Dean best slots in at, but he will start somewhere next year. I think Edwards would be the priority over White.

Hargrave is the tricky one. He’s really good, but he’s at the age apex. I suspect he’ll get re-signed. 

For me at LB I worry about 2 highly instinctive but physically limited guys (Edwards and Dean) playing on the field together. I like Edwards though. Wouldn't hate if we kept him per se. He's been a solid player for us. 

Agreed on Hargrave. He's going to be a big loss but I think the smart thing would be to let him go and go DT early in the draft. 

9 minutes ago, hputenis said:

I would replace Sanders with a draft pick/cheap veteran free agent and give Nakobe Dean a shot to replace Edwards if it meant we can sign the rest of the group. CJGJ and Bradberry are musts in my opinion.  Bradberry is not replaceable despite age and you’re gambling trying to replace someone like that in the draft.

And Seumalo…

9 minutes ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

I don't mean this as a criticism of you. Not by any means. So don't take this personally.

But I think you nailed it. People who remember Cunningham fondly are often people who were too young to really know what was going on when he was actually a player. They look back through a different kind of lens than they do for players they watched later on.

I thought he was a good player, sometimes very, very good. But he was never some HOF caliber player who was being held back because of circumstances. He was never THAT good.

No offense taken. 

Side note: Mark Bowden wrote a book about the ‘92 Eagles called "Bringing the Heat.” It was an awesome read for an out of towner like me who relied on highlights, The Sporting News and the occasional nationally televised game back when I was a preteen. 

45 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

I don't mean to be overly critical of him.  I think part of it comes from wanting a stud at DE.  You're right, his sacks come in spurts.  That's what I meant by he's very hot and cold.  A good DE shouldn't go 5+ games without a sack....and yes, there is more to a DE game then just sacks.  He's solid vs the run and he does get pressure.  I just want more consistency from him in the finishing department.  

I have always felt that you overvalue … or should I say narrowly define … finishing.  Finishing comes in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on how quickly the opposing Offense chooses to throw the ball.  Also, when one of the DBs intercepts a pass that was errantly thrown by the QB because of Defensive pressure is there a sack credited to the pressuring defenders(s)?  No, there is not.  But the "finish” on that play was rather good for the Defense.

With that said, which would you rather have?  A sack or an interception?

8 minutes ago, Waiting4Someday said:

And Seumalo…

I’d like them to re-sign him but he’s lower on that priority list for me if it hinders you from signing the other 2.  As Hurts continues to progress as a passer, I think it makes it easier to replace someone like Seumalo in the draft even if it’s a less quality player. 

Does anyone think Saquon is actually going to miss this game?  Just silly from the Giants 

2 minutes ago, GoEagles5921 said:

Does anyone think Saquon is actually going to miss this game?  Just silly from the Giants 

The biggest game of the Giants' season is next week (at Washington). A Giants win next win gives them a 2 game lead over the Commanders as they will have the tie-breaker.

Today's game isn't actually that important to NYG.

3 minutes ago, GoEagles5921 said:

Does anyone think Saquon is actually going to miss this game?  Just silly from the Giants 

If he’s actually a game-time decision the Giants would be very wise to sit him out today.  Win or lose today, it’s next week’s game in Washington that will determine whether the Giants sit in 3rd or 4th in the division.  Sitting 4th might mean missing the playoffs for them.

25 minutes ago, hputenis said:

I’d like them to re-sign him but he’s lower on that priority list for me if it hinders you from signing the other 2.  As Hurts continues to progress as a passer, I think it makes it easier to replace someone like Seumalo in the draft even if it’s a less quality player. 

Normally, I’d agree - but intergrating two new pieces to the OL seems like one too many… from my point of view this is the engine of the team’s success.

8 minutes ago, Waiting4Someday said:

Normally, I’d agree - but intergrating two new pieces to the OL seems like one too many… from my point of view this is the engine of the team’s success.

If they don’t re-sign Seumalo, my dream scenario would be Kelce coming back again for another year and sliding Cam Jurgens in at RG. I don’t know exactly how he projects there, but based on what we’ve seen I think he’d be just fine in that spot. 

41 minutes ago, mattwill said:

I have always felt that you overvalue … or should I say narrowly define … finishing.  Finishing comes in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on how quickly the opposing Offense chooses to throw the ball.  Also, when one of the DBs intercepts a pass that was errantly thrown by the QB because of Defensive pressure is there a sack credited to the pressuring defenders(s)?  No, there is not.  But the "finish” on that play was rather good for the Defense.

With that said, which would you rather have?  A sack or an interception?

Everyone would say they want an INT but sacks are much easier to come by...or they should be.  People say that Mamula was a bust because he couldn't finish.  I made the argument for him before the season that he was undervalued because he was great at getting pressures.  Mamula was almost always there.  

Sacks can end a drive, a pressure can still result in a completion despite being a pressure. I want finishers.  

I don't think Sweat is a bad player at all.  I like Sweat a lot.  I was pushing for him before they drafted him.  I just think there's room for him to improve and while being a quality rotational DE, they can do better.