3 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

 

 

OK, those that know, which DCs do we want?  Is it difficult for a college DC to make the leap to the NFL?

I don’t know much about Minter, but he spent four years with the Ravens under Dean Pees and Wink Martindale. When Baltimore hired Michigan DC Mike MacDonald they replaced him with Minter (after a one year stop at Vandy), so apparently the Harbaughs 1) have a type and 2) are good with sharing.

I assume that means he’s a guy that likes to blitz. Part of the reason he was hired at Michigan was to play the same style of defense as MacDonald. 

40 minutes ago, EricAllenPick6 said:

OK, those that know, which DCs do we want?  Is it difficult for a college DC to make the leap to the NFL?

Leonhard for me

21 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I assume that means he’s a guy that likes to blitz. Part of the reason he was hired at Michigan was to play the same style of defense as MacDonald. 

I like him already.  I miss the old days of the Buddy Ryan defense.  The old jokes was Buddy's perfect game would have been a 2-0 victory: defense gets a safety and a shutout.  Bring back the 4-6!

Mosher said he talked to two teams that have Seumalo as their top G/C entering FA. Sounds like he's likely getting a bag somewhere. 

1 hour ago, EricAllenPick6 said:

OK, those that know, which DCs do we want?  Is it difficult for a college DC to make the leap to the NFL?

Would be a little worried if the DC never worked or played in the NFL.  Both candidates have so they should know what to expect. 

Had never heard of him before yesterday and this tweet popped up today. Decided to watch some videos on him. This dude is good. He plays overhang, Mike, can cover in hook zone, downfield, take on guards in the run game, blitz with actual pass rush style moves. 

Where is he projected to go? He should be hyped more. 

 

9 hours ago, ManuManu said:

Why?

Because I believe the Eagles would be a better team with those moves.

Herbig is an interesting Edge LB in his own right with or without a Leonard hiring as DC, but continuity has value as well, which makes him even more interesting … both as a pass rusher and as a traditional LB.

They have kept Noah Elliss on the PUP roster for a reason. They must see potential in him.  Trimester will tell whether that potential turns into performance on the field.  His natural position is NT.

Christian Elliss earned his way onto the field on Sundays in the eyes of the coaches. His STs play in the games was more than solid.  Edwards has been exploitable by better teams, especially in pass coverage.  I don’t believe he is worth the high dollar FA contract he will garner when we have Elliss and Dean as a potential succession plan, plus Jack Campbell and Ivan Pace as potential draftees at LB.

JMO

4 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

 

Did I miss it or has it not been mentioned what he said about Hurts and his contract?

He called for Howie to get it done and if Hurts isn't coming back then he asked to be traded wherever Hurts goes

2 hours ago, HazletonEagle said:

Im all for Payne. He and Davis could theoretically make a great pairing in the 2-4-5, and of course can play in any front whether its a 3 man, 4 man, 5 man line.

I wouldnt mind Kancey and Milton Williams as the DEs. Theyre short, but theyre DTs who have the athleticism to play on the end in a 3-4.

 

I also wouldnt mind moving Sweat back to 3-4 DE like he was in college, and drafting Nolan Smith to play opposite Reddick. 

Lukas Van Ness would be a very good fit in my opinion as a 3-4 DE.

2 hours ago, Waiting4Someday said:

Agreed on Payne - if we are going to pay a premium for DT, he is younger than Hargrave and looks to be a better scheme fit if the Leonhard hire pans out.  Always liked Nolan -  my worry before was that there wouldn't be enough OLB/designated pass rusher snaps with the hybrid fronts... if we are playing 3-4 and 2-4-5 not a problem, actually we'll need more of these guys. 

Which Nolan?

2 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

Did I miss it or has it not been mentioned what he said about Hurts and his contract?

He called for Howie to get it done and if Hurts isn't coming back then he asked to be traded wherever Hurts goes

I haven't heard or read anything about the actual interview. That's not a great look if true. 

3 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Which Nolan?

Nolan Smith, the DE/OLB from UGA - he has a lot of the same qualities that you appreciate in Herbig (but he's slightly bigger and probably better against the run).

7 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Because I believe the Eagles would be a better team with those moves.

Herbig is an interesting Edge LB in his own right with or without a Leonard hiring as DC, but continuity has value as well, which makes him even more interesting … both as a pass rusher and as a traditional LB.

They have kept Noah Elliss on the PUP roster for a reason. They must see potential in him.  Trimester will tell whether that potential turns into performance on the field.  His natural position is NT.

Christian Elliss earned his way onto the field on Sundays in the eyes of the coaches. His STs play in the games was more than solid.  Edwards has been exploitable by better teams, especially in pass coverage.  I don’t believe he is worth the high dollar FA contract he will garner when we have Elliss and Dean as a potential succession plan, plus Jack Campbell and Ivan Pace as potential draftees at LB.

JMO

I just don’t see how anyone from our vantage point could possibly be comfortable with putting Elliss in the lineup. 

7 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Lukas Van Ness would be a very good fit in my opinion as a 3-4 DE.

He is the most overrated player in the draft , imo . Doesn’t have much experience  , he uses his strength as a pass rush tool , but after that I’m not seeing much of anything, very little playing time . I also think he would do better in a 43 . No way I take him before late first , and I could probably convince myself to not draft him in the top 50 .

I think the defensive scheme is really worth paying attention to this offseason.

Without getting too technical, what was the real core emphasis of Gannon's scheme?  It was pressure from the front 4 minimal reliance on the blitz.  IMO, that was the identity of the defense.  It didn't just mean we didn't blitz much.  It meant we had 4 guys on the field who were trying to penetrate and get into the backfield...not always 4 with a hand in the dirt (Reddick moved around), but 4 trying to rush.  Those who spend time watching all-22 can correct me on this if it's wrong, but the DTs generally were not 2-gapping and the DE's were not overly focused on containment.  It was generally an explosive step forward into the backfield for 4 guys.

That emphasis for those 4, along with their overall talent, is why blitzing was usually not necessary and the back 7 was freed up.  Even though we did not run a true 4-3, that is also fairly consistent with an attacking DL in a 4-3 defense.

 

Now, there is some recent buzz about a 3-4.  Davis as NT, Williams DE, Reddick/Sweat 3-4 OLB.  On paper, they slide right in.  And one might argue that the alignment is closer to what we ran last year than a 4-3.  I realize that all 3-4's are not created equal...BUT...think back to the one we (briefly) ran.  It did NOT feature 4 consistent rushers.  You usually have 1 featured standup edge rusher.  The bookend edge often has to endure some coverage responsibilities, which is a rough fit for either Reddick or Sweat.  The 3 down linemen in 3-4's often are not utilized as explosive, rush generating players.  That may be short-selling the athleticism and potential upside of both Williams and Davis if they spend their time occupying blockers instead of trying to get into the backfield.

 

IMO, this would be a pretty radical departure from relying on a relentless rush from investing in 4 premium DL and just letting them get after it.

19 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Mosher said he talked to two teams that have Seumalo as their top G/C entering FA. Sounds like he's likely getting a bag somewhere. 

Not a surprise at all.  I would love to see him get that big bag from the Eagles with no Signing Bonus but hefty Base Salaries making the total contract the same dollar value, and then have as an Eagles asset either to continue playing (unlikely in the long run) or to trade (much more likely).  The high Base Salaries can be restructured later by the team that trades for him.

of course that is a very long shot possibility, and if it happened it would drive @downundermike crazy.

2 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Not a surprise at all.  I would love to see him get that big bag from the Eagles with no Signing Bonus but hefty Base Salaries making the total contract the same dollar value, and then have as an Eagles asset either to continue playing (unlikely in the long run) or to trade (much more likely).  The high Base Salaries can be restructured later by the team that trades for him.

of course that is a very long shot possibility, and if it happened it would drive @downundermike crazy.

Is he back from his suspension?

7 minutes ago, Original Sin said:

He is the most overrated player in the draft , imo . Doesn’t have much experience  , he uses his strength as a pass rush tool , but after that I’m not seeing much of anything, very little playing time . I also think he would do better in a 43 . No way I take him before late first , and I could probably convince myself to not draft him in the top 50 .

I wouldn’t take him in the 1st at all.  When I first started getting interested in him he was projected for the end of the 2nd or top of the 3rd.  Still, I do like the potential, but not in the 1st … too many BPAs ahead of him there.

8 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I think the defensive scheme is really worth paying attention to this offseason.

Without getting too technical, what was the real core emphasis of Gannon's scheme?  It was pressure from the front 4 minimal reliance on the blitz.  IMO, that was the identity of the defense.  It didn't just mean we didn't blitz much.  It meant we had 4 guys on the field who were trying to penetrate and get into the backfield...not always 4 with a hand in the dirt (Reddick moved around), but 4 trying to rush.  Those who spend time watching all-22 can correct me on this if it's wrong, but the DTs generally were not 2-gapping and the DE's were not overly focused on containment.  It was generally an explosive step forward into the backfield for 4 guys.

That emphasis for those 4, along with their overall talent, is why blitzing was usually not necessary and the back 7 was freed up.  Even though we did not run a true 4-3, that is also fairly consistent with an attacking DL in a 4-3 defense.

 

Now, there is some recent buzz about a 3-4.  Davis as NT, Williams DE, Reddick/Sweat 3-4 OLB.  On paper, they slide right in.  And one might argue that the alignment is closer to what we ran last year than a 4-3.  I realize that all 3-4's are not created equal...BUT...think back to the one we (briefly) ran.  It did NOT feature 4 consistent rushers.  You usually have 1 featured standup edge rusher.  The bookend edge often has to endure some coverage responsibilities, which is a rough fit for either Reddick or Sweat.  The 3 down linemen in 3-4's often are not utilized as explosive, rush generating players.  That may be short-selling the athleticism and potential upside of both Williams and Davis if they spend their time occupying blockers instead of trying to get into the backfield.

 

IMO, this would be a pretty radical departure from relying on a relentless rush from investing in 4 premium DL and just letting them get after it.

In his introductory Cardinals press conference Gannon said he had no scheme.  Then, when a Cardinals' beat guy asked him about his scouting background less than 5 minutes later, he said it was all about evaluating players to match the scheme.  That made me laugh audibly; if I was in the room I would definitely asked for clarification on those points -- probably with 2-3 follow up questions until I was escorted out of the room.  

1 minute ago, Alphagrand said:

In his introductory Cardinals press conference Gannon said he had no scheme.  Then, when a Cardinals' beat guy asked him about his scouting background less than 5 minutes later, he said it was all about evaluating players to match the scheme.  That made me laugh audibly; if I was in the room I would definitely asked for clarification on those points -- probably with 2-3 follow up questions until I was escorted out of the room.  

Gannon built the entire defense out of "quarters" coverage shells. 

23 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

I haven't heard or read anything about the actual interview. That's not a great look if true. 

 

The Eagles are paying Hurts. AJ knows that. Let's not look for things to get upset about