Pre-Super Bowl thoughts: Talent Everywhere

 

A Super Bowl memory from retired Hall-Of-Fame NFL columnist Ray Didinger… Back in 1981 when the Eagles were preparing for Supe 15, NFL players all over the league NOT participating in the game were calling the Raiders to extol them to win.  Why?  Eagles coach Dick Vermeil had been an unenviably harsh coach/task master all year to his players.  Today, “2-a-day” practices are a thing of the past.  Back then, Vermeil introduces 3-a-days! 3.5 hour practices were common.  Vermeil exhausted himself and his players to create the muscle memory he believe they needed to succeed.  It didn’t work.  The favored Eagles lost 27-10 because Vermeil had himself and his players “wound too tight.”  The rest of the NFL players association rejoiced in the Eagle (and Vermeils methodology’s) defeat!

Another reason for Philly fans to laugh at the Cowboys?  Note the following from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones early this past week: “I’m real hesitant to bet it all for a year.  There’s a lot of things that can happen for that year.  In essence, we’re seeing a couple of teams, the Eagles and the Rams, that have had some real success putting it all out there and paying for it later... But if you will… pick your shots with risk-taking… I know how to take risks:" 

• The Rams… Yep, I started my blog a year ago discussing the Rams approach (Building a Champion) in building a Super Bowl contender.  While the Rams paid the inevitable consequences of their approach (5-12 this past season), they were NOT, as Jones alludes, a 1 year wonder.  From 2016 thru their 2022 Super Bowl victory, they went 54-25 and got to 2 Super Bowls!  Lotsa entertainment for Rams fans over ½ a decade, including 5 playoff and 2 Super Bowl appearances over 6 years! 
• The Eagles… Not sure what Jerry means in paying for it later?  The Eagles have 2 first round draft picks next year (including a top ten draft pick) and the 9^th youngest team in the NFL.  The not irrelevant challenge will be to sign the correct subset of their 20 or so 2023 free agents, including several current starters.  But Howie has proven to be a cap management wizard, and while we should all expect to see the Eagles lose some good starters, they are in position to maintain a Super Bowl Quality core group… A VERY young group, and a very good roster! 
• Dallas… In fact, Philly has more valued future draft capital and cap space than Dallas!  And the last time Dallas went to an NFC title game (let alone a Super Bowl) was 1995.  Twenty Eight Years… that’s some long term planning there, Jerry!  Been awhile between successful risks, there, Jerry?

Ex-Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson said “The comments were so laughably off-the-mark that [I] received a call from Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, asking what Jones was talking about.  Philadelphia has a couple of first-round picks in the [upcoming] NFL Draft. They've got extra picks down the road. They've got some very talented players. They've got several talented YOUNG players.  I think the Philadelphia Eagles are gonna be good for a long time.”

This past week Jerry Jones was enjoying dinner in a posh New Orleans restaurant.  He received a free drink from an Eagle fan with a napkin clearly displaying “Go Birds, itsa Philly thing!” Jones reportedly took it in good humor, but avoided the Eagle fan who sent the drink when leaving the restaurant.  Well, Jerry, that Eagle fan kindly avoided singing “Fly, Eagles, Fly,” and extolling “Dallas Sucks!” as you were leaving the restaurant.

It has taken quite some time this year for the Eagles to get National respect.  Weekly reviews of the NFL’s best teams have frequently pointed to the Bills, Chiefs and 49ers as the cream of the NFL crop, with the Birds reluctantly receiving “any love.”  While the strength of this team is in the trenches on the offensive and defensive lines, what is really special about this team- NO DISCERNABLE WEAKNESS.  Every starter on the offense is either a Pro-Bowler or has a legitimate argument to be a Pro Bowler.  On defense, things are similar, where, while they’re good players, only Kyzir White and Marcus Epps are not legitimate Pro Bowlers!  20 of 22 players at Pro Bowl caliber.  Frankly, that’s just astounding!  And beyond those 22 starters, there are other contributors who are very very good, above average NFL players.  That is the true strength of this particular Eagles team, excellence everywhere plus outstanding depth.     

Last week in “The Supe!” I mentioned the luck associated with deals the Eagles DIDN’T make (acquiring WRs Christian Kirk or Calvin Ridley which would have prevented the acquisition of AJ Brown, or acquiring a QB like Russell Wilson or Desean Watson which could have hampered or prevented QB Jalen Hurts breakout, or acquiring safety Marcus Williams which would have likely prevented the acquisitions of Safety CJ Garner Johnson and cornerback Ray Bradberry).  What went unsaid was few in the league can pivot like HOWIE.  With all these moves, he had backup, alternate or even tertiary plans to improve the roster.  In some cases, these alternate plans turned out better (sometimes significantly better) than his original intended move.  Howie may be better than any other GM with persistent implementations of Plan B or Plan C if plan A does not work out.  That operational integrated planning is a key to strategic roster management.

Howie’s success comes in part because Jeffrey Laurie enables it.  Howie knows he has a secure job, that he is not doomed to fail based on a couple mistakes.  Howie, like all of us, has made errors.  But it is Jeff Laurie who sees the big picture, ensuring he, Howie and the organization (via process) learn from those mistakes and get better, rather than moving on to new leadership. This allows Howie to make better long term decisions, not having to be concerned about his immediate authority and job security.  This long-term approach gives the Eagles a decided advantage!  Kudos to Jeffrey Laurie.    

Laurie’s approach also allows the Eagles to preach an aggressive organization.  Nick Sirianni uses data to make aggressive decisions on third and fourth down.  Howie leads a front office that aggressively plucked a player from another team (CJ Gardner Johnson from New Orleans so he can change positions from slot corner to safety), reinforce a team strength (trusting player value so signing aging stars Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox while simultaneously drafting their replacements in rounds 1 & 2, DT Jordan Davis and center Cam Jurgens), sign a skilled rookie free agent no one else wants (Reed Blankenship), or pursue critical veteran free agent pieces (Edge rusher extraordinaire Hasson Reddick, and the straw that stirs the drink wide receiver AJ Brown). Laurie recognizes instilling his leaders with the right process, the right data AND an aggressive mindset creates the combination for a winning NFL organization.  

One key organizational philosophy for the Eagles is win in the trenches.  It comes from their old likely future Hall-Of-Fame level coach, Andy Reid.  Andy eats his own dogfood (getting the big uglies), even though it’s not sexy…, KC is darn pretty good up front too, with the 3^rd or 4^th best O-Line in the NFL, and having Defensive Tackle Chris Jones, who may be (next to Patrick Mahomes) the 2nd best player in the Super Bowl game. But Andy is about to encounter the monster he created in Philly.  Roseman has adopted the philosophy of mentor Andy.  Along with the rest of the front office and coaching staff, especially OL coach Jeff Stoutland, Roseman and the Eagles have built not only the best Offensive Line in the game today, but likely the best so far this century.  In even distant memory, only the Cowboys OL from the early 90’s and the Redskin Hogs from the 80’s can compete with the dominance of this O-Line.  Defensively on the line, there are stars (Edge Reddick and DT Fletcher Cox), but it is more about unprecedented depth.  At DT, the Eagles have 6 players where the floor is an above average starter this year (rookie Jordan Davis) and the ceiling is a potential Hall of Famer Ndamukong Suh.  Coach Reid may get defeated by his own creation on Sunday.

Who, this week, will be a problem for Philly?  In a twist I can see Andy creating a game plan that emphasizes his running backs, Rick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco.  McKinnon, in a Brian Westbrook-like receiving running back role, has scored 9 TDS via pass reception for the Chiefs this year.  Pacheco, a local (Vineland) runner and 7^th round rookie pick by Reid, has won the KC job and “runs angry,” leaving tacklers in his wake.  In an utter surprise, if the Chiefs want to win this game, I see Reid emphasizing these 2 players and riding them to success.


Eagle Lesson: It takes an organization, starting with the owner, thru GM/Front Office, health and training coordinators, coaches, players, and solid administrators all working together to win it all.  It also takes a little luck, with (lack of) injuries, timing for the moves you can make, and bouncing back from from the moves you could not.  The Chiefs may have the 3 best players on the field Sunday (Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones).  But the Eagles overall talent level is so high, with no discernible weakness, that I expect them to wear down the Chiefs and win via overall talent… 34-27.