Roob's observations: The biggest concern heading into the season

[time2rock]

Roob's observations: The biggest concern heading into the season

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

My biggest concern heading into opening day, the miracle of the Eagles’ 6th-round picks and a pivotal moment in Eagles history.

Here’s a fresh batch of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations on the final weekend with no NFL football until February.

1. Generating pass pressure remains my absolute No. 1 concern with the Eagles going into 2022. We all know they were one of the worst in the NFL getting to the quarterback last year – 29 sacks was the franchise’s fewest since sacks became an official stat in 1982 and they had 17 games to do it. I don’t know whether Josh Sweat can take his game to another level. I don’t know if Brandon Graham can still be a force at 34 coming off an Achilles. I don’t know if Derek Barnett can make any sort of impact. I don’t know if Tarron Jackson can turn his potential into production. That leaves Haason Reddick, who had 6 ½ sacks the first six weeks of last year and 4 ½ the final 12 weeks. If Sweat can make a jump and play a full season like he did the last month, if B.G. can turn the clock back a couple years, if Barnett can ever play like the 14th pick in the draft? The Eagles will be in good shape. But to me it really comes down to Reddick, who’s looked very good this summer but has to give the Eagles consistent productive pressure wherever he’s lining up. Reddick is such an important guy on this team because all the other edge rushers remain question marks. The Eagles haven’t had an outside rusher with 10 sacks since Connor Barwin in 2014. Every other NFL team has had at least one since then. So maybe it’s natural to be skeptical. But all I know is without pass pressure, this defense doesn’t work. This group has to come up huge over the next 18 weeks. And Reddick has to be a big part of it.

2. The Eagles have the 2nd-best opening-day record in the NFL since 2004 at 13-5. Only the Patriots (15-3) are better during that 18-year span. The only other teams with more than 10 opening-day wins since 2004 are the Steelers (12-5-1), Broncos (12-6), Packers (12-6), Seahawks (11-5), Ravens (11-5) and 49ers (11-5).

3. Why is Trey Sermon here? Two reasons: Miles Sanders gets hurt a lot, and Sermon is better than Jason Huntley. Sermon, a 3rd-round pick last year, was an odd cut by the 49ers. In fact, GM John Lynch said just a week ago, "He’s had a tremendous offseason. Throughout training camp, (he’s) been one of our best players.” But with the season 6th-round pick Elijah Mitchell had last year, Sermon became expendable, and the Eagles pounced before the 49ers could get him onto their practice squad. Sermon had one game last year where he got more than 10 carries and that was a 19-for-89 (4.7) against the Seahawks. That works. I love Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott as situational runners, 3rd-down receivers and goal-line specialists. But Sermon gives you more of a traditional pure ball carrier in case Sanders gets hurt again. You get a 23-year-old who was the 88th player taken in last year’s draft for nothing. And since the 49ers paid his signing bonus last year, all you’re on the hook for is his modest $881,497 base salary. Literally a move with no downside.

4. Zach Pascal is 27 years old and doesn’t turn 28 until a week before Christmas. He’s the Eagles’ oldest skill player.

5. It blows my mind that the Eagles now have more 6th-round picks on their roster than 1st-round picks. That oughta be impossible. They have nine 1st-round picks and 10 6th-round picks. In fact, they have more players on the roster drafted in the sixth round than any other round – eight 2nd-rounders, five 3rd-rounders, eight 4th-rounders, two 5th-rounders and two 7th-rounders (and nine undrafted). So only 42 percent of the roster was drafted in the first three rounds. You never want to miss on Day 1 or Day 2 picks, but it’s always more important that you find good players than where you find them. And if you find Jason Kelce, Quez Watkins, Kenny Gainwell, Jordan Mailata, T.J. Edwards and Boston Scott in the late rounds or undrafted? All that matters is that they’re Eagles, not where – or if - they were drafted.

6. The Eagles have played 385 games in 24 seasons since 1998. Tra Thomas, Jason Peters or Jordan Mailata have started 335 of them at left tackle.

7. Maybe Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will be ready to go in eight days, maybe he can learn the defense and get acclimated in a week and a half. But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Eagles make Anthony Harris a game-day elevation in Detroit and start him opposite Marcus Epps at safety and give CJGJ some more time to learn the defense and get comfortable. Harris was a starter last year, he took all the 1st-team reps this summer, and even though he hasn’t been much of a playmaker, he knows the defense and isn’t going to mess up. The Eagles can elevate Harris as many as three times if they need to, which would buy Gardner-Johnson some time. Harris may become the first player in NFL history to be a starter throughout camp, get released, sign to the practice squad, then start a season opener. But it might be the Eagles’ best option.

8. Keeping Josh Sills over Jack Anderson was one of the more surprising moves of final cutdown day, but if you think about it, it does make sense. Anderson is a guard-center and Sills is a guard-tackle, and tackles have more value than centers, and if you’re going to develop one or the other, all things being equal, it makes sense to develop the one who’s potentially a tackle. Anderson had an impressive camp and got snapped up by the Giants on waivers. But Sills did some impressive things too, and at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, he’s huge. Will be interesting to watch how both their careers progress.

9. The Eagles are 3-28 in their last 31 games when their starting quarterback has thrown a pick-6.

10. I always felt that the 1988 season opener in Tampa was a pivotal moment in Eagles history. They were coming off six straight losing seasons, they’d reached the playoffs just four times since the 1960 Championship season, and they had the 5th-worst record in the league over the previous 20 years (out of 28 teams). Heck, they’d only won five of their previous 21 openers. The 1988 opener was Randall Cunningham’s first opening-day start, and by the end of the first half at the old Tampa Stadium he had thrown TDs to Mike Quick and Keith Jackson and rushed for another TD on the way to a 41-14 win. The Eagles picked off Vinny Testaverde five times, and Terry Hoage became the only player since Joe Maniaci of the Bears in 1940 with two interceptions and a 30-yard touchdown run in the same game. That was a real statement win to open Buddy Ryan’s third season, and the Eagles went on to win their first NFC East title since the 1980 Super Bowl season. Since then, the Eagles have the 5th-best record in the NFL, and they’ve reached the playoffs 20 of 34 years. Only three teams have reached the postseason more during that span – the Patriots, Packers and Steelers. One of the worst teams in NFL history until that day. One of the best since.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-observations-biggest-concern-heading-season

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I get the concern but I think Reddick and Davis are going to make a big difference. If Davis can be a force from early then he's going to give opportunities to the other DL guys around him. Cox could see an uptick in production, Hargrave could find more favourable match ups and the outside guys can start to just win one v one. 

[weko]

Gannon is our biggest wild card.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

On 9/4/2022 at 9:47 PM, weko said:

Gannon is our biggest wild card.

I agree. He's highly rated and thought of around the league but we didn't see that last year. Now he's got a lot of talent to work with so he's got to deliver.

[time2rock]

On 9/4/2022 at 4:47 PM, weko said:

Gannon is our biggest wild card.

Gannon and Hurts ... 1a and 1b.