11 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

look forward to Evans or edmunds starting alongside a rookie in brown. Likely down bradberry as well. All going up against Jefferson who’s the best WR in the league and cousins who outside of last year tends to play well against us. 

And Hockenson who will probably have a monster game against us. Gotta hope Jobe can handle Addison all game too.

Thank god they cut Reagor or we'd be in real trouble.

1 hour ago, garingovt2000 said:

Or he knew exactly what he was doing for his favorite team... He quit at the ripe age of what 94 or 95?

George Toma was AGAINST the actions that caused the field to be slippery. He literally quit in disgust and has been publicly vocal about how the NFL screwed up:
 

Quote

Toma said the field was watered the Wednesday morning before the game, which took place on Sunday, Feb. 12. After the watering, the field was then immediately rolled into the stadium, using the hydraulic system that allows the turf to catch sun. Toma's belief was that the field should have remained in the sun Wednesday morning to dry out before being rolled in, advice that NFL field director Ed Mangan did not heed.

"So, what he does, he waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that's it," Toma told ESPN. "Never sees sunlight again. He can't do that."

Toma added that a tarp was laid over the field to protect it from rehearsals for the pregame and halftime shows. Toma said he was told in the lead-up to the game that the field was starting to decay.

"It had a rotten smell," Toma said.

Toma also told ESPN that Mangan did not allow the field to be sanded enough, a process that encourages efficient drainage.

……..

According to ESPN, Toma has retired after more than 80 years in groundskeeping, with Super Bowl 57 being his last.

"I can't take it anymore," Toma told ESPN, while adding that he was not pleased with how the league has responded to field issues in the past. "Me and the league are finished. They can't tell me what to do anymore. We're done."

 

 

15 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

People will get on Desai if it falls apart but it's a tall order to hide this collection of S & LB

Yeah it’s why sheil went on the rant he did this summer and i agree with him. People will inevitably say Gannon did a better job and the numbers will likely show it. There was always a regression coming from the moves that were made and just hard to get 70ish sacks every year. Also Gannon was given an absolutely loaded roster on defense. The unit last year had more ready talent at safety and had more experienced linebackers in white and Edwards as compared to an inexperienced Dean (who likely is eventually better). And just better than an over the hill Cunningham. 

during training camp in the preseason, I said my two biggest concerns at safety were if reed Blankenship could hold up for 17 games. He’s never had to play and start 17 games. He played some and started a handful of games. So this was a concern for me going into the season. The other concern was what were they going to get from the second safety position. I didn’t love the idea of having a rookie start at safety right away. I think there was gonna be growing pains, and if you’re counting on a rookie to start at that position and you didn’t draft him in the first or second round then you are likely playing with fire. And Evans, Wallace and I even think edmunds weren’t good enough to be starting safeties on a SB team. Edmunds is probably the closest and I don’t think he’s good enough if you have SB expectations. 

57 minutes ago, austinfan said:

How soon people forget Gainwell's post-season performance.

You might want to actually look at his numbers in the games vs the 49ers and Chiefs. And even the Giants game, it was mostly 4th quarter garbage time. 

14 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

We're 1-0 and it's a long season but Howie's plan at LB & S is off to a dubious start

 

 

 

Their off-season had weird lack of urgency vibes at times. They were prepared to release Slay but ended up keeping him because he badly wanted to stay. They just let CGJ go for only 6.5m. They let Edwards walk, which I’m ok with but he didn’t get some monster contract. They didn’t pursue a legit #3 WR option to replace Quez, they didn’t pursue a proven LB or safety upgrade.

I remember early on in free agency feeling like 2023 was going to be a reset year because of their approach. Not that they wouldn’t still be very good in 2023 or couldn’t win a Super bowl if everything went well. Just that they wouldn’t go all in like they did the previous offseason.

But then some things like keeping Slay and Bradberry ended up falling into place. And Carter fell in their laps. But I do wonder if their approach going into the off-season was because of the amount of free agents they have and the amount of money they’re going to need to pay out to their young guys in the coming years if 2023 was going to be a pause year, and circumstances changed that a bit.

If you think about it they didn’t do a ton. They kept a couple guys that people didn’t expect(Bradberry, Cox) and landed a guy in Carter that if you were asked back in February no one would’ve expected. But outside of that they didn’t do a ton in free agency.

2 hours ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Escaped murder convict caught about 20 minutes ago.  Was wearing an Eagles hoodie.

 

 

They captured him alive... interesting. I thought for sure they'd kill him on sight especially since he was armed with a rifle.

Defensive line is gonna have to eat on Thursday. 

Wonder if should start addison in FF

Actually don't see Eagles letting a defensive lineman like M. Williams walk, in his prime. They can extend him this offseason (Maybe a shorter type 2-3 year deal). Davis can be paid in 2/3 years. Carter in 3/4 years. These can all be staggered and at different lengths, while salary cap gets higher and higher. Thinking the odd man out in upcoming contracts is Reddick, as he will be older and is currently underpaid. And they have a fine replacement in Smith to replace him. This team is stacked pretty good, but still needs a a nice haul in 2024 draft to restock defensive end, offensive line and linebacker. Safety can be potentially be developed in house with Brown, Ringo and Garner. With Blankenship already looking ready.

25 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Well, like I said... the system failed.  So, the fact that you say 'there is a system in place' means nothing if that system is flawed, ignored or just plain sabotaged.  Why it happens doesn't matter.  Also, players have been complaining about field conditions for as long as the sport has existed.  The fields of today are night and day better than the fields of yesteryear where they'd just roll out the astroturf over the concrete like all those combination stadiums, or the old pock ridden fields of Soldier field, etc back in the day.  

There is no perfect solution, but the fields these guys are playing on today are way better than decades gone by.  And then there's the different tastes for different personalities and game types.  Some want the artificial stuff, because they think it gives them an advantage with their speed, cutting, etc.  Others want grass fields only.  You can't please everyone.  

I agree, the NFL screwed up with the field.  And the reason for the screw up is the most frustrating part.  They needed to rehearse on the field.   Nope.  The halftime garbage does not take precedence over, nor should it be allowed to interfere with, the reason that the game is happening.  The Super Bowl is becoming a joke with all the garbage that they've added to it.  The bigger it grows and the more garbage they add to it, the less appealing it actually becomes to me.   Same is true of the draft.  

The point is the problem isn’t that domes can’t have grass. They can. And it’s not like the grass will be inherently inferior. You can have the exact same type of grass as an open air stadium. It can be watered, and maintained, just like an open air stadium’s grass.

This was a grounds keeping decision that could have occurred in an open air stadium just as easily as in a dome. You can over water an open air stadium’s grass. You can trap the moisture with a tarp in an open air stadium. You can fail to sand the field properly to provide adequate drainage in an open air stadium.

This is all human error and has nothing to do with the infrastructure of a dome.

5 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

Meh - I don't know what to think of their offense.  It was good enough but they didn't light up the scoreboard and put up a bunch of yards.  I expect they will improve but that game was about the turnovers and breakdowns by the Giants.  

Their offense is still unknown cause he game got out of hand the other night and they really didn’t need to go all out. I think they were up so much that they were trying to run the clock and get out do that storm/turf without losing anyone major. 

i think they have the weapons to be successful. Pollard, lamb, cooks and even Gallup is more than capable. This comes down to health of their oline and if Dak/mccarthy don’t have Dak and mccarthy like moments. If Dallas improve their defense with Gilmore to be a consistent top-five defense, then I don’t think the offense has to be top-five in order to win. I do think they’re going to need that all offense to play well against teams like the Eagles, Niners, and the upper echelon teams if they expect make it further than they have in 28 years. Which is why I think it’s going to come down to whether Dak and mccarthy meltdowns in those games. 

1 minute ago, judunno said:

They captured him alive... interesting. I thought for sure they'd kill him on sight especially since he was armed with a rifle.

Same.  The reason he was captured alive was the fact that they were able to release the dogs to pin him down.  So, the little scrape on his head from the dog bite actually saved his life.   I had no doubt that the tactical SWAT team would eliminate him if the opportunity presented itself. 

 

And now he's going to State prison to be held.  Apparently he was in a local prison when he escaped.  Why a double murder convict would only be in a local prison confuses me.

1 minute ago, rrfierce said:

Wonder if should start addison in FF

This is like when i don’t bet on the eagles cause i think i’ll jinx them. So if i bet against them and i lose money i feel good. And if they suck and lose, at least i got something out of it. 

I’m in the camp that running backs don’t really matter unless you’re playing with an elite one or a terrible one. We will be just fine without Gainwell on Thursday. 

All eyes will be on the back seven. It doesn’t seem like seem like injury luck is going our way — two rib injuries and a friendly fire concussion. Pretty freak things. 

Just now, ManuManu said:

I’m in the camp that running backs don’t really matter unless you’re playing with an elite one or a terrible one. We will be just fine without Gainwell on Thursday. 

All eyes will be on the back seven. It doesn’t seem like seem like injury luck is going our way — two rib injuries and a friendly fire concussion. Pretty freak things. 

One of the big reasons why we had as much success as we did last year was because of how lucky we were to avoid major injuries. Goes to show you just how crazy 2017 was, given the injuries we sustained on the way to the SB.

1 minute ago, TEW said:

The point is the problem isn’t that domes can’t have grass. They can. And it’s not like the grass will be inherently inferior. You can have the exact same type of grass as an open air stadium. It can be watered, and maintained, just like an open air stadium’s grass.

This was a grounds keeping decision that could have occurred in an open air stadium just as easily as in a dome. You can over water an open air stadium’s grass. You can trap the moisture with a tarp in an open air stadium. You can fail to sand the field properly to provide adequate drainage in an open air stadium.

This is all human error and has nothing to do with the infrastructure of a dome.

OK.  And my point was that there was no perfect solution.  As you point out, grass in open air has issues.  Grass in domes have issues.  Artificial turf has issues.  And then there's also the costs involved in a lot of this stuff.  The field conditions are a part of the game, for good or bad, and have been since the game started.   The field in the Meadowlands, while it might be a little subpar compared to some other fields is still lightyears better than the fields at the Vet, 3 Rivers, Riverfront, etc.  And better than the garbage field that is played on in Chicago.   The idea that natural turf will fix all the problems is not viable.   All fields will allow for injuries like that one, and I don't think the field is to blame for that injury.  It looked like he just fought too hard to stay up, and in so doing, compromised his body's integrity, making it vulnerable to injury.  He was taken down awkwardly.  And when that happens... these injuries can occur, on any field type.

25 minutes ago, RLC said:

We're about to play a week 2 TNF immediately after a bunch of guys get hurt week 1. Week 1 is also the week in the NFL where the most injuries happen.

It's NFL. Next man up.

 

Not OTA's, no mandatory mini camps, softest TC of any team out there and the majority of the starters didn't play any preseason snaps.

So far

-Bradley and McPhearson are done for the year.

-Starting LB on short term IR

-Starting RB and CB are out for week 2 (presumably)

I honestly think injuries in the NFL are more of a luck thing. Last year the Eagles got lucky. I don't think it had anything to do with the offseason. The only thing that might help the Eagles is their practice load schedule for veterans.

 

6 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I’m in the camp that running backs don’t really matter unless you’re playing with an elite one or a terrible one. We will be just fine without Gainwell on Thursday. 

All eyes will be on the back seven. It doesn’t seem like seem like injury luck is going our way — two rib injuries and a friendly fire concussion. Pretty freak things. 

Why it pisses me off even more that Gannon failed to come up with a better gameplan in the Super Bowl. He had all 11 starters healthy for the biggest game of the year and in his career so far. Yet he had no answers with an extremely healthy unit. I would love to know out of all 114 teams that have played in the Super Bowl how many of them had their entire starting 11 players from the start of the season on defense healthy for the Super Bowl. 

1 minute ago, bpac55 said:

Not OTA's, no mandatory mini camps, softest TC of any team out there and the majority of the starters didn't play any preseason snaps.

So far

-Bradley and McPhearson are done for the year.

-Starting LB on short term IR

-Starting RB and CB are out for week 2 (presumably)

I honestly think injuries in the NFL are more of a luck thing. Last year the Eagles got lucky. I don't think it had anything to do with the offseason. The only thing that might help the Eagles is their practice load schedule for veterans.

 

So it’s not the smoothies? 

Are there some that are actually worried about the vikings? The vikings are worse than they were last year, and they got blown out by the giants of all teams in the playoffs last season. They have no run game with Mattison being a lead back, and if the Birds can focus on Jefferson like they did last year I'm fine with Hockenson having a good game. While he's a good TE, he's not one that can take over a game. I don't see the Birds ironing out all of their issues, but I know they will have a lot cleaned up by tomorrows game. I expect the offense to be much better at their first home game.

@mattwill

Eagles 34

Vikings 17

Just now, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

So it’s not the smoothies? 

Those only keep Lane Johnson at playing weight if consumed in bulk.

Not gonna pick eagles or Vikings as don’t want to jinx the eagles cause i didn’t pick the game last week. But feels like this is gonna be a 30-28 type of game and it’s gonna come down to the last possession. 

12 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Defensive line is gonna have to eat on Thursday. 

Their starting C Bradbury was a DNP yesterday and Monday. And Darrisaw at OT was a LP both days. Their Oline wasn't anything very special to begin with, but I agree...the front 4 need to kill it this week to make up for the secondary issues.

Lmao 

 

1 minute ago, wussbasket said:

Are there some that are actually worried about the vikings? The vikings are worse than they were last year, and they got blown out by the giants of all teams in the playoffs last season. They have no run game with Mattison being a lead back, and if the Birds can focus on Jefferson like they did last year I'm fine with Hockenson having a good game. While he's a good TE, he's not one that can take over a game. I don't see the Birds ironing out all of their issues, but I know they will have a lot cleaned up by tomorrows game. I expect the offense to be much better at their first home game.

@mattwill

Eagles 34

Vikings 17

With how Mac Jones looked, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirk goes off. They’re going to light us up if we still have DBs not affecting the passing game and forcing our LBers to play in space. Plus with some defensive injuries, we’ll have likely 3 backups playing starter minutes. Might have to be a shootout tbh, unless we can really control the clock and get our run game going.