Eagle Fan Diary

  In his “state of the Eagles” speech, Jeff Laurie entered with a proud announcement that the Eagles would use, as an alternate uniform starting in 2023, the old “Kelly Green.”   I actually enjoy the Midnight Green instituted by the Birds after Laurie’s arrival in 1994 (The switch from Kelly to Midnight occurred in 1996).   This is a clear revenue generator for the Birds, doubling down on all kinds of merchandise, but this author has no objection to occasionally “breaking out the Kelly” as an alternative.   Kelly dates back to the Eagles using it in the 1930’s, so the tradition has some lengthy history.   The nostalgia credits championship teams from 1948, 1949 and 1960 (remember that dynasty?) and, of course the popular Eagle squads under both Dick Vermeil and Buddy Ryan.   Eagle greats like Chuck Bednarik and Reggie White are immortalized in the memory of Kelly Green.   The Eagles last wore Kelly green during the 2010 season. Then the league impl...

  Yesterday, Jeff Laurie gave his state of the team address.   What was said: Process : Jeff re-affirmed the Eagles are both detail & process oriented.   This is good because process improvement is part of any good process.   And good analytical processes pay attention to detail. Howie’s re-sign : This decision was made based on Jeff’s assessment of Howie’s skills, and the results in the Eagles operation: organization, collaboration, information collection, evaluation, talent acquisition, process implementation, continuous improvement.   Jeff mentioned Howie’s ability to build or re-build the roster, and that Howie is well regarded in the league. Draft performance : Jeff indicated 60% of NFL 1 st round picks become solid starters, 30+% of 2 nd round picks become solid starters, and the “hit rate” proceeds down from there for each draft round.   He discussed the importance of both psychological and medical testing.   Of course, part of the proce...

  Howie Roseman spoke to the media from Palm Beach Florida during the Owners meeting today.   Here is an assessment of that dialog: Eagles Lessons : Core : Howie- “ We're building. We're not in a go-for-it, all-in situation. ...If you're building on a foundation, you don't start taking pillars off. The most important part of free agency was what we did during the season, signing a LT who's 24, a TE who we think is elite... ”   Eagles Lessons : Add Avonte Maddox and Josh Sweat to the aforementioned Jordan Mailata and Dallas Goedart as 4 identified core players signed in 2021 to multi-year extensions.   The Eagles strategy is to identify, negotiate and resign those extensions in season, enabling assessment of current and future needs before free agency and the draft, so future core and role players can be assembled in March and April around the current core. Draft : Howie- “ When you have the amount of high picks we have, we don’t want to block these (newly drafte...

  The Birds signed former Los Angeles Charger Kyzir White yesterday to an est. $5M 1 year deal.     The Good: Fits Roster Need : Played Weakside 4-3 LB, then inside LB when LA moved to a 3-4 in ‘21, and had a lot of snaps in nickel & dime packages as the sub-LB.   He’ll fit well in Jonathan Gannon’s multi-front schemes, with excellent recognition skills.   He fits what the Eagles would like to do with their LB’s in coverage schemes- drop LB’s deeper in zone, cover the curl/flat area, and play the middle of the field.   He'll play alongside SAM/Edge Hassan Reddick & tough interior LB TJ Edwards. Ascender : 4 th round college safety coming off his rookie contract who has learned the NFL ins and outs of both weakside and off-ball LB, playing strongly vs. the run and the pass.   “Given his improved play and the jump he took year to year, it's clear that Kyzir White's potential has not been reached.” Performer : Ranked 20 th overall across a...

  It appears that, amongst other teams, Howie Roseman and company have reached out to star cornerback Stephon Gilmore.   Last year, Gilmore, 31, was on the PUP list when he arrived via trade (a 3 rd round pick to New England) in Carolina, still recovering from offseason surgery on a torn quad.   He was not activated till Week 8 and played the final eight games, starting three.   He managed 2 big interceptions during that time.   He had looked forward to returning near his home in (Rock Hill, South) Carolina. At his peak, Gilmore was a shutdown No. 1 corner.   In New England, he did just that… pretty much “shut down” an opposing receiver, allowing them to use the rest of the defense to concentrate on other threats.   But Gilmore has been hurt and therefore in decline these past 2 seasons.   While still in position to be an adequate or perhaps even good corner, that will be predicated on his health.   And his elite level skills are likely hi...

  Yesterday, the Eagles officially signed former Colt wide receiver Zach Pascal.   The Good: Age : Pascal is 27, theoretically entering his career prime.   Familiarity : Pascal is a favorite of head coach Nick Sirianni, the offensive coordinator at Indy 2018-2020.   Sirianni repeatedly uses Pascal as an example of a bubble roster player who made the Colts 53-man roster based upon his performance.   The Colts heavily emphasized the run, and presuming the Eagles will continue to do so next year, Pascal is familiar with and fits into a run heavy attack.   Cost : At 1.5M guaranteed, this is an inexpensive contract for a contributing veteran presence.   Grit : Sirianni has emphasized the receiver played an integral part in the coach adopting “DAWG mentality” as a catchphrase for the culture he continues to establish in Philadelphia .   Pascal is an able and willing blocker in the run game, and he brings the quality of physicality to the position. ...

  Today, the Eagles officially re-signed safety Anthony Harris.   The Good: Cost : At 2.5M, this is a fairly inexpensive contract for a contributing veteran presence, less than the 5M deal Harris received from Philly last off season.   Age : Harris, while not young, is not old.   He is with the Eagles on this contract only for his age 30 season. 2021 Rebound : Harris passer rating when targeted metric improved from 118.1 in 2020 to 68.7 last year. His missed tackle rate dropped (good!) from 8.8% to 2.7%. Familiarity : Harris brings back not only a year of experience in Jonathan Gannon’s Eagle defense, they worked together from 2015-17 when Gannon was the assistant DB coach in Minnesota.      The Bad: Salary Shrinkage : Harris has seen his salary cut dramatically last year (11.4M to 5M), and it is getting cut again in ‘22 (2.5M).   Not a good look, & suggests the Eagles were forced to buy into a descending player. Expectations :...

  Going into Free Agency it was thought next to QB’s, the cost to protect them (Offensive Tackles, especially on the blind side) or defeat them (edge rushers) were the most expensive NFL acquisitions.   This Free agency period may be proving that wrong… Christian Kirk, by all expectations a “B” or “B+” receiver, signed a 4 year, 72M contract with Jacksonville.   Davante Adams received 28M per year from the Raiders.   Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami per their willingness to sign him to what appears a 4 year contract worth 120M (72M+ guaranteed).   Eagles Lesson : These numbers will dramatically affect the draft, where top tier & 2 nd tier receiver talent will almost imperceptibly bubble up draft boards.   It will be quite surprising if the Eagles do not acquire a receiver in rounds or 2 of this ’22 draft to lock in another rookie salary for a key receiver for 4 or 5 years.  

  A new addition to the QB carousel- The Atlanta Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a 3rd round pick.   Ryan has been the Falcons starter since drafted in 2008, and a darn good one (He does not have HOF credentials, but is a clear cut member of the “Hall of Very Good” (6 Playoff appearances, 4 Pro Bowls, 2 Championship games, a 1 st team All Pro and a league MVP in 2016).   FA Marcus Mariota was signed as a possible replacement for Ryan this season.    Eagles Lesson : Some Eagle fans will cry for Ryan to come home to Philly (he’s from Exton), but he is past his prime and while he could be a 2022 improvement depending upon how much Jalen Hurts can ascend… No.   It’ll be sooner rather than later that Hurt’s NFL QB value will exceed Ryan’s.

  Perhaps another real victory for the recent Super Bowl Champion Rams is recognition of their signing the first black player in NFL History.   Kenny Washington was signed 76 years ago today.   Kudos for this little celebrated event for the Ram organization.   The Rams moved from Cleveland to LA in 1946.   There was public pressure for racial integration.   So 3/21/46 was the date Kenny Washington broke the NFL’s color barrier, more than a year before the great Jackie Robinson did the same for Major League Baseball (Washington was a baseball player in college too, and outhit teammate Jackie by 200 points at UCLA!).   Washington had been rated the “#1 threat” in a college player poll upon Graduation as an All American in 1939.   Washington was awarded the Douglas Fairbanks Trophy as the nation’s best college player.   But, like Jackie, his success was delayed.   After he graduated, unable to play in the NFL, Washington coached footb...

  Today, the Eagles officially re-signed defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.   Cox was released a couple days prior (St. Patrick’s Day) with an addendum he would be quickly re-signed.   The Good: Eagle Great : Cox was a 2012 1 st round selection.   He has enjoyed an excellent Philly career that includes a selection to the NFL 2012 all-rookie team, 6 Pro Bowl nods (the most ever by an Eagle DT… 2016 - 2021), 4 All-Pro selections (2014, '15, '17, '18), and membership on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.   Additionally, he was a key member of the first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history (2017).   Plus/Minus : The Eagles are a worse team without Cox. In that regard, his return is welcomed.   Annual Deal : The contract is now one that is year-to-year. Cox will receive $14 million to play in 2022, down a few million from what he was supposed to get before being cut.   The Eagles will save 2 million on the pair of recent transactions associated wi...

  It is always a joy to see NFC Eagle Opponents having difficulty.   It appears this will not be a good free agency period for the Cowboys: They lost a good player (wr Amari Cooper) per salary cap limitations & off field issues. They lost a good player (OT La’el Collins) also per salary cap limitations & off field issues. They lost a good player (wr Cedrick Wilson), again per salary cap limitations (notice a pattern on that). They blew re-signing DE Randy Gregory via a late attempt to insert added language to his contract. They did re-sign DeMarcus Lawrence, Michael Gallup and some lesser players to relatively team friendly deals. Eagles Lesson : The Dallas Cowboys are 1 of only 5 teams in the NFL to not play in a conference championship game this millennium.   Much of this has to do with their combination of poorly managed free agency and their failure to recognize when to “push their chips in, and go for it.”   The Eagles are fortunate the Cowb...

 The musical chairs at Quarterback continued with the Cleveland Browns morally bankrupt acquisition of Desean Watson, accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.  Don’t get me wrong… It was OK for the Browns to pursue him based on the premise of innocent till proven guilty and everyone who pays their debt to society deserves a 2 nd chance.  It was even OK for the Browns to give him the largest FULLY GUARANTEED contract in NFL history (five years, 230 million).  What was NOT OK was the Brown organization allowing Watson to avoid financial consequences of any actions he might be held accountable for by making the first year of his contract a very small amount of the total.  Intentionally structuring the contract to avoid penalties of guilt is a heinous act by the organization.  This marginalizes not only the Browns but the entire NFL in terms of organizational morality.  In Football terms, the Browns clearly took the best “available” QB (other potential...

  There are on-again, off-again rumors that the Eagles are involved in the race for DeSean Watson.   While having an elite franchise QB is unquestionably a great path to winning, insuring either Watson’s innocence or that he pays society’s debt(s) for his crime(s) is ultimately the cost.   By handling an acquisition of this nature with the class and propriety the Eagles handled the Michael Vick signing is a template to insure success.   Vick was guilty, but publicly paid his debt to society and gave appropriate penance (to criminal animal cruelty) by embracing kindness for animals in both word and deed.   Walking this path with Watson will prove difficult for wherever his landing spot is.   It’ll take a strong, planned organizational path.   The asset costs are also a consideration… What will be the combination of draft pick / player compensation?   Anything beyond 3 first round picks and three good players is too much.   What will be the s...

  The Eagles had a “quiet” day in the middle of the Free Agency legal tampering period.   They signed wr Greg Ward and DB Andre Chachere to 1 year deals, and gave the lowest possible tender to Guard Nate Herbig.   Ward is a hard working backup who lacks speed, but is smart and plays Special Teams.   He is a good wide receiver to serve as the last one on a team’s depth chart.   Chachere was a waiver pickup from Indy last year who played gunner on special teams for the Eagles and saw 56 defensive snaps as a backup at corner and safety.      Herbig is a 23 year old workmanlike Guard who has gotten average starter grades from PFF, not bad for a 3 rd stringer!   This performance earned him the tender, guaranteeing him 2.4 million dollars next year.   Eagles Lesson : A roster is 53 strong.   Herbig and Ward have already contributed significantly from roles where they were at the back end of the roster.   Sometimes “it takes a vil...

  Eagles signed a “tweener,” hybrid edge/SAM LB Haasan Reddick from Carolina.   Redick has had tremendous success the last 2 seasons (his final with Arizona, his only with Carolina under his former Temple Head coach Matt Ruhle.   Facts on Reddick signing: 13 th pick in 2017 by Arizona in 2017 draft.   A SAM LB who will rush the passer 85+ % of the time.   Will drop back a bit as LB, but not much. Averaged 11.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in last 2 seasons, for two different clubs, once allowed to play to his strengths.   Let him do his thing (rush the passer, not drop into coverage), and he's a playmaker. He plays the run well.   Can set the edge even at his size.   Makes plays in the run game too.   A personal goal has been to add 10-15 lbs this off season to add strength while maintaining speed. One negative… He does not get the number of hurries one would expect based on his sack total. He listens, he learns, and he is smart.   Acqu...

  Today, Monday, begins the “legal tampering” period in the NFL, starting at noon and lasting 52 hours (till the new NFL league year begins in two days, Wednesday evening March 16 th at 4pm.   The oxymoron “legal tampering” is the brief period NFL teams can have preliminary negotiations with prospective Free Agents prior to the “real” eligibility to sign these players once the NFL new year begins.   What will the Eagles prioritize during this period of time?   In descending sequence: Wide Receiver: The Eagles have 1 very good (perhaps better) wide receiver in Devonta Smith, and a potentially good one in Quez Watkins.   Outside that, they are bereft of talent at the position.   A starting “X” receiver is preferred (The Eagles chased Atlanta wideout Calvin Ridley till he was banned from the NFL in 2022 for gambling), but the position has no equivalent talent in Free Agency.   So I think the Eagles will pursue a “2 nd tier” wideout such as JuJu Smith...

  Tom Brady announced is “unretirement” this evening after 40 days “retired.”   As one of the best players in the league (he led the NFL in yards passing {5,316}, touchdowns {43}, completions {485} and attempts {719} in 2021, but Tampa Bay lost at home to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs) he certainly has not shown regression in his play.   This provides continuity for the Bucs as a Super Bowl contender.   I’d like to point out as a recent retiree that the decision is a difficult one.   Perhaps Tom spent 40 days home with wife Gisele and his kids (14, 11 and 8), and decided another year working had more appeal (just kidding)?   But the announcement timing is interesting… The evening before the NFL legal tampering period begins.   Clearly the Bucs wanted to use Brady’s re-addition as a critical attraction to help retain their own players (Bucs center Ryan Jensen and tight end Rob Gronkowski) or acquire new players via Free ...

  Joe Banner, a man with perhaps more inside knowledge on the Eagles ’s than anyone outside the organization, published an   article on the 33 rd team indicating the good chance DeSean Watson would be pursued by Philadelphia.   Yesterday, a grand jury did NOT indict Watson on criminal charges associated with sexual assault and harassment.   Watson will continue to face civil charges, but the results have appeared to spur trade interest.     His football value is uncontested, his final season on a bad team in Houston was good for the 17 game equivalent of 5000+ passing yards, a 70+ % completion percentage, 35 TD’s and 7 interceptions.   Acquiring Watson will be a headache for his new club, given the anticipated backlash and controversy around his alleged activity.   He will carry about a 35M cap hit thru and including 2025.   His trade request came BEFORE the allegations were revealed… Watson supposedly wanted greater input on coaching and...

  Jason Kelce will return to Philly as the leagues highest paid center in 2022.   Each off-season in recent years (including this one), Kelce takes time to consider retirement.   He is 34 and will turn 35 by midseason.   But Kelce has been the NFL’s first team All-Pro center 4 of the last 5 years.   The Eagles will not only be fortunate to have Kelce back because he continues to play his position at the league’s highest level, but also as the clear defacto leader of the team.   He is one of the remaining Eagles that brought a Super Bowl to the city.   Kelce gained fame, notoriety and popularity for a hilarious and emotional post-Super-Bowl win speech to the parade crowd back in 2018.     Kelce “owns” Philadelphia for being humble, a workmanlike overachiever playing way beyond expectations as a 6 th round draft pick who “gives it” on every play… And he plays hurt.   He currently has a consecutive games streak of 122, the longest act...