NFL Draft Needs: Philadelphia Eagles
by KillerKowal on Feb 14, 2011 11:57 AM EST
in Mocking the NFC East
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PrintThis is the first in a series of articles addressing team needs for the 2011 NFL Draft. We will be focusing on the three biggest needs per team and examining a division each week, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFC East.
In a division that the Cowboys were supposed to run away with, the Eagles shocked the league by taking the East and reinventing Michael Vick’s career in the process. Vick and the Eagles were clearly one of the most exciting teams in the league in 2010, but ended the season in disappointing fashion with an early exit in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Although a 10-6 record and an NFC East title didn’t seem to be in the cards for Philly at the beginning of the year, an early exit to the eventual Super Bowl Champs in the first round of the playoffs was still a disappointment. Andy Reid and the Eagles front office have several areas to focus on improving in 2011.
1. Offensive Line: With the most mobile quarterback in the NFL at the helm the Eagles still finished 29th in the NFL with 49 sacks allowed. Jason Peters received yet another undeserved Pro Bowl bid and the rest of Philly’s o-line was exposed all season. There are several options that Philly can explore with the 23rd overall pick. Boston College’s Anthony Castonzo and Colorado’s Nate Solder would be huge improvements over Winston Justice at right tackle. Florida’s Mike Pouncey would be a major upgrade over Nick Cole and Todd Herremans at either guard position and would be a stalwart in the middle of Philadelphia’s line for years to come.
2. Cornerback: Ellis Hobbs’s career ending neck injury against the Giants was one of the most disturbing images of the 2010 season. His loss leaves the Eagles with a huge whole at the corner opposite All-Pro Asante Samuel. With LSU’s Patrick Peterson and Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara almost guaranteed to go in the top 15, the Eagles may want to wait until round two to go after a corner. Miami’s Brandon Harris and Texas’s Aaron Williams are borderline first round talent but might be worth taking a shot on.
3. Linebacker: Stewart Bradley’s concussions and season-ending elbow injury are reasons for concern. Ernie Sims didn’t come close to living up to expectations and Moise Fokou is probably better suited as a back-up. The Eagles are in a tough position at this pick with the Colts, Chiefs, and Giants picking before them and all having serious needs at linebacker. If UCLA’s Akeem Ayers or North Carolina’s Bruce Carter are available at 23, Philadelphia is going to have a tough time justifying passing them up.
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Jason Peters received yet another undeserved Pro Bowl bid
While Jason Peters has most certainly been undeserving of Pro Bowl bids in the past, he had an outstanding season.
Florida’s Mike Pouncey would be a major upgrade over Nick Cole and Todd Herremans at either guard position
Nick Cole didn’t even start. It was Max Jean-Gilles, although I’ll agree Pouncey (or really anyone) would likely be an upgrade at RG. However, to include Todd Herremans is completely ignorant. The Eagles left side (Peters and Herremans) were fantastic in 2010. Fantastic. It was the right side (Winston Justice, Max Jean-Gilles, and resevre center Mike McGlynn) that struggled.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/
by JimmyK on Feb 14, 2011 12:55 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Gotta agree with my boy Jimmy on this one
When Peters returned from his injury to play against the colts in week 9, he was really good from that point on and pretty deserving of the pro bowl.
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Gotta disagree with Jimmy on this one
The only reason Peters was average this year was because he wasnt on Dog Killers blind side. (Vick is left handed if you didn’t know) Vick makes that offensive line look a lot better because of his legs.
I have a library of Eagles games saved on my external hard drive and pour over them like the Zapruter film, and we often do film studies at BGN (the SB Nation Eagles site). Here’s an example of one we did on Peters. Look at what he did repeatedly on this game-clinching drive to poor Igor Olshansky. It’s physical dominance in its purest form.
Jason Peters had a stellar season. There’s really no debate.
And frankly, saying that Vick “makes the OL look better because of his legs” is a myth. In fact, if anything, he makes them look worse. Because Vick is so elusive and is always looking to make a play when most other QB’s would just get rid of the ball, Vick will hang onto it and try to make something out of nothing in favor of throwing it away. Sometimes, he’s able to escape and make a big play, like I’m sure you’ve seen on SportsCenter. Other times, he doesn’t. Hence, the inflated sack totals.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/
Jimmy
you have logic and credibility on your side, but “Bretzilla” has the snarky nickname of Vick on his, so in his (no doubt 13 year old) mind, it’s a draw.
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Bear Bryant
Brettzilla, hands down
Dude not only had that clever nickname, but also knows vick is left-handed AND a mobile QB. How could you argue with that?
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Couldn't have said it any better myself Jimmy
I think the position on the line the Eagles need to upgrade is RG and if they do that with the return of Jamall Jackson then Winston Justice won’t be as bad as he was this past year. Also just because Mudd is the OL coach doesn’t mean that they will go with smaller Olineman Reid likes bigger Olineman
They should definetly go O-Line. CB and OLB while big holes, are nothing compared to our horrible line play last year. With new O-Line coach, Howard Mudd, coming in, I see the Eagles going O-line first round to provide new talent to a depleted line.
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I would note
that Howard Mudd’s time in Indy doesn’t exactly suggest that he’s going to be beating down the door for an offensive lineman in the first round. Part of that is because the type of linemen that Mudd prefers, the smaller, more athletic guys, can be typically found later in the draft.
I’m not saying OL isn’t a concern for them … it definitely is, and as JimmyK points out, the issue is the right side of the line (Herremans has been a very good OL guy for most of his career, not sure how he got lumped in here. I think Winston Justice is passable at RT, and I think they have to upgrade the center spot first. I’m just not sold they’ll go OL in the first because of Mudd … they might do it because Andy Reid is a trench first guy (although he doesn’t really push for interior linemen early either … ).
My hunch as to the Eagles drafting plans* – I think they might try to use Kevin Kolb to try and move up in the first round, to see if they can get in position to go after Amukamara. I guess I could also see them address CB in FA (I’m not sure of the Eagles financial situation, so maybe they don’t have the money), as CB is one position that should be fairly solid in FA.
- - of course, a lot of this would need the CBA deal to come in place, and if the draft happens before that, they’d be put in a tougher position.
The eagles are in good position to make a splash in FA.
Obviously, all of BGN is hoping for Nnamdi. They have the money to do it.
"Get 'Em"
by FlyEagles15 on Feb 15, 2011 12:27 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Colts wouldn't be in the running for a linebacker.
It really isn’t a need.
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If UCLA’s Akeem Ayers or North Carolina’s Bruce Carter are available at 23, Philadelphia is going to have a tough time justifying passing them up.
Apparently, you don’t know Andy Reid.
Besides, Ayers likely won’t make it that far and Bruce probably will fall at least to the second round due to his ACL tear, so 23 overall might be a reach. Plus, I think Chaney showed enough at the end of the year for the defensive coaches to give him a chance at the middle.
I didn’t mean to bunch Herremans in with the combination of Max Jean Giles and Cole but I think Pouncey would be a great fit in the middle of the line. In response to the Peters debate I agree that he’s a solid player but all 49 of those sacks didn’t come from the right side of the line. The most glaring hole on the line is definitely Justice and I wasn’t trying to imply that the Eagles need an upgrade over Peters. I just felt that someone like Donald Penn from the Bucs deserved the starting nod in the Pro Bowl over Peters. Penn had a great year and deserved the recognition.
by KillerKowal on Feb 14, 2011 11:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions
As I noted above:
Because Vick is so elusive and is always looking to make a play when most other QB’s would just get rid of the ball, Vick will hang onto it and try to make something out of nothing in favor of throwing it away. Sometimes, he’s able to escape and make a big play, like I’m sure you’ve seen on SportsCenter. Other times, he doesn’t. Hence, the inflated sack totals.
“Sacks allowed” is a very misleading statistic. I equate it to “stolen bases allowed” in baseball. In baseball, keeping the runners from stealing bases is in all actuality more on the pitcher than it is on the catcher, but the common perception is that it’s on the catcher. Same thing with sack totals – Everyone puts the blame on the OL, but in reality it’s probably more about the QB. Offensive linemen don’t have any good stats to judge them on, and I don’t think that’ll ever change. The only thing the common fan can look at is “sacks allowed,” but without proper context, those numbers often fail to tell the story. I can’t really comment on Donald Penn’s 2010, because I saw maybe 2 Bucs games this year (and wasn’t exactly focused in on Donald Penn), but I can say with full confidence that Jason Peters had a fantastic season and was absolutely Pro Bowl worthy.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/
Oh
And Brandon Harris and Aaron Williams are both overrated (Harris is massively overrated in my opinion), I would take Jimmy Smith over both of them or pick up Brandon Burton in the second since I believe he is better fundamentally then both Harris and Williams.
Just a thought.
Philly need a cornerback, but the two best prospects in the draft (Peterson and Amukamara) are both projected top 10. However…the Eagles also have Kevin Kolb, who is going to get major interest from all the teams short at QB. Two of those teams in particular (Arizona and San Francisco) are picking within the range of Amukamara (I don’t think he falls past No.7, especially with the Niners needing secondary help).
Would Philly and Zona/SF be open to a deal where the Eagles sends them their pick (No.24), a low pick (maybe a 6th rounder or a future conditional pick) and Kolb for either the Cards or Niners 1st round pick, then use said pick to take Amukamara? Who says no to that deal?
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Kolb for either the Cards or Niners 1st round pick, then use said pick to take Amukamara? Who says no to that deal?
The Cardinals or Niners
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