At least Owen Schmitt has landed with another team... That will be good news to our Austrian correspondent from the Future, Mr. Bruzer 9.5, who was a big fan of the Beer Truck...
Owen Schmitt was a good fill-in for the legacy of the tragic loss of Leonard Weaver... but the Eagles are going against the grain of the traditional lead-blocking fullback in 2012...thus Schmitt was expendable.
Schmitt's two-year stint with the team ended late Tuesday night when he signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.
Schmitt's departure leaves Stanley Havili as the top contender to be the starting fullback this season. Havili, a 2011 seventh-round draft pick, spent his entire rookie season on the Eagles' practice squad. The 6-foot, 230-pounder is among three fullbacks on the Eagles' current roster. He'll face competition from rookie free agents Emil Igwanagu (Massachusetts) and Jeremy Stewart (Stanford).
There is also the possibility the Eagles won't carry any fullbacks this season and opt to keep an extra running back or tight end. Although Schmitt played in every game after replacing injured Leonard Weaver in the second week of the 2010 season, he only started 10 games and rarely touched the football.
Last season, he rushed for six yards on four carries against the New York Giants in the third game--- and had no carries the rest of the season. He was a solid receiver in 2010, catching 19 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, but had just three receptions for 32 yards last season.
Schmitt was a terrific lead blocker for running back LeSean McCoy, however, helping him rush for a career-high 1,309 yards, and helped protect quarterback Michael Vick. The Eagles may be confident in their expectation that Schmitt's lead-blocking and pass-pro can be easily replaced... but I hope their metrics are beyond reproach in this category. I believe in Stanle Havili...but he is no Vonta Leach in the blocking scheme, if you know what I mean...
Meanwhile, the Eagles prepare for a full veterans' camp OTA in a few days (May 22)...
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, right, works against Maurice Fountain as defensive line coach Jim Washburn, left, watches during an NFL football rookie minicamp at their training facility, Saturday, May 12, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
They had a built-in excuse all last year. No minicamps, no OTAs, no offseason workouts of any kind. The Eagles’ slow start in 2011 was linked to the NFL’s lockout and the elimination of all organized offseason practices in a season in which the Eagles overhauled the roster.
So much change, so little time.
“I think it would have been really hard to be a rookie last year,” Eagles first-round pick Fletcher Cox said. “You’re playing your last game in December and then you’re not doing anything until training camp starts in August, and you’re going right into hitting and then the season starts. It’s definitely a big advantage for us to have a full offseason to help us learn and get ready for training camp.”
The Eagles wrapped up a three-day rookie camp this past Monday with a single practice in the team’s indoor facility. They’ll begin a three-day, full-team camp May 22.
Coach Andy Reid was surprised at how well his new players were able to translate what they learned in meetings into what they did on the field during this past brief rookie camp. “I was happy with the way things worked out,” he said. “It was good to get the rookies out here, give them the reps they were able to get, which was a lot of them. They were able to show some stuff, and I don’t think anyone is leaving here feeling slighted at the number of reps that they got to show."
Following the conclusion of Monday's rookie camp, Reid updated the injury situation for the entire team. When he mentioned LT Jason Peters, Reid said that he was "out indefinitely".
The camp was intended to give rookies and select veterans a head start on the offseason... so that, when the full-team workouts start, they have a chance to keep up with the regulars.
“It’s a good foundation,” Reid said. “We threw a lot at them, and we feel that they digested it pretty well. I thought this was a great introduction that they can build on. When they get together with the veterans, and now they have that extra pressure and everything is moving a little bit faster, at least they have that foundation to build on.”
Reid said second-round pick Mychal Kendricks performed well enough to earn a chance to line up with the starters at strong-side outside linebacker when the full roster reports for next week’s camp. “I’ll tell you that he looked good out here,” Reid said. “He made a lot of plays and got his hands on the ball.”
Reid also revealed that Stanley Havili, a seventh-round draft pick last year, will go into full-team camps as the starting fullback. The coach also said Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman, who started most of last year, will return as the starting safeties ahead of Jaiquawn Jarrett, last year’s second-round pick.
Reid said safety Colt Anderson, linebacker Jamar Chaney and defensive tackle Mike Patterson will sit out all offseason camps, which end June 14. Anderson is coming off December ACL surgery, Chaney had postseason neck surgery, and Patterson underwent surgery in January to repair a brain malformation. Reid said Chaney and Patterson should be fine for training camp. He’s unsure about Anderson.
Tight end Brent Celek (sports hernia), linebacker Moise Fokou (ankle surgery) and center Jason Kelce (foot sprain) should all participate in next week’s camp, although Celek’s work will be limited. Celek played in all 16 games last season, averaging 50.7 yards receiving. He also had five touchdowns as the Eagles wrapped up a disappointing 8-8 season.
This would qualify as one of Eagles Eye's "whimsical" blurrgs... if only it weren't so true...
Cleveland Browns fans are drooling over our soon-to-be leftovers at LB....
You know the Cleveland Browns, right? They are now being called the "Eagles Midwest Version" in the AFC...or perhaps more tellingly, the Cleveland "Breagles"...
This is largely because Browns' ownership and management have decided they want to go the Eagles' "Gold Standard" route of running a successful franchise...
Thus the Browns have invested big-time in former Eagles management personnel...
Tom Heckert tops the bill of former Eagles management personnel who have gone to Cleveland to try to recreate the Gold Standard of Eagles football...
It all started snowballing when the Browns under team president Mike Holmgren hired Eagles' former V.P. of Player personnel Tom Heckert to assume General Manager duties....
Heckert then hired Brad Childress to be their new offensive coordinator. It was to be an Eagles reunion of sorts in Cleveland as Childress, the Eagles' former offensive coordinator, would work under head coach Pat Shurmur, who was a tight ends, then quarterbacks coach, for the Birds.
The two had worked together for seven years on Andy Reid's staff with the Eagles.
Heckert, the Browns' general manager, worked with both Shurmur and Childress as the Eagles Director of Player Personnel and Vice President of Player Personnel.
The Reid Tree is growing, just mostly in Cleveland...
Childress was fired as the Vikings' head coach after 10 games in 2010. He went 39-35 with the Vikings in his tenure.
Shurmur was head coach and offensive coordinator in his first season as the Browns' coach last year. The Browns finished 4-12 and scored 13.6 points per game.
The Browns also have several former Eagles on their roster, including Sheldon Brown, Chris Gocong, Dimitri Patterson, Alex Smith, Jordan Norwood and Artis Hicks. Brodrick Bunkley was an ex-Eagles Browns for a while last season before being sent to Denver... Juqua Parker (former eagles DE) was recently signed by the Browns...
Former Eagles head coach Ray Rhodes is a senior defensive assistant.
The Browns have quickly become the "Island of Misfit Eagles". No word if Donovan McNabb is on his way to Cleveland. Then again, would anyone be surprised?
So no surprise that there is a Cleveland Browns fansite that wants to be us...
It is called Orange and Brown Report... and it's more akin to a message board than our humble forum of blurbicus and discussion here... but it's obvious that the Orange and Brown guys have been studying not only our Eagles players but the star commenters who frequent these pages of Eagles-oriented talk...
First of all, they have a Brizer wanna-be... a so-called gate-keeping leader named "Bo Davis", aka "The Menacing Mongrel".... Okay, I get the implied compliment to our own GK...
But this Cleveland version of Bri is more like a vulture than the clever Renaissance man we know Brizer to be... Bo Davis does not subscribe to the GK's charter of "education and entertainment"... he is more like a raptor intent upon eyeballing the scraps of the Eagles' impending roster cuts for the purpose of feeding the Cleveland Browns machine... That's basically all he does.
Here's a recent take from Bo Davis to support my allegations:
"Keep an eye on Eagles LB's Keenan Clayton, Akeem Jordan, Fokou..."
"Linebacker: Another summer, another new spin on the position that the Eagles can never quite seem to settle. Only this time, you have to feel better about the options. Barring some offseason nightmare, DeMeco Ryans will be the starter at middle linebacker. We still need to see how close he is to the Pro Bowl form he displayed before his 2010 Achilles tear, but if he’s even near that level he’ll be an upgrade."
"The battles, then, will be at outside linebacker. Second round pick Mychal Kendricks and Jamar Chaney will start off on the strong side, but Kendricks already seems to have the inside track. The Eagles love his ability to rush the passer, which would give the team another look that quarterbacks would have to prepare for."
"If Chaney is pushed aside, though, he would probably get a shot on the weak side, along with Brian Rolle and Casey Matthews. Rolle had some solid moments last year, but with his height you don’t know if he’ll be a long-term answer. The Eagles invested a fourth round pick in Matthews and will also give him a shot. He was one of the players Roseman raved about Monday for his offseason work. (I can hear some of you groaning, but let’s allow that Matthews (A)was put in a very difficult position at the start of last season and (B)showed some positive signs when given a second chance).
"Keenan Clayton has intriguing speed but has never been able to carve out a niche for himself. He’d seem to make a nice nickel linebacker, but the Eagles would prefer to find a set of guys who can stay on the field for three downs. Clayton may have one last summer to make a positive impression (Another running criticism: that he shows up much more in games than in practices; that’ll have to change)."
"Akeem Jordan and Moise Fokou have had chances to take control of starting jobs, but neither has made a huge impact the past two years. They may face an uphill battle for roster spots. Same with Greg Lloyd and Monte Simmons."
"I can't wait to see which of these guys get cut by the Eagles... whoever they are will fit fine into the Cleveland Browns system... and we sure need another quality linebacker for sheer depth purposes..."Yikes. Bo Davis sees dead people---he wants our zombies...
And he gets fan mail like this:
"Your attention to the Eagles is well timed, I was thinking the Browns may be thinking about getting one of the Eagles' DE's since Heckert ignored the chances to draft Upshaw or Curry. The Eagles grabbed Caurry and now have a nice surplus that maybe one of which will be available via trade. I would hope the Browns are smart enough to check in with the Eagles regarding Brandon Graham who may be bumped by Curry or Upshaw this summer. The Browns are going to have plenty of back ups to fill the RDE spot, but they have no legit starter for this position at this time, and if they don't address this before the season begins, it will be another long season with Sheard being double-teamed and Big Ben and Flacco just rolling out to the right side to avoid our only capable DE." ----browns-town.com
And this:
"Clayton was drafted after Heckert left so I doubt Heckert would really be that interested in him. Fokou and Jordan would be possibilities. As far as DEs goes, just wait for Daryll Tapp to be cut. He is scheduled to make $2.575M this year. Absent someone else getting hurt, he's not going to stick with the Eagles at that cap number and no one is trading for him." --- Fluffy Puppy
And this:
"If you can't make the Eagles LB corps, I'm not interested...
Now Graham on the other hand..." --- Junkyard Terror
There are many more examples of the incredible first-cousin bond we now seem to share with the fans of the Cleveland Browns. I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with this shared bond at the moment... But it is flattering at some level that they covet our leftovers.
Perhaps the telling symbol in this mad double-life we seem to be leading with Cleveland right now is Bo Davis' own personal avatar:
Yeah, that's Bo Davis the Menacing Mongrel's avatar... the GK-wannabe of Cleveland.... pales in comparison to our own GK's evolving series of images of personal power and influence, doesn't it? Well, with the possible exception of the brief run of the "Lawn Jockey" avatar... although I found that avatar in good taste and appropriate to the spirit of self-deprecative humor we enjoy here...as well as relevant to the thoroughbred championship horse-racing season upon us now again...
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The sobering spin--- it's the veteran players on the roster who will need to step up on Defense.
DE Brandon Graham has got to perk up and smile less, according to our resident GateKeeper Brizer...
It's not enough that the Eagles added so many high-end defensive players in this year's NFL Draft, after acquiring accomplished middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans in a trade...
Nick Fierro's pointing the finger at four guys specifically--- his take from the Allentown Morning Call---The only way for the team to be truly better and have a championship-level defense is for some of the returning veterans to play better, specifically cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Brandon Graham and safeties Jaiquawn Jarrett and Kurt Coleman.
Fierro's negative take on Nnamdi is something I'm hearing more and more around the village, and it goes like this: "Asomugha did little during the 2011 season to confirm the notion that he still is an elite player. While it is true he was thrust into unfamiliar zone coverages by then-new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, he failed just as often in his more familiar bump-and-run role in single coverage. If he has a bounce-back year, the signing is justified. If not, don't look for him to be starting very much longer."
UPDATE--- Our astute observer Brozer-8 got an early comment in on that rather harsh judgement vs. Asomugha prior to my final edit this morning... and he correctly pointed out the situation was actually way more complicated than the average flamethrower could know--- that Nnamdi played pretty well at doing what he does if you grade the tape... and that Fierro's harsh judgement on Asomugha should really be directed at DRC...which is a valid point from several coaching and playing perspectives. Seeing as Fierro and Broz both played the game at at least a secondary school or college level, I decided to present both views...But I'm leaning to the probability that Broz has watched way more game film than Fierro.
I can't argue too much with the balance of Fierro's take on the other three guys he's targeted:
"Graham is a player coach Andy Reid and general manager Howie Roseman have done nothing but rave about in this offseason, saying how much better he looks compared to last season, when he was still supposedly feeling the effects of a knee injury the year before. As Reid likes to say, we'll see. Graham insisted right up to the end last season that his knee was not an issue, but the Eagles rarely threw him into the rotation. We'll know this year what was really up."
"Jarrett was a rookie who really seemed lost without the benefit of minicamps because of the lockout and could not come close to taking a job that was open for him. Reid admitted earlier this month that Jarrett was "thinking too much." That, or not enough. Again, we'll know a lot better by the end of this summer."
"Coleman had tremendous production at times but too often whiffed on tackles. The good news is that it wasn't because of fear. The bad news is that it might have been due to limited ability." No, Nick did not just say that!
Leo Pizzini likes Coleman... so I am biting my tongue...But I do agree with the general "perk up" spirit of Fierro's defensive conclusion, if not his metrics of judgement.
But in the interest of journalistic balance, I must point out: the Eagles Defense in 2011 was not as horrible as you may remember...
While the Eagles' defense wasn't perfect, it should have been good enough with the way the Eagles were able to move the ball on offense. But the tragic amount of offensive turnovers they suffered last year single-handedly ruined their season. The offense ended up sending mixed signals to the defense, moving the ball like a team that scores a ton of points but then failing to produce results. The defense became a team that would be good for a team that could score---- and ended up becoming the scapegoat when the offense faltered.
This is not to say the defense was elite. It was far from it, and with all of the moves the front office has done in 2012, the defense should show marked improvement next season. But the idea that it was the defense that ruined the Eagles' 2011 season is just flat-out not true. It was the offense's propensity to commit turnovers that not only hindered their scoring but also put the defense between a rock and a hard place...many times.
According to Matt Harkenreader of Bleeding Green Nation, it boils down to this:"On paper, the Eagles additions in defensive personnel most definitely put them in a position to improve next season. Of course, 'on paper' does not always translate perfectly into reality, so we'll have to wait like we do with everything else. The offensive side of the ball is a little more difficult to put a finger on. Turnovers aren't really quantifiable in the NFL; you can't get a new coach or new players and call the problem 'fixed'. A problem like that rests solely on the mentality of the players. It's up to people like Michael Vick, responsible for around twenty of the Eagles thirty-eight turnovers, to take a hard look in the mirror and notes on film to improve their play."
"The good news is that the Law of Averages suggests the Eagles should commit fewer turnovers next season. But that alone may not be good enough; it will probably take individual effort on the part of the players to really solve the problem. With an improving defense that was already 'good enough' last season, a commitment by the players to become great and improve upon their faults may be sufficient to field a team in September that could be fighting to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next February."
Well, I won't argue with that. That's the kind of spirit we need around here. It's the perfect "perk up!" moment on a dreary Wednesday in May...
Rookie minicamp 2012 wrapped up dramatically with Andy Reid declaring last year's draftee Stanley Havili the #1 Fullback on the Eagles roster. That's an important piece of the rookie puzzle solved and the second-year players group's challenge to "perk up" revealed... a substantial clue also as to what direction this Eagles offense is headed.
Stanley Havili says he's worked out and trained harder in the past year, and it paid off in rookie camp with his promotion to FB #1. He was the Eagles 7th-round pick in 2011 from USC, at 6-0, 230, 4.6 speed... Havili scored more touchdowns receiving passes than rushing in college...so his promotion kinda tells me something about where the Eagles want to go with the Fullback position in 2012.
The Eagles wrapped up minicamp on a rainy Monday for their rookies and practice players from 2011. The only major casualty of the long weekend was defensive tackle Maurice Fountain, the oldest participant, who turns 30 in September. Fountain, a member of the Eagles' practice squad last season, tore his right patellar tendon in the final minutes of Sunday afternoon's workout, Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed.
After Reid spent around five minutes addressing the players following the final practice Monday, he huddled with the media and explained it's still an unfinished picture of a team...but some definitive sketch lines have been drawn.
"It's a good foundation," Reid said. "It's a good introduction, and we threw a lot at them and it looked like they digested it pretty well. ... I thought it was a great introduction that these guys could build on. When they get together for the veterans and have that extra pressure and everything is a little bit faster, at least they have a good foundation they can bank on."
Although Reid was hesitant to identify the best of the non-contract players who were in on a tryout basis, we'll all know soon enough which ones they like the best, because they'll be signed long before the team's first full minicamp later this month. In fact, they could be signed by the end of the day.
"Right when I leave here, I'm going to go up and have a staff meeting and I have it all set up," Reid said, "because these kids have to get out of here. So if there are any that we like, we'll end up keeping them. There were a couple that stood out. ... The safeties that were in there, I thought they did a pretty good job, and really they all busted their tails."
Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer really liked two guys he saw: Oregon safety Cliff Harris and Tulsa wideout/returner Demaris Johnson. As Les explained, "those two, along with Syracuse safety Phillip Thomas and Kansas State running back Bryce Brown all got into trouble of some sort or another that affected their draft stock." Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has said the team is reevaluating how it defines "character," giving a little slack to guys who seem decent and remorseful, and who didn't do anything that hurt anyone.
Reid expanded on that Monday. "We have a couple guys we're giving a second chance to, really," Reid said. "They goofed up. We felt through our evaluation process that they're not bad kids, we're going to give 'em a chance. They know they goofed up, which is important. They've admitted they goofed up, which is even more important. We'll see if there's a change that takes place ... Do they know there are not a lot of second chances in this world? Yeah. They're getting one, and we'll see what they do with it."
Johnson's speed has really stood out among the wideouts. He missed the 2011 season after a felony ebezzlement charge was brought, stemming from merchandise he got from a Tulsa Macy's where his girlfriend worked. Johnson acknowledged paying $13 for more than $2,800 worth of stuff. He and his girlfriend, Chamron Jones, worked out a plea under which their records will be expunged after a year of probation and commiunity service.
"I'm very thankful to the Eagles for giving me the opportunity," Johnson said. "That's why I go out every day and just try to show them everything that I've got." Johnson is the all-time NCAA leader in total yardage ((7,796) and kickoff return yardage (3,417) despite missing his senior season.
It's all about the terminology.. we've all heard that before... but it's especially true regarding any new team member in an NFL organization...
As if the terminology and demands of the massive playbooks aren't enough, the outdated references to pop culture by well-meaning special teams coordinator Bobby April assure the players attending Eagles rookie camp at the NovaCare Complex this weekend will be in for a head-spinning experience all the way to the end.
April blurted out a comparison to 1970s sitcom "Laverne and Shirley" when trying to make a point to his troops during a particularly humorous interlude highlighting the morning session.
"I had no clue, no clue what he was talking about," admitted UDFA and former Penn State safety Drew Astorino, who was born five years after the show went off the air. "It went right over my head."
Terminology...
There is a recurring nightmare common to the NFL quarterback. He is on the field, sweat dripping from forehead, enemies staring malevolently from just beyond the neutral zone... The quarterback motions his teammates into the huddle and informs them of the play. But something is wrong. Like 10 "Kafka" characters they stare back at him blank-faced, clueless... He speaks, but they don't understand.
It was no dream when it happened to Wade Wilson during his first season in New Orleans. Wilson had received his NFL indoctrination from the Vikings, his employers for 11 seasons. And as he relayed the call to his new Saints teammates in 1993, he was met with the uncomprehending stares that might greet a graduate professor of particle physics who accidentally stumbles into a remedial algebra class.
"I must have been calling a Minnesota play," says Wilson, who was at the time of the interview with the Raiders, his fifth NFL team and, by his reckoning, eighth or ninth offensive system. "Guys are looking at me like I'm crazy. We wound up calling a basic play, just to run something. Thank God it was a preseason game."
Every new player---every free agent, every trade acquisition, every rookie--- brings with him the coded vocabulary of his previous team. To be competitive, every player on the roster must be speaking the same language by the beginning of September.
In terms of complexity and rote learning, football is to other major sports what a Miles Davis composition is to "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain." A typical NFL offensive playbook may contain 60 to 70 plays, many of which can be run from various alignments. Each player has a specific task on every play. On the other side of the ball, the defense has numerous formations and coverage schemes of its own.
All of it must be communicated among coaches and players, and it must be done efficiently (because there are only 40 seconds between snaps), precisely (because one blown assignment is likely to doom a play) and secretively (because sometimes you have to call out audibles). The result is a highly developed system of terminology.
When a coach sends pieces of this terminology to his quarterback via radio transmitter, he delivers two basic nuggets of information: the formation---which almost always alludes to the position of the tight end, and often that of the running backs--- and the play. Some codes give blocking assignments, too. The quarterback adds the snap count.
To illustrate, one of Ravens' former head coach Ted Marchibroda's old standbys was a play called "Split Right 26 Power O." "Split Right" means that the backs are split, one on each side of the quarterback, and the tight end is lined up next to the right tackle. The "26" designation directs the No. 2 back (halfback) to run through the No. 6 hole (between right tackle and tight end). "Power" refers to a double-team block by the tight end and the tackle, while "O" tells the O guard (left guard) to pull through the hole. Multiply that by about 1,000 and you'll end up with something like a league-wide lexicon--at least until someone adds a new term, which probably will be tomorrow. At least the radio headsets have simplified the situation somewhat by curtailing hand signals, the NFL version of sign language. Much of what you hear around the league today is a version of the terminology employed by the late great coach and analyst Bill Walsh during the 49ers' dynasty of the 1980s. But Walsh's code isn't exactly the NFL equivalent of U.N. Esperanto. Even his most loyal proteges, such as Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren, add to and subtract from it in editing their playbooks. And so we are left with a confusing babble, a series of United Nations sub-sessions carried out in 65,000-seat stadiums.
"It's like learning a whole new language every time you move teams," says former QB and coach Jim Zorn.
Or at least a new dialect. "In general, it's like comparing the way they speak Spanish in Spain to how they speak it in Mexico," says former Carolina quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who had played for five NFL teams and eight coaches. "It can get confusing."
And the confusion isn't limited to frequent-flyer backup quarterbacks. Offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong played all of his 12 seasons in New England, but under five coaches. Wide receiver Tim Brown and guard Steve Wisniewski had labored for five coaches with the Raiders. All three have said the biggest challenge with every coaching change has been the "terminology"...
Sometimes the code changes even when the coach doesn't. That happened to Beuerlein when Carolina switched playbooks along with offensive coordinators back in 1999. "The previous year, with Joe Pendry, we'd usually just call a number sequence---two digits---then one word, like `Denver' or 'Razor,' "Beuerlein says. "In the new offense we got more words. We realized we must be more descriptive in the huddle."
That basic distinction--- words vs. numbers ---divides the NFL into two major camps.
"I always felt terms were more graphic," the late Bill Walsh said, "more connected to what we actually do. Numbers give you thousands of variables for pass patterns, but I think they're harder to memorize."
Marchibroda spent much of his long NFL career simplifying the terminology system he first instituted in Baltimore in 1975, and he prefers numbers. He likes that he can call "258" and the split end knows to run a 2 pattern, the tight end a 5 pattern, and the flanker an 8 pattern. And he isn't particularly worried about recall.
"When you call a play 20 to 30 times during the course of a season--and you probably practice it hundreds of times--it becomes second nature," Marchibroda said.
In the prose-oriented systems, certain rules of nomenclature apply.
Foremost is brevity. "Everything happens so fast during a game that the amount of words you have to repeat is critical," Zorn says. "You have to talk in a concise manner."
So coaches tend to employ easily distinguished, one-syllable words. "Fire," "Tank" and "Jet" are perfect. "Lion" is acceptable. "Personal Seat License" won't do.
It also helps if you can build in a mnemonic, a trick to help the player associate a term with its corresponding play. Marchibroda mentions two pass patterns, Sponge and Whisk, that have clues buried in the capitals. Sponge is a strongside pattern; Whisk is to the weakside. During his early years as a quarterback in Seattle, Zorn says assistant coaches Rusty Tillman and Howard Mudd were the team's resident wordsmiths. Sometimes they formed contractions of two existing terms. Sometimes they used acronyms. For instance, if they wanted the fullback to block the "Mike" linebacker, they would use the term "Bom(b)"-for "Back On Mike".
Another key is avoiding homonyms. "I sought terms that were starkly different from one another," Walsh said. "You didn't want any term that could be misinterpreted or misunderstood. For instance, `Break' and `Rake'---they wouldn't be any good together."
Prior associations must be considered, too. When Lions coach Bobby Ross once hired Zorn, he asked the assistant to write up some plays. The boss had a problem with one of them, a defensive coverage scheme. To Zorn, who figures he had memorized seven terminology systems since he joined the Seahawks as a rookie in 1976, the term "safeties hanging" meant they line up shallow. To Ross, "safeties hanging" suggested they soften up, retreat a few steps. (To Mike Ditka, it probably signified Chad Cora and Rob Kelly marched to the gallows after a blown coverage, but that's a different matter)... Zorn found a new phrase.
Coaches will negotiate with each other in such a manner. But if it's a player who complains of being confounded, they'll throw him a pat on the back and a playbook as thick as a Ken Starr footnoted report.
Players who move from team to team (or who welcome revolving regimes of coaches) must constantly revert to Lesson One: Basic Conversation. There are a few consistencies across the league, certainly. "Right" invariably means the tight end is lined up on the right side. "Split" or "I" always will refer to placement of the backs. Beyond that you had better consult your Berlitz NFL Phrase Book.
Coaches find themselves torn. They want to prevent overload, they really do. But they can't help adding another handy phrase or two. Some even change the "live" word, which activates an audible, every week.
"Who's to say someone won't forget?" Walsh said. "He'll be like a sentry walking on duty, muttering to himself, 'What the hell was that password?'"
It would be easy to assume that the simplest systems are always the best. But the Broncos and Packers are doing just fine with the complicated West Coast parlance...Still, when a play-term string runs 12 to 14 words, that's 12 to 14 opportunities to stumble--especially for those still learning. When a player does incorporate a new system, old terms tend to float in the dim pool of the subconscious, waiting to surface at the most inappropriate moments.
"I know I've been guilty many times," Beuerlein said. "Once in a while I'd hear a word, and for some unknown reason it would register the offense from three or four years back. I'd go out and run what I thought I was supposed to run. I'll get back to the sidelines, and the coach will ask, `What the heck was that?'
"And I'd say, `I just ran what you told us to run.' "
The legendary Paul Brown, coaching in Cleveland, created a numbering system for players and holes---odd for the left of center, even for the right---that is accepted today. For years, George Halas' Bears system of numbers and colors was the major competing model. It was used for years by the Giants, and then in Dallas, where Tom Landry unpacked it. The Halas system is nearing obsolescence now. But Sid Gillman, coaching in Los Angeles in the late '50s and San Diego in the early '60s, devised a language-based code that spread like Beat slang.
"Sid's system was as complex as any in history," said Bill Walsh. "He had a term for every pass pattern for every receiver. It took years for some people to learn."
Walsh picked up Gillman's vocabulary in Oakland (from Al Davis) and Brown's numbers in Cincinnati (from Brown himself), and when he became the 49ers' coach in 1979, he melded the two systems. Walsh's West Coast offense has been adapted by roughly half of the NFL teams since--and so has his language.
"Recently I saw Mike Shanahan on a TV feature," Walsh said before he died in 2007. "He called a play, and it was the exact terminology we used in San Francisco."
Meanwhile at Eagles rookie camp, undrafted free agent Jacory Harris and third-round draft pick Nick Foles are handling all the snaps at this camp, which is designed to get them to an acceptable level of speed to join the veterans for the first full-squad minicamp, which will begin May 22.
Foles on Saturday talked about the difficulty of transitioning to the Eagles' system from the one he was in at the University of Arizona.
"I tried to break [the playbook] down and learn the formations, learn the shifts and learn the alignments, not learning the plays first but just getting an idea of the protections," he said. "Then you go into the concepts and understand the formations and you can start plugging the concepts in. I try to dissect it in that way and not learn the plays and the formations because ... that can be overwhelming, so I try and break it down to segments."
Mastering the offense often requires the equivalent of learning a new language, another aspect Foles covered after the first session.
"It's different, it's a challenge, but I'm enjoying it," he said. "I have a lot of work, and we get to watch the film right now and see the progressions. I think it went well today and the guys did really well. We have a lot to improve on of course because it's the first time all of us played together, but it's exciting to be out here and it's exciting to be an Eagle."
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, their first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, sounds like he's been ready for this all his life.
"I'm handling it really good. Coach [defensive coordinator Chris] Wilson[at Mississippi State] did a really good job at preparing [us] for this next level, and we did a lot of things similarly," Cox said. "We get up, have breakfast, have a special team meeting, team meeting, individual meetings and then head out to practice. I kind of have a good outlook on it to begin with."
"... I came in here ready to compete. I really pride myself on competition and competing against the other guys."
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a second-round pick, exuded similar confidence, particularly when asked again if his "undersized" height (5-11) will prevent him from being able to cover NFL tight ends:
"At the end of the day, I'm going to have to go out there and do it," he responded. "And if I do it, I do it. If I don't, then I'll probably get cut. So everything is going to handle itself. That's why I'm saying it doesn't matter, because I'm going to try my hardest and do what I can do. Hopefully everything will take care of itself.
"So I don't really stress about it, and I don't think you guys should either."
Undrafted running back Chris Polk is stressing something completely different: perfection.
"[Coming] in from college, you feel like you know everything," Polk said. "But I'm just getting critiqued on the littlest things. I just really have to be a student of the game and perfect my craft and really accept the coaching and do whatever they ask me to do. Be the first one in and the last one to leave."
Like Foles, the language of the play calls is the most difficult thing for Polk to grasp.
"We ran a pro-style offense that had a lot of pass protection," he said. "It was generally the same thing... just with different wording, so I have to put the same things to different words. The hardest thing for me right now is getting the raw concepts in and also going through the checkdowns and stuff, all the different formations."
Like I said... Terminology.
The beauty of things for both the Eagles and the entire NFL right now is that we're on a regular schedule of off-season activities... which actually means we're officially in Season 2012-13...
Okay. Realization achieved. Now what?
44 athletes have been invited to the Eagles rookie camp.
The latest arrival is QB Jacory Harris from the U. of Miami, and he's here to help distribute the ball in passing drills along with rookie draftee QB Nick Foles over the weekend...
Jacory Harris, QB...6-3, 203, Miami...undrafted in 2012...Once upon a time, former University of Miami quarterback Jacory Harris was a budding star. Harris finished with a 30-0 record as a starting QB in high school (Northwestern Miami HS). Harris was awarded a Class 6A first team all-state selection, the Mr. Football Award of Florida., and Class 6A Player of the Year. Harris attended the 2007 Elite 11 football camp and was ranked as the seventh best pocket-passer quarterback in the nation.
Harris came to University of Miami to compete for the starting quarterback position with former Mr. Florida award winner Robert Marve. Harris and Marve split time as starters, with Marve starting 11 of 13 games. Marve had since transferred out of Miami, leaving Harris the full-time starter heading into the 2009 season. During the 2008 season, Harris led Miami on two comeback drives against the Duke Blue Devils and the Virginia Cavaliers. Harris finished the season with 1,195 yards, 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
In a July 31, 2009, interview with Dan Le Batard, Jacory told the world that he will pick up his Heisman Trophy wearing a pink suit and with a "pimp cup" in hand. He also earned himself a new nickname in this interview: "Afro Butterfly".
But he now has a part-time job at the NFL level, a week after participating in the Dolphins’ rookie minicamp. The Eagles have signed Harris, adding him to a depth chart that includes Mike Vick, Mike Kafka, Trent Edwards, and rookie third-rounder Nick Foles. That gives the Eagles five quarterbacks, a trend that more teams may be adopting with the offseason rosters now at 90 guys
Harris is a very long shot to make it to the final 53-man roster. But as least he has a shot — and along the way he may learn something from quarterback guru Andy Reid that helps Harris stick somewhere else
College career statistics
| Year | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Att | Yards | TDs | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2008 | 118 | 194 | 1,195 | 12 | 7 | 45 | 101 | 2.2 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 242 | 406 | 3,352 | 24 | 17 | 48 | -219 | -4.5 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 148 | 270 | 1,793 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 27 | 0.9 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 195 | 300 | 2,486 | 20 | 9 | 53 | 88 | 1.7 | 0 | |
| Totals | 703 | 1,170 | 8,826 | 70 | 48 | 175 | -3 | 0.0 | 5 | |
Jacory was involved in the Nevin Shapiro scandal... Shapiro if you recall is the 43-year-old securities investor and U. of Miami booster who was convicted of securities fraud and money laundering from a Ponzi scheme in 2010, used investor funds to finance donations to the University of Miami's athletic program, and gave an estimated $2 million in prohibited benefits to at least 72 current or former football/basketball players and coaches from 2002 to 2010.
Flamethrower Rap on Harris: "He made some good plays at the U but he just seemed clueless at times. He seemed unaware of the pass rush and would often throw into massive coverage or just hang up a jump-ball over the middle. Arm seemed good enough but he lacks brain-power..."
Yet you cannot deny: Harris was a three-year starter at Miami, throwing for 8,826 yards and 70 touchdowns, both second in school history.
Keep an eye on the kid, at least for a while. It may never happen for him, but if it does, remember where it all started...
Meanwhile, the Eagles signed fourth-round draft picks Brandon Boykin, along with two other draft choices; Boykin, a cornerback and return specialist from Georgia, guard Brandon Washington (fifth round) from Miami and running back Bryce Brown (seventh round) from Kansas State all signed four-year deals.
Boykin was one of the top kick returners in Southeastern Conference history and also spent some time at running back for Georgia.
Between the start of rookie camp on Saturday and the players' departure after the final session on Monday, the coaching staff should be able to get a better idea of who will be able to help right away, who has the potential to help down the road and who probably won't fit in no matter how hard they try. Particularly intriguing are some of the undrafted free agents who, as recent history proves, will have as good a chance as anyone else of proving themselves in this system. The Eagles have developed a reputation over the years as a team that gives relatively obscure talent a fair shake, and with very encouraging results.
Just since Andy Reid became coach in 1999, the Eagles have signed 29 undrafted free agents who went on to play for them.
This year should be no exception. In fact, the Eagles might have landed their best undrafted crop since 2003, when eight wound up making the team (though not all in that season). The most intriguing this year? How about Chris Polk, the running back out of the University of Washington who had no worse than a third-round draft grade by the people who do this for a living but slid all the way out of the draft due to a perceived medical risk? Teams apparently were scared by a shoulder injury that required surgery before his senior season. Even though Polk responded by rushing for 1,341 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"I will just have to go out there and show them I have a lot of great football left in me," Polk said after the draft. "I know teams are concerned about my shoulder, but I also heard somebody say something about a degenerative hip, and there is just no truth to that. I had labrum surgery on the shoulder a year ago and it didn't slow me down last season."
Polk is 5-11, 220 and runs through defenders as well as around them. He graduated a year early, too — always a good sign.
Polk was a late arrival Friday and was not available to talk to reporters as a result. However, you can bet there'll be a crowd around him on Saturday. Polk has the kind of game that can either complement starter LeSean McCoy or be an adequate replacement for him in case of injury.
Ditto for Bryce Brown, who's even bigger (6-0, 220) and faster (4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash), but slipped to the seventh round because he quit the team at Kansas State after transferring from Tennessee and basically had no playing experience to speak of after his freshman season. If he can be motivated, Brown will be the steal of the 2012 draft.
As Citizen Brizer the great Gate Keeper himself has written, and I paraphrase, don't expect much revelation if any to come out of the Eagles' rookie camp this weekend... for not much will be revealed. It is basically a preliminary set of physicals to be passed and paperwork to be filled out--- and a variety of chalkboard sessions, followed by observations of how well the newbies are able to line up in the correct position when the instructors call out signalled formations.
The real drama is still behind the scenes.
One of those dramatic conflicts is very much involved around young veteran wideout/special teams performer Riley Cooper and the perceived challenge of rookie draftee Marvin McNutt...
Marvin McNutt ,6-4, 215, Iowa, with 170 career college receptions for 2861 yards and 28 TD's total, has more actual receiving experience than Cooper...and slightly better speed. McNutt could win Riley Cooper's WR position based on "big play" ability alone...
Riley Cooper, 6-3, 222, Florida, and still only 24 years of age, solid on special teams and caught 7 passes as a rookie and then had 16 receptions in 2011 with one for a TD. Cooper has NFL ability. He has ideal size. He runs pretty well. He is a solid special teams player. Cooper must make a serious jump this season and show that he has more than just potential. He has made some highlight-type catches, but has also had bad drops.
To be completely fair, you have to give credit to Cooper (above) for his love of football... since his best sport is probably baseball. Cooper was actually drafted by the Phillies in 2009... and later recruited by the Texas Rangers as he insisted on sticking with football.
However the wide receiver competition shakes out, it won't be settled at rookie camp this weekend. The first thing Marvin McNutt will have to learn in the NFL is how to run the complete Route Tree.
If you want to play receiver in this league, you have to be able to run every route in the game plan.
Where do routes break? McNutt needs to learn this stuff (Cooper already does know it)....Before we get into the actual routes, we need to know where and when the WR is going to break. And outside of the 3-step game (Slant, Flat), every route breaks at a depth of 12-15 yards. Why is that important?--- Double moves. If you are playing defensive back and see the WR stutter his feet at a depth of 8-yards, expect him to get vertical up the field—because there isn’t a route that breaks at 8-yards. However, remember one very important detail: if the WR doesn’t break his route between a depth of 12-15 yards, you better open your hips and run---because that WR is running straight down the field.
Making it simple…
Flat (1) Think Slant-Flat, Curl-Flat, Flat-7. It is the one route that will show up consistently in combination concepts. You will get it out of the backfield, plus from a No.1 WR with a reduced split and a No.2 aligned inside of the numbers.
Slant (2) You see it at the high school level on Friday nights and on Sunday in the NFL because it is the top 3-step concept in any playbook. Look for a wide split (outside of the numbers) and vs. a 3x1 formation. The ideal, quick Cover 1 (man-free) beater.
Comeback (3) One of the tougher throws in the NFL when it is run at a deep depth (15-yards). We will see it vs. Cover 1 and it is the only route (outside of the fade or 9 route) where a WR aligns wide (outside of the numbers) with a hard outside vertical release.
Curl (4) The curl route is simple, yet it is essential for working vs. off-man coverage and zone based defenses. Stem hard up the field and break back downhill to the QB. There is a reason defenses have “curl to flat” zone players in Cover 3 and Cover 4—because you have to stop this route.
Out (5) Again, similar to the comeback, the deep out is route we use to judge NFL QBs. Can they make that throw? Look for the WR to align inside of the numbers or on top of the numbers at the widest. You need to create room to run this route.
Dig (6) The classic intermediate to deep inside breaking route in the NFL. Mike Martz made it big (sometimes at a depth of 20-plus yards) when he was the coach of the Rams with Isaac Bruce and we see it today in multiple combinations. Get a vertical stem up the numbers from the WR and break it across the middle vs. any coverage.
Corner (7) The top route we see vs. Tampa 2 defenses as it puts stress on both the corner sinking and the deep half safety. And, just like the comeback and the out, you must create room to work for the WR. Can’t run the 7 route from outside of the numbers—because the WR will run out of bounds.
Post (8) We will see the “Skinny Post” (or “Bang 8”) on Sundays, but the basic post route is a concept that allows a WR to win vs. man-coverage as he works to the deep middle of the field. A big play waiting to happen when you work vs. a FS that doesn’t have discipline in his drop and depth.
Fade (9) The ultimate deep ball. The “go route” is in every NFL playbook when you want to win a one-on-one matchup down the field. And just like we said above, when you get an outside vertical release vs. a WR aligned outside of the numbers, you either get the comeback or a shot down the field.
Elite receivers can produce in the entire Route Tree. This will be the real test for Marvin McNutt. His real competition will be himself as he takes on the learning curve in rookie camp this weekend. Riley Cooper has already survived at least that much. Perhaps it may turn out that Cooper's special teams skills can coexist with McNutt's playmaking ability if somehow Marvin can prove himself over the next few months as worthy of that fourth wideout spot in the depth chart... Keeping both McNutt and Cooper---that would be a happy ending where everyone wins. But don't count on it.
