On the surface the signing of Felix Jones makes roster sense for the Eagles.

 

 

 

 

 

Felix Jones, RB, 5-10, 217, 5th year out of Arkansas, drafted in 1st round by Dallas in 2008.

Jones averaged close to 5.0-yards per carry throughout his career and is a very capable return man- an area where the Eagles could certainly improve. Jones averaged 24.0 yards per kickoff return throughout his career. While he only has one KR touchdown, he has longs of 69 yards and 41 yards.

Any real impact Jones can have on the Eagles will depend on his health- something that has been a problem for him throughout his career. Jones has played in 16 games just twice in five years. If healthy, however, Jones could be a potential steal for Chip Kelly and an Eagles offense that seems to be a perfect fit for the former Arkansas Razorback.

One thing Kelly is expected to do in his offense is get the Eagles running backs into space with the ball. Like LeSean McCoy, Jones is capable of taking it to the house anytime he touches the ball, especially in open space. Jones has had a receiving touchdown of 27 yards or more every season since his rookie year, and a rushing touchdown of 40 yards or more every year but last season.

The darker reason behind Felix Jones' signing, however, has a lot to do with the off-field troubles of Shady McCoy.

I'm not one to stir the pot of speculation about the domestic or legal troubles of the stars. But I have it from a reliable source that the NFL Commissioner's office is looking hard into the current legal case involving McCoy and an alleged "party bus" assault upon a female companion. The alleged incident dates back to December.

How does Felix Jones fit into the investigation of McCoy? Pretty simple, really--- he becomes a prime-time insurance policy at running back for the Eagles just in case the Commissioner decides to come down hard on McCoy with a suspension.

The case is in civil court right now. McCoy and his attorney deny all allegations, and claim the legal action is an attempt to extort a financial settlement.

No matter how it plays out in court, the Commissioner has the power to interject his own ruling and disciplinary action into McCoy's career, subject of course to appeal by the player and the NFLPA.

McCoy, still a very young man, has become somewhat of a loose cannon and an embarrassment to the league. It is not far-fetched to anticipate some type of disciplinary action coming down on him in the near future---perhaps even a suspension.

Shady needs to get himself together. Until he does, Felix Jones is more than just roster depth---he is essential insurance at running back.

Speaking of roster, here is Jordan Raanan's 2-DEEP chart based on what the Eagles defense would look like if they played a real game today:

LDE
1. Cedric Thornton
2. Vinny Curry
Analysis: This could be one of the most hotly contested starting positions at training camp. Don't be surprised to see Clifton Geathers or maybe a rookie like Bennie Logan work their way into the mix either.

NT
1. Isaac Sopoaga
2. Antonio Dixon
Analysis: Sopoaga is the man here. Dixon has to prove he can play the position.

RDE
1. Fletcher Cox
2. Clifton Geathers
Analysis: This is Cox's position. Everyone else is just depth.

OLB
1. Connor Barwin
2. Brandon Graham
Analysis: Barwin's versatility make him a natural at outside linebacker. The Eagles are trying to determine if Hunt is a fit.

MLB
1. DeMeco Ryans
2. Jamar Chaney
Analysis: Kelly looks at Ryans as the leader of the defense. Chaney is a capable replacement.

MLB
1. Mychal Kendricks
2. Jason Phillips
Analysis: Kendricks looks like he may be the Eagles' three-down linebacker in the middle.

OLB
1. Trent Cole
2. Phillip Hunt
Analysis: Graham didn't even sprinkle in with the first-team defense. It was strictly Cole working with the starters. Still, there are serious doubts about whether Cole can transition to outside linebacker. Graham appears a better fit. It wouldn't be surprising if he moved ahead of Cole at some point this season.

CB
1. Cary Williams
2. Curtis Marsh
Analysis: Williams wasn't at practice after he was married over the weekend. Marsh worked with the first team. That was a win for him after a disastrous 2012 where Andy Reid basically said publicly that he couldn't play.

CB
1. Bradley Fletcher
2. Brandon Boykin
Analysis: The newcomer Fletcher slots into the starting lineup. Boykin was the second-teamer, but still worked as the No. 1 slot cornerback.

S
1. Patrick Chung
2. Kurt Coleman
Analysis: Chung immediately projects as a starter. Kelly apparently is very high on him.

S
1. Nate Allen
2. Kenny Phillips
Analysis: Allen received a vote of confidence by being placed with the starters. It may have something to do with Phillips just coming back from injury though.

 

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The adjectives you hear a lot after Chip Kelly's first open practice with the Eagles are the words "wild", "loud", "circus-like"...  I tend to look for the "method" in what looks on the surface like a free-for-all, but in reality is a finely orchestrated cannonade of events.

First let's stay on football. I'm going to structure the football-only observations according to NJ.com's Jordan Raanan's notes on what he saw from 1st Team, Second Team and Third Team drills. It was the first time under Kelly the full 90-man roster was at the NovaCare Complex to work. Almost everyone was present. Only Cary Williams (marriage) and Jordan Poyer and Zach Ertz (NFL rules) did not participate.

 

 

 

 

Gainers:
Nate Allen - The fourth-year safety was running with the first-team defense alongside Patrick Chung. After a disappointing season where he lost his starting job and doubt about his future bubbled to the surface, it's a gigantic personal positive that the new Eagles regime thinks enough of him to place him with the starters ahead of Kenny Phillips.

Nick Foles - Kelly wasn't lying. Foles and Vick were splitting first-team reps. That gives the second-year pro a legit opportunity to win the starting job.

Dennis Kelly - The second-year offensive tackle was the first-string right tackle. It may have to do with the Eagles desire to bring first-round pick Lane Johnson along slowly, but it's still an opportunity for Kelly to show what he can do working alongside the starting offensive linemen, including Todd Herremans, who has officially been shifted from right tackle to right guard.

Curtis Marsh - Cary Williams got married on Sunday. He wasn't at practice. Marsh, who was buried on the depth chart last season, was next in line and worked with the first-team defense. That he's ahead of anyone on the depth chart after last season is an encouraging sign for the third-year cornerback, who at 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds seems a better fit in the new Eagles defense than the previous version.

Arrelious Benn - The Eagles traded for Benn this offseason. He seemed to be working in with the starters while Riley Cooper was running with the backups.

Backburners:
Brandon Graham - Trent Cole and Connor Barwin worked with the first-team defense. Graham was strictly with the second team. While not unexpected considering Cole's past accomplishments and Barwin's versatility and experience in a 3-4 defense, the 2010 first-round pick looks like he has something to prove to the new coaching staff.

Riley Cooper - Benn already appears to be ahead of Cooper. The fourth-year Florida product will will need a strong offseason and training camp to remain in the wide receiver rotation.

Vinny Curry - The 2012 second-round pick was moved this offseason to defensive end in the Eagles' new 3-4 scheme. He begins behind former undrafted free agent Cedric Thornton.

Okay, it's impossible to project individual grades or future results based on one 2-hour glimpse of a Day One-Full Team OTA practice that was essentially a PR show...and we've got months before the first real hitting or contact is introduced. So don't have a hissy-fit over Jordan Raanan's "rankings" from this practice--- even Raanan knows those rankings will change faster than the weather around here lately.

Kelly is bringing something different to the concept of football practice.His practices are a 21-period whirlwind that include "tempo" and "teaching periods." In the tempo periods are offensive, defensive and special teams drills practiced mostly at game speed. The teaching periods consist of individual position-specific drills occurring simultaneously on multiple fields with hands-on coaching.

No matter the "period," everybody seems to be in constant motion. Whether it is off on the side fields or behind the line of scrimmage, players are perpetually busy. There are rarely times when they are standing around waiting for their turn or rep to arrive. At these practices, there are enough reps to go around.

And that's the method to the whirlwind 21-period technique--NO ONE STANDS AROUND WAITING FOR REPS. All 90 guys are involved in something that is designed to make them better or smarter. Even player refreshment and hydration are scheduled events with their own theme music...

Having been to a fair number of Ravens and Eagle practices in my day, I can assure you there was a lot of standing around by a lot of players. The rationalized explanation was you could learn a lot by watching others. But if you were trying to make a team or win a position, you had to wait around for whatever precious reps you could get. Usually those few reps were not enough, and hardly ever enough to make a real impression.

"More than anything else, Kelly's practices differ from the norm in their multiplicity. There are so many things going on at once. For instance, when the receivers run routes against air, rather than one quarterback throwing a pass to one of the receivers, Kelly has five quarterbacks throwing passes, one to each receiver. More than a football practice it resembles a finely orchestrated football ballet."-- Jordan Raanan

And, of course, there is the music, a staple of Kelly's famous practices at Oregon. The music consists of four genres, all with significant up-tempo beats. Kelly is not involved in the selection of the playlist. That is left to members of his support staff that came over from Oregon. They are given the task of putting together the daily playlist from a selection of songs that meet certain criteria (likely beats per minute). It's a very pop-heavy mix that on Monday featured artists Flo Rider, Pitbull, Nas, LMFA, Kanye West, Rihanna, Dropkick Murphys, Queen, Tupac and Dr. Dre and Nicki Minaj among others.

There is a stop clock strategically placed in the middle of the three NovaCare Complex fields that denotes the current period and amount of time remaining in that period. When certain periods end, a male Siri announces what's next. In a very robotic and computerized tone he says, "Period 17. Team first and second down." Or "Period 19, teach." And Mr. Siri repeats everything twice for effect and clarification.

When the Eagles run 7-on-7 drills (scrimmages without linemen) or anything involving offensive plays, there are coaches on the sideline constantly signaling, rarely taking a second to rest."The concept is after you run a play you look to the sidelines and you get the signs so you know the plays," running back LeSean McCoy said. "Everything is kind of sign language."

Sign language was never in Big Red's binder. This is all new to the Eagles players. Everything from the way they practice, to the way they eat, to the way they stretch, to the way they sleep, to the way they call plays plays is different. This is the Chip Kelly way. This is the Chippa practice. And he insists it's not just random wackiness.

"There's a rhyme or reason to what we're doing, time on task versus time teaching, and I think there's a good balance of that," Kelly said. "We want to get them in and get them out. But we also have to get a certain amount of work in."

I'm starting to get the theory of the Chippa practice. And nice to have a home-grown crew of techies and roadies at your service to make all the electronics and sound gear come together.

As an amateur player I used to HATE standing around while the bigger and better-known players took all the reps. So naturally I am liking the early reports from the Chippa practice method...

Can you imagine if Kelly actually turns the Eagles into a big winner, all the while using his unique practice methodology, how every team in the league may begin practicing like this? That would be something...

 

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Here we go into full-team participation OTA's...

This is just a table-setting blurb to kick things off...

Most of the Eagles' draft picks have been signed...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zach Ertz, catching a pass during Stanford’s Pro Day last month, was chosen by the Eagles in the second round of the NFL draft. The 6-foot-5, 249-pound Ertz said, ‘I was thrilled to see that Pennsylvania number pop up on my phone and hear Coach (Chip) Kelly on the other end."

Tight end Zach Ertz, the Philadelphia Eagles' second-round pick, was among five draft choices to sign with the team last Thursday.

The Eagles also signed safety Earl Wolff (fifth round), defensive end Joe Kruger (seventh), cornerback Jordan Poyer (seventh) and defensive end David King (seventh).

The Eagles still have to sign tackle Lane Johnson (first round), defensive tackle Bennie Logan (third) and quarterback Matt Barkley (fourth). 

And now here's a belated salute to Mothers of Eagles Fans around the world---  Remember, behind every Eagles player, coach and cheerleader is a devoted Mother. 

   Here are the recent award-winners of the Eagles Cheerleaders Final Qualifiers---

Finalists with the top individual score in each category, from left to right:

Marissa – Dance;  Casey – Beauty;  Cat – Fitness;  Jackie – Interview Question     

But look closer behind the scenes and you will see every one of these lovely candidates had a devoted Mother promoting their cause:

 

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Matt Barkley and the rookies spent Friday installing offensive plays. Barkley will likely begin fourth on the depth chart behind Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon come Monday when the veterans join the rookies for Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

And finally, for the first time under Chip Kelly, Monday's practices will be open to the media.

Barkley already has a lot to say about the speed of Kelly's offense and how he expects to fit in. He spoke to the media on Friday:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matty B. says he can run the Eagles offense and adjust to the new tempo...I like the confidence...he aims to make a prophet out of Hall of Fame poster Jerky Sumlin, who followed his entire career at USC.

"I'l make it fit. It doesn't matter what plays are run," Barkley said. "I'm going to find a way to help this team out. I know Coach Kelly has a way of working things out as well in terms of how he schemes and how he calls plays. I'm not worried about how this thing turns out."

Kelly's offense is a completely new world for everyone involved. Barkley conceded it was faster than expected and very different from what they've run in the past.

"You see similar things and it's similar to some of the things I've played. You just have to be ready to think quickly," Barkley said. "I love it. It's a new challenge. The terminology is like learning a new language in a short time period. It's the next step. I'm embracing it."

Barkley ran a more traditional pro-style offense at USC. Now it's almost as if he has it backwards. He's entering a spread offense in the NFL, rather than in college.

The former USC star isn't known as much of a runner. It still didn't deter Kelly from taking Barkley off the board at the beginning of the fourth round of the NFL Draft. "I think he has a great skill set to be able to move around the pocket. He's got really, really good feet," Kelly said. "Are we going to run Matt 10 times a game and design quarterback runs? No."

Barkley made it clear to the media on Friday that he can work effectively in whatever Kelly's NFL offense will look like. He also made it clear he's not ready to concede anything to Vick or Foles either. Although Barkley has never met Vick and only knows Foles from playing against him, he looks forward to meeting and competing against them. It doesn't mean he intends to slide comfortably into a reserve role.

"They've both done great things and Michael has had an unbelievable career. But you come in as a teammate to them, not as a fan. You come in as someone who is ready to compete against them at the same time," Barkley said. "We'll be friends and I'll get to know them and from what I've hear they are outstanding men, but you come in knowing you have a job and they are trying to take that job as well."

(Be careful what you wish for! ---the pressure on Barkley if he were a starting QB as a rookie would be immense...I would prefer a scenario where he is eased into the picture more slowly. But I like his attitude about going for it all right here, right now...)

The cuts from rookie minicamp should be announced over this weekend. Here are the guys (including free agent tryouts like Chris Gocong) who were still in camp as of Thursday:

Barkley, Matt QB USC
Boyles, Anthony CB Idaho State tryout
Carlson, Nick OL Wyoming tryout
Carrier, Derek TE Beloit
Chism, Cam CB Maryland tryout
Cunningham, BJ WR Michigan State
Ertz, Zach TE Stanford
Evans, Matt LB New Hampshire tryout
Gocong, Chris LB Cal Poly/ex-Eagles/ex-Browns tryout
Green, Marcus LB Temple tryout
Harris, Montel RB Temple tryout
Johnson, Lane OL Oklahoma
King, David DE Oklahoma
Kinne, GJ QB Tulsa
Knott, Jake LB Iowa State
Kruger, Joe DE Utah
Logan, Bennie DT LSU
Lyon, John LB Harvard tryout
Massaro, Pete LB Penn State tryout
Maysonet, Miguel RB Stony Brook
McCullough, Alfred OL Alabama tryout
McRath, Gerald LB Southern Mississippi tryout
Momah, Ifeanyi WR Boston College
Murphy, Will WR Oregon tryout
Peters, Dontra S New Hampshire tryout
Poyer, Jordan CB Oregon State
Purcell, Nic OL Golden West Community College tryout
Quinn, Kyle OL Arizona
Remington, Isaac DE Oregon
Reynolds, Matt OL BYU
Shaw, Will TE Youngstown State tryout
Shepard, Russell WR LSU
Square, Damion DT Alabama
Tate, Kenny S Maryland tryout
Tobin, Matt OL Iowa
Tucker, Matthew RB TCU
Tyler, Devin OL Temple tryout
Voegeli, Isaiah WR Merrimack tryout
Walker, Daryell DE Hampton tryout
Whitley, Eddie CB Virginia Tech
Wing, Brad P LSU
Wolff, Earl S NC State

 

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Pittsburgh is a beautiful city now. It's not the smoky river town I remember as a kid. The traffic downtown, though, is a congested mess. Maybe that's partly because the Penguins had a playoff game at home last night. But it looks like a case of too many vehicles, not enough roadway.

The Steelers fans I talked with at Uncle Joe Pandl's viewing were quite aware of the Chip Kelly hiring by the Eagles. In fact, there was quite a buzz about it.

I'll keep this short because I'm on a Toshiba tablet. That's what she said...

Chris Gocong, the 6 foot 2 263 pound linebacker drafted in the third round in 2006 by the Eagles but traded 3 years ago to the Browns, is in Philly this weekend for a tryout.  Gocong sat out last year with an Achilles tendon  injury and was released by the Browns. But he had two productive seasons for Cleveland in 2010 and 2011 as a starter.

I'll add to this story after I get home later today from Pittsburgh.  Stay Frosty...

 

 

 

 

 

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According to a recent interview with Eagles' guard/tackle Todd Herremans, he's more than willing to switch back to offensive guard if that's what it takes to make the Eagles O-Line better...

I love this guy. He's about T-E-A-M....

Every time I look at him, I'm reminded of the ultimate team member on this Bored--- Hall-of-Fame poster Kenny Kenemeka from Indianapolis--- a guy who just keeps after his reps and states his case, without fanfare, day after day, game after game, year after year...

 

 

 

 

 

Todd Herremans, 6-6, 321, in his 9th year out of Saginaw Valley State, drafted in the 4th round in 2005 by Philly...

Jordan Raanan of NJ.com did a nice piece on Herremans yesterday. Here's a synopsis:

"Todd Herremans doesn't watch the NFL Draft."

Herremans went out skeet shooting the day of the first round of this year's draft.

But when the Eagles selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Lane Johnson with the No. 4 overall pick, Herremans realized immediately what it meant.

"They don't spend the fourth overall pick on a kid and not have him come and play tackle," said Herremans, who received a text from general manager Howie Roseman and a phone call from coach Chip Kelly after the pick. "One of the things that has always been big for me is my versatility and being able to play other places. I'm sure they'll probably bump me down to guard and see how everything else works out."

That's the way this new Eagles regime rolls. They leave little for interpretation. They reached out to just about every player that could be threatened by an incoming draft pick, quickly eliminating fears from any of the existing players that they were set to be fazed out. Only time will tell if they were being genuine.

“I called Brent Celek when we took a tight end and James Casey. I called Mike [Vick] and we talked to Jason Peters and we talked to Todd Herremans. It’s just kind of the way we’ve done things," Kelly said. "I’m really big on open communication. I don’t want there to be gray areas."

There really is no gray area in the case of the Eagles offensive line. Nothing definitive needs to be said to Herremans. He gets it. He's moving to guard to make room for the first-round pick.

Herremans was the Eagles' starting left guard from 2006-10. He was the Eagles' right tackle the past two seasons. With Evan Mathis having enjoyed tremendous success at left guard his first two years with the Eagles, it makes sense for Herremans to slide over to right guard where Danny Watkins has struggled since being drafted in the first round in 2011. Johnson will play right tackle as long as Peters is healthy.

"Let’s get Lane in here and let him actually take a few reps and run around a little bit," Chip Kelly said after the first round. "We do know that Todd has some flexibility and that’s the great thing about him, because Todd has played inside and outside. … We’re going to let them all battle it out."

Regardless, when the Eagles line up at organized team activities (OTAs) on Monday with the rookies and veterans on the field at the same time, it's expected that Herremans will be at right guard, Johnson at right tackle. Watkins likely will be at left guard with Mathis still struggling with an ankle injury he played through last season. Mathis underwent a procedure this offseason to remove bone spurs, according to a source.

The shifting of the line is hardly unexpected. Herremans knew from the moment Kelly was hired this was a realistic possibility.

"I've already had conversations with Chip about it. I asked him flat-out earlier in the offseason, 'What are you going to do? Where am I going to play this year?'" Herremans said. "He was like, 'I don't know. You have some versatility. It's a good thing. We might try a few different combinations.'"

Herremans, 30, is returning from a serious foot injury, but says his preparation for the season isn't altered by whether he's a tackle or guard. He doesn't need to put on weight or add muscle to play guard. In fact, Herremans believes his best season came in 2010 when he was playing guard at a career-low 294 pounds. Pro Football Focus ranked him the 26th out of 82 offensive guards that season.

Given his age and injuries, returning to guard may be the best move for his career. Herremans appears better suited as an interior player in Kelly's fast-paced offense. As a tackle, he's average athletically. For a guard, he's quick and agile.

The younger, more athletic Johnson seems an ideal fit on the outside. He may just be the fastest and most athletic tackle in the NFL.

"I was prepared to play tackle, I was prepared to play guard," Herremans said. "I think I can probably steal a few more years at guard, but I still think I have three or four really good years of football left.

"One of the things I've been thinking, to me personally, it doesn't really matter if I play guard or tackle. I just really want to have a real solid unit out there. If that means me lining up at guard, so be it."

 

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Okay, it's the elephant in the room--- the ProFootballFocus.com ratings just released which have annointed Eagles left guard Evan Mathis as the 6th best overall player in the league...  but which have also placed Philly DE Brandon Graham 30 spots behind the Giants Jason Pierre-Paul in overall value at their equivalent positions...

PFF.com has some well-earned credibility--- so I figured this thing was worth addressing...

Looking further into it, the PFF criteria allegedly being measured here are the play-by-play grades of every piece of tape put up by every player in the NFL last season.

In other words, they are not measuring your "Big Play" ability or your "difference maker" quotient--- they are totalling your accumulated grades based on how well you carried out your respective assignment on every play in which you were involved in 2012.

Let's just assume for the sake of debate that the PFF.com pundits actually know how to grade an NFL player's assignment on a play-by-play basis. Let's also assume that they actually watched every piece of tape on every player...

 

 

 

 

 

Evan Mathis and his agent must be loving the results of this 2013 PFF.com rating... but I wonder how "real" it can be...

 

 

 

 

 

Nice to see the rejuvenated Brandon Graham as the only other Eagle in the PFF Top 101 at #46... until you realize Jason Pierre-Paul outranked him by 30 spots...and you know that ain't right!

 

 

 

 

 

How the heck does Jason Pierre-Paul rank higher than Brandon Graham in graded assignments last season? Sure he had his moments--- but they were few and far between...

First of all, how do you independently grade every play from every piece of tape on every player in the NFL in a given season?

That premise in its own right is flawed---You'd need a staff of at least 50 people, trained as experts at every NFL position, working 24-7 non-stop from January 2013 until now to come up with that presentation.

Secondly, any grades you come up with are entirely subjective, and basically unrelated to the outcome of a given play. Also unaccounted for are the combined will and ability of the opponent in the given play being reviewed.

"So you're blowing us out by 20 points with 5 minutes to go?--- yeah, go ahead, blow by me with that cheap swim move--- I don't care, this game's over---and I'm not going to tear up an ankle or a knee or a shoulder just to stop you from looking good...We've got another game we need to win next week... and I need to stay healthy for my team and my career."

I made that last part up. But I'm pretty sure that's the kind of mindset you have to handicap for when you're grading tape on every play of every game.

In baseball they have a stat called "defensive indifference" which negates a stolen base awarded to a baserunner when the defense simply doesn't care if a guy steals a base and makes no play on the runner. It's a type of situational statistical consideration which does not exist in the PFF.com rating system. And that's a major flaw.

I'm sure you can think of many other empirical and anecdotal reasons why you can't simply grade a guy's overall relative value by the sheer total accumulation of grades of his individual assignments (as recorded on tape).

I mean, there's the season, and then there's the season within a season--- the playoffs. How can you not weight the playoff assignment tapes more than the regular-season assignment tapes?

Okay, that said,  here are the PFF.com ratings of the Top 101 Players based on their play-by-play tape reviews:

1. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Geno Atkins, DT, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos

5. Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks

6. Evan Mathis, OG, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos

8. Cameron Wake, DE, Miami Dolphins

9. Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans

10. Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco 49ers

11. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

12. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

13. Duane Brown, LT, Houston Texans

14. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets

15. Eric Weddle, S, San Diego Chargers

16. Joe Staley, LT, San Francisco 49ers

17. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

18. C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills

19. Charles Tillman, CB, Chicago Bears

20. Gerald McCoy, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

21. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

22. Kyle Williams, DT, Buffalo Bills

23. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

24. Clay Matthews, OLB, Green Bay Packers

25. Jairus Byrd, S, Buffalo Bills

26. John Sullivan, C, Minnesota Vikings

27. Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

28. Devin McCourty, DB, New England Patriots

29. Calais Campbell, DE, Arizona Cardinals

30. Brandon Marshall, WR, Chicago Bears

31. Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins

32. Marshal Yanda, RG, Baltimore Ravens

33. Antonio Cromartie, CB, New York Jets

34. Joe Thomas, LT, Cleveland Browns

35. Max Unger, C, Seattle Seahawks

36. Casey Hayward, CB, Green Bay Packers

37. Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers

38. Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins

39. Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

40. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks

 41. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

42. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

43. Jerod Mayo, LB, New England Patriots

44. Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons

45. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

46. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants

47. Ryan Clady, LT, Denver Broncos

48. Reshad Jones, S, Miami Dolphins

49. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons

50. Alex Boone, RG, San Francisco 49ers

51. Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings

52. Michael Roos, LT, Tennessee Titans

53. Mike Iupati, LG, San Francisco 49ers

54. Sebastian Vollmer, RT, New England Patriots

55. Russell Okung, LT, Seattle Seahawks

56. Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts

57. Aldon Smith, OLB, San Francisco 49ers

58. Antoine Winfield, CB, Minnesota Vikings

59. NaVorro Bowman, LB, San Francisco 49ers

60. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions

61. Bobby Wagner, LB, Seattle Seahawks

62. Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys

63. Anquan Boldin, WR, Baltimore Ravens (traded to SF 49ers)

64. Chris Harris, CB, Denver Broncos

65. Derrick Morgan, DE, Tennessee Titans

66. Anthony Spencer, OLB, Dallas Cowboys

67. Derrick Johnson, LB, Kansas City Chiefs

68. Nick Fairley, DT, Detroit Lions

69. Charles Johnson, DE, Carolina Panthers

70. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

71. Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers

72. Antonio Smith, DE, Houston Texans

73. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

74. Daryl Washington, LB, Arizona Cardinals

75. Tarrell Brown, CB, San Francisco 49ers

76. Brandon Graham, DE, Philadelphia Eagles

77. Jason Hatcher, DE, Dallas Cowboys

78. Brandon Moore, RG, New York Jets

79. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

80. Anthony Davis, RT, San Francisco 49ers

81. Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

82. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

83. Patrick Peterson, CB, Arizona Cardinals

84. Henry Melton, DT, Chicago Bears

85. Will Beatty, LT, New York Giants

86. Greg Hardy, DE, Carolina Panthers

87. Justin Smith, DE, San Francisco 49ers

88. Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

89. Lawrence Timmons, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

90. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants

91. Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts

92. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens

93. Sam Shields, CB, Green Bay Packers

94. Jared Veldheer, LT, Oakland Raiders

95. Jurrell Casey, DT, Tennessee Titans

96. Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys

97. T.J. Ward, S, Cleveland Browns

98. Champ Bailey, CB, Denver Broncos

99. Reggie Nelson, S, Cincinnati Bengals

100. Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

101. Blair Walsh, K, Minnesota Vikings

For those not doing the math the San Francisco 49ers led all teams with 13 players selected. The next most were Denver and Seattle with six each, followed by Minnesota and New England with five. Only Jacksonville and St Louis failed to land a player on the list.

You can find a more detailed breakdown on each player who made the list in the following PFF.com articles:

101-91  |  90-81  |  80-71  |  70-61  |  60-51
50-41  |  40-31  |  30-21  |  20-11  | 10-1

 

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Driving home from work this past evening I was mesmerized by a radio rant from Qadry Ismail, "The Missile" from Brizer's hometown of Wilkes-Barre...

Ismail said basically that the difference between making a 53-man roster in the NFL or not is BRAINS...

Paraphrasing, Qadry's rant went like this: "You get to the level of rookie minicamp, and then full-team OTA's, you discover that 80 or 90 guys have essentially the same physical talents... Now they hand you a playbook (or an iPad) with over a thousand different combinations of plays and maybe 55 different keys to each play you've got to memorize...I tell you, man, it is intimidating..."

 

NFL players are often cited as impressive physical specimens, but it's not their tree trunk-like legs or bulging biceps that are most impressive. It's their brains. That much is made clear by learning about the most mundane of tasks required of every NFL player: memorizing the playbook. It's an act which often goes unrecognized because it is so fundamental. Players are given plays, they memorize them and they execute them on the field. Yet as a variety of current and former NFL players have explained, it's not as easy as it sounds.

Trent Dilfer, a 13-year NFL quarterback for five teams who's now an NFL analyst for ESPN, recalled exactly how he memorized his plays. "Visualization," Dilfer said. "You must highlight, draw (the play), put the playbook down and find a quiet place in your mind and visualize every aspect of the play. A lot of time is dedicated to that. The basic principle is repetition as the mother of all learning."

The Huffington Post did a nice intro into this topic which piqued my interest back in early 2011. A blogger named Kyle Stack did a wonderful piece on the topic. And since then, I can't find Kyle Stack anywhere on the NFL blogosphere map...but it was a good piece of football writing.

Dilfer noted in an interview with Stack that when he was in Mike Holmgren's offense in Seattle, which he considers the most complicated offensive system in which he played, the quarterbacks would watch film after practice and quiz each other for an hour about plays. After Dilfer tucked his kids into bed at night, he'd sit with his playbook and write plays in red ink. (His quarterbacks coach at Fresno State University, Andy Ludwig, believed that red ink stimulates memorization.) He'd then spend an hour closing his eyes and running through each play before going to sleep.

That's another memorization trick Dilfer used. A Harvard Medical School study published in the scientific journal Biology in 2006 showed study participants tested better when memorizing information at night, sleeping and taking an exam the following morning... rather than memorizing in the morning and testing at night, without sleep in between.

None of the other 12 active NFL players who were interviewed for that study cited using sleep or a particular color as a way to spur memorization. Some did employ Dilfer's strategy of writing down plays. New England Patriots guard Stephen Neal looked at each play a few times after he put it on paper. "Some guys can look at something and have it," the then-ninth-year pro said. "For me, I like to look at it again."

Eric Wood, a guard for the Buffalo Bills, used an old-school memorization drill during his rookie season in 2009. "Cover one side of the plays, run down the list and memorize it just like anything else in school," Wood said.

Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brian Finneran picked the 10-15 plays he had to know for each week's game and tried to memorize them by formation. "I categorize it and try to get a feel for the concept of each play," said Finneran.

Other players try more unusual methods. Quarterback Matt Leinart runs through plays over the phone with his half-brother, who lives in California. "He'll give me the play, I'll repeat it and go through my reads," Leinart said, who added he benefits most from drawing plays on a whiteboard. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner had to digest the Texans playbook on the fly when he signed with them in early September 2010, following his four-year tenure with the Arizona Cardinals.

The transition to a new offensive system, specifically with its new terminology for how plays are called, can be as challenging as any weight-room workout. "It's ingrained in your head that if you say a certain word or play it means this guy is doing this, this and this," Leinart explained. "It's just trying to erase your memory (of the previous team's system)." 

Dilfer said it's a three-year process to own a particular playbook. Owning a play is different from memorizing it, Dilfer explained. "Owning it to me goes from knowing it to understanding it to it becoming instinctive," Dilfer said.

How does one own the plays? "If you're not spending an hour every day in your playbook, you're cheating your teammates," Dilfer said. He stated quarterbacks should study three hours per day, given their extra responsibilities in commanding an offense.

It can take a while just to lock down a playbook's language. "A lot of coaches use numbering systems," Dilfer added. He said odd numbers are typically used for plays to the right, even numbers for plays to the left. Many offenses use T and D words for formations: T for Trips, where three receivers are lined up on one side, and D for double sets, such as double tight ends.

Dilfer cited an example of one play with a different meaning in two systems. "Red Right 22 Texas is a West Coast play," Dilfer explained. "In another system, it's Split Right Scat Right 639 F Angle. What some players will do when they go to a new team, is when it's Split Right Scat Right, they go, 'Oh, that's 22 Texas.' They hear one thing and they put old language on it; you have to learn the new language." Leinart admitted as much in his transition from the Cardinals to the Texans.

Running back Derrick Ward, who also joined the Texans in early September 2010 after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said his learning curve was much shorter. "It took me a week to understand everything in Houston's offense," Ward said. That was partly a byproduct of the language similarities shared by the Buccaneers and Texans.

Ward claimed to have a photographic memory, which lets him immediately remember plays he goes over in meetings. "This is my seventh year. Once you get the hang of what the offense does, you can differentiate one play from another and it becomes repetitive," he said. The ability to differentiate is pivotal in a playbook that he noted has up to 300 plays. And many of the plays contain pass routes which can have numerous variations depending on what the defense shows, creating a subset of plays within a play.

Dhani Jones, a former middle linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, said memorizing plays isn't as difficult as understanding their philosophy. "I don't drop the language (from previous systems)," said Jones, who's also been on the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles during his 10-year career. "It's just different words that are used. Quarters coverage is the same as Cloud coverage is the same as strong-side rotated coverage. They're just named differently." 

He practiced word association to memorize his playbook. Jones would think of 'snake' for plays when he's called to stay inside. He connotated 'pirate' for plays which had him move to the outside since pirates are on a ship (i.e. they're outside).

It's no secret that quarterbacks carry the most responsibility to know a playbook inside and out. That's why moving frequently from one offensive system to another can doom the career of so many young quarterbacks.

"It's not that they can't learn the playbook," Dilfer emphasized. "It's not an intellectual capacity issue. It's the ability to learn it and play without thinking. A cluttered mind slows an athletic body."

According to Dilfer, no two players serve as better examples of that than quarterbacks Jason Campbell and Alex Smith. In 2010, Campbell, the former Oakland Raiders signal caller who was a 2005 first-round pick of the Washington Redskins, just played for his ninth offensive coordinator in 10 seasons, dating back to his college days at Auburn. He passed for 3,000-plus yards from 2008-09 with the Redskins; his 63-percent completion percentage through those two seasons seemed to put him on a path to success. Yet once Mike Shanahan was installed as head coach, he decided to trade Campbell in order to find an "established" quarterback.

Alex Smith, whom the San Francisco 49ers chose first overall in the '05 draft, by 2010 had played for his sixth offensive coordinator in his previous six seasons. Smith had moderate success in his lone full season in 2006 when he threw for 2,890 yards and 16 touchdowns -- not to mention 16 interceptions. That campaign, with Norv Turner serving as the 49ers' offensive coordinator, remains arguably the finest full season of his career.

"[Campbell] and Alex Smith had no chance," Dilfer said of their ability to reach their potential back in 2010. "While each player's talent isn't in question, it's the lack of opportunities to keep even one playbook for more than two consecutive seasons that has harmed their careers." Dilfer was on the 49ers in 2007 and recalled that Smith's competency to digest a playbook shouldn't be questioned.

"Alex is smarter than anybody I've ever been around," Dilfer said. "He'll learn, he'll be able to spit it out and act as if it's second nature to him. But deep down, his brain is so cluttered with so many different coaching points, plays, words and concepts there's no way he can play fast."

Dilfer admitted his inability to play fast prevented him from having a more successful career. A sixth overall pick of the Buccaneers in the 1994 Draft, Dilfer managed just one Pro Bowl appearance during a career in which he surpassed 2,500 yards in a season four times and 20 touchdowns only twice. His role as the conservative starting quarterback on the 2000 Super Bowl champion Ravens has left him as the oft-cited example of a QB who can "manage" the game, rather than take over a game.

"I was so anal-retentive and so paranoid with learning, that many times, even though I owned the plays, I would still think about it in the game," Dilfer said. "It really, really hurt my career."

What a player sees in the playbook or on film might not always translate to what's happening in front of him during practice or a game. Yet it's a good bet that preparation off the field -- studying the playbook, searching for opponent's tendencies -- will help a player succeed on the field. As Brian Finneran made clear, the physical challenges of the NFL are no contest for the mental preparation needed to persevere in the league.

"As big and fast as this game is, if you're not smart you won't last long."

 

 

 

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You know it's a slow news day in Eagles football-land when the lead story is the Boss' new main squeeze...

 

 

 

 

But it's important because he's...well, our Boss.

"Uncle Giggles" tied the knot yesterday. Jeffrey Lurie married Philadelphia resident Tina Lai in a private ceremony this weekend. Lurie is 61...Tina Lai is 39.

Lai will have no official role in the Eagles organization. The wedding was attended by family and close friends.

"I am happy and excited as Tina and I begin our lives together," Lurie said in a statement.

Lai, 39, is from a family that owns restaurants in Philadelphia, including the Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown and the Vietnam Cafe in University City. Her family immigrated from Vietnam in 1978. She was involved in starting the cafes, although she no longer has a direct role in the restaurants, according to a restaurant spokeswoman.

Lurie bought the Eagles in 1994 for a then-record $195 million. The franchise is now worth $1.26 billion, according to Forbes' 2012 valuation. Lurie maintained full control over the team in his divorce settlement, although Christina remains a part owner and serves as president of the Eagles Youth Partnership.

This wedding was covered exclusively by philly.com. As for ex-wife Christina's continued role?....

"I've structured this franchise around having complete control, 100 percent voting and total, final decision-making," Lurie said in August. "That continues. I've always had a couple of limited partners that were nonvoting and not involved in decisions, football decisions particularly. That continues. Christina will also be a limited partner as she has been, just like the other limited partners."

Not exactly a clean break...

Also (and this may come as a shock to our readers who think I am anti-Foles), I am campaigning for the holdover of Nick Foles. Much like Christina Lurie, I am not ready to write him off yet.

I think the kid deserves a shot at competition for the QB#1 or the QB#2 slot on the roster. Unlike several of my colleagues, I don't think there is enough data in the sample yet to write him off.

My big beef with Foles last year was really a knock on his coaches for throwing him into the mix in a basically unprepared mindset. Foles looked lost and stupid at times---but whose ultimate fault was that?

I'm giving Foles the benefit of the doubt. I'm also hoping he has worked on his overall strength and conditioning, as well as his willingness to throw it away when nothing is there.

Other observers are already writing Foles off.

Mark Eckel of the New Jersey Times thinks Foles is toast...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"As far as the quarterback situation goes, it’s anybody’s guess right now and that’s what everyone is doing.

"The speculation here is that if Kelly liked Nick Foles as much as he has said he likes him, then there wouldn’t have been any reason to spend two draft picks, a fourth-round and the seventh-round it cost him to move up, to select Matt Barkley.

"If Foles was his quarterback of the present and more importantly the future, then he should have used those picks on defensive players, or offensive linemen or anything but another young, unproven quarterback out of the Pac 12."

That seems to be the logic circulating right now among beat reporters like Eckel.

Barkley, who is Kelly’s choice, figures to be waiting. His strength is his smarts, so he’ll have the offense learned. It will just be a matter of executing it.

For Foles, his future with the Eagles appears to be in jeopardy.

Coaches can say all they want about how competition is good, but honestly they do not want three quarterbacks sharing reps equally in camp, especially in an offense that is new to all of them.

Don’t be surprised if Foles isn’t traded (Kansas City did not draft a quarterback if you were wondering) before camp opens.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Eagles offense after the draft.

Running backs – The Eagles didn’t draft anyone here and with good reason. McCoy, despite losing his match race with Mike Vick, could flourish in Kelly’s scheme and be among the league leaders in rushing yards. Second-year men Bryce Brown and Chris Polk are adequate backups. Matt Tucker, an undrafted rookie out of TCU, who scored 33 college touchdowns, will get a long look at camp and could at least make the practice squad.

Emil Igwenagu, who spent most of last season on the practice squad, is the only fullback on the roster, but look for free agent signing Jim Casey to be used as an H-back as much as a tight end.

Wide receivers – DeSean Jackson, another player who could have a big year in Kelly’s scheme, and Jeremy Maclin, who is in the final year of his contract, will be the starters barring any unforeseen occurrences. There will be nine other receivers battling for the final three or four spots. Don’t be shocked if one of two veterans – Jason Avant or Riley Cooper – doesn’t make it. Arrelious Benn, the former Illinois star acquired from Tampa Bay via trade, is a better bet. Return man Damaris Johnson also has a good shot, while undrafted rookie Russell Shepard, from LSU, and 6-foot-6 rookie Ifeyani Momah, are long-shots.

Tight ends – Kelly said after selecting Zach Ertz, of Stanford, in the second round that he has no problem using three tight-end sets. I can’t imagine it happening too often, however. Ertz, if not by Opening Night, soon after will be the starter. Casey will be used in a variety of ways. And Brent Celek is going to have to be impressive this summer after a subpar 2012 season that included too many drops.

Tackles – The Eagles are praying that Jason Peters’ Achilles tendon problems are over and he returns not only as a starter on the left side, but as an All-Pro starter. No. 1 pick Lane Johnson will start on the right. Dennis Kelly, who started at the end of last year and wasn’t horrible, will likely be one backup. Veterans Alan Barbre, a one-time Green Bay draft pick, and Ed Wang could battle for another backup slot.

Guards – With Lane Johnson in the fold, Todd Herremans can move back inside to guard. The question is whether it will be on the right side or the left where he started his career. Evan Mathis will be the other starter. Former first-round pick Danny Watkins figures to be a backup, but could be moved as well, especially if Barbre shows he can also play inside, or rookie Matt Tobin impresses in the summer.

Centers – Jason Kelce will be back and will try to show he can play in Kelly’s offense as well as he did in Howard Mudd’s line scheme. Kyle Quinn and Dallas Reynolds will vie for the backup spot.
 

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Eagles Hall-of-Fame poster T-Boned from Boise, Idaho knows a thing or two about overhauls...

"Boner" as he is known has contributed daily (sometimes hourly) updates on NFL and Eagles happenings to both PE.com (OTI) and here since 2004. "Eagles Eye" without Boner would be like Mister Magoo trying to catch a bus.

As some of you may know, Boner suffered a horrific motorcycle crash on an Idaho roadway with a FedEx truck last year. Boner downplayed his injuries, but it was bad. And the bike was a total mess.

Now, a year later, Boner has finally recuperated from his injuries---and he has even rebuilt his chopper...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boner's overhauled bike...actual photo by Boner...

The really good news is Boner has been rebuilt, too. He's near 100 percent health-wise.

The main thing about Boner's miraculous comeback is that he wants to dedicate his own personal rebuild to the overhaul of the Eagles franchise in 2013.

It's not a whim. Change is here, as Boner reminds us. Miracles can and do happen within a year's time.

Eagles' practices and locker room have been closed all year. Players and coaches have been deliberately vague about schemes and position changes.

But the word of the day is "Overhaul".... and if Boner can do it, as he says, so can the Eagles.

Let me leave you on this Kentucky Derby after-party Sunday with some postcard photos from the Land of Boner:

 

 

 

 

 

One of Boner's favorite riding buddies...

 

 

 

 

 

Boise, Idaho panorama...this is the land that Boner loves...

 

 

 

 

 

"Old Boise"... this is where Boner meets and greets with fellow true fans of the Iggles...

 

 

 

 

HorseShoe Bend... some of the most beautiful riding territory in Boner's world...and the universe.

 

 

 

 

 

Table Rock section of Boise...a perfect riding trail filled with nature and glory...

 

 

 

 

 

Boner guarantees his 2013 Eagles overhaul tour will end up better than this classic biker excursion did down in Louisiana...

 

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