The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

1niksder wrote:With that kin of money it might take a few years to get there, so I'm wondering who'll hav Andy Reid's job when they start to click.


OK you smart guys got me, I mean who'll be the coach after Reid is gone and they get out of cap trouble by cutting a lot of the guys they just signed.

With rookie Casey Matthews, second-year player Jamar Chaney and third-year player Moise Fokou starting at linebacker, the Eagles are inexperienced at the position. But Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo isn’t ready.

In fact, Castillo believes that by the time the Super Bowl rolls around, no one will be saying the Eagles’ linebackers are inexperienced.

“The linebackers will be ready to win the Super Bowl,” Castillo said, via Andy Schwartz of CSNPhilly.com. “Remember, it takes 16 weeks, and then really whoever is playing their best during the playoffs. So when you look at it, there’s time to develop. You can say that there’s not, but the key is, who’s playing or fundamentally who’s the best come Week 8, 9, 10 – and during that crunch time. And over the years we’ve been pretty good during that time, and we’ll continue to do that. The young kids will get better just because they’re working the proper fundamentals.”

So Castillo doesn’t necessarily think the linebackers are ready to win the Super Bowl now. He just thinks they will be five months from now.

“It takes time to develop kids,” Castillo said. “It’s a process, and it’s our job to develop the kids and make them better.”

Of course, if it takes too much time to develop, the Eagles won’t be in the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. But the Eagles seem to think the rest of their team is good enough that getting to the Super Bowl shouldn’t be a problem.

Philadelphia’s right tackle spot and offensive line look like potential trouble areas for the team. Rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews is causing teeth gnashing in Philly.

When coming up with areas of concern for the Eagles, however, don’t overlook the safety position. Last year’s promising second round pick Nate Allen is struggling to recover from a torn patellar tendon.

At strong safety, it looks like second-year seventh round pick Kurt Coleman will start. This year’s second round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett was expected to be the guy, but he’s struggling to pick up the defense like most rookies around the league.

Six years ago, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning called out his offensive line in not-so-subtle fashion after a playoff loss to the Steelers, citing “problems in protection.”

After getting sacked and knocked down and hurried and harassed by the Browns’ defense on Thursday night due to a work-in-progress wall of blockers, Eagles quarterback Mike Vick was far more diplomatic.

“You can’t expect a guy to come in and be a Pro Bowl player in two games,” Vick said of sixth-round rookie center Jason Kelce, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. “That’s just not the way this thing works.”

Kelce and rookie Danny Watkins started on Thursday night, and tackle King Dunlap continues to try to shed his training wheels.

Meanwhile, Vick’s confidence tank remains topped off. “I’m going to give defenses fits anyway,” Vick said regarding his effective play despite being repeatedly chased and hit. “Just plain and simple, saying that out of confidence, not arrogance.”

Vick pushed the Eagles to a 17-0 halftime lead, even though he completed only one pass to a receiver. Vick connected on 10 of 18 passes for 98 yards and no interceptions (down from three last week). He also ran the ball four times for 24 yards and a touchdown in the 24-14 win.

It sounds like we can cross off Ryan Harris as an option for Philadelphia’s shaky right tackle position.

Howard Eskin of 610 WIP and NBC-10 reports Harris has a herniated disc in his back. The free agent pickup will have back surgery next week, according to CSNPhilly.com.

Once a fast-rising player on the Broncos, Harris has struggled to stay healthy the last few years. Early this month, he was viewed as the heavy favorite to start in Week One. Winston Justice isn’t healthy either, leaving King Dunlap at right tackle in the preseason.

Though the Eagles would never admit that they’re concerned about their offensive line, actions usually speak more loudly than words.

The Eagles have moved left guard Todd Herremans to right tackle, sending King Dunlap to second string and creating further concern regarding the status of Winston Justice, who remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list after offseason knee surgery.

Herremans will be working next to rookie Danny Watkins, the starting right guard.

Evan Mathis now takes over as the first-string left guard.

Before the move was announced via the team’s website, coach Andy Reid spoke to the media, but said nothing about Herremans’ new gig, which takes on added importance given that starting quarterback Mike Vick is, unlike Inigo Montoya, left-handed.

Reid did address Justice’s status. Without really saying anything.

“He’s not all the way back yet, he’s close, and so I don’t want to do anything where we have setbacks,” Reid said of Justice. “When he comes back I want to make sure that he can come back and practice and not have any setbacks; an extra day or two or three will help him out I think.

“Listen, I would just tell you kind of the same thing as these other guys, I mean we’ll have to take it day by day. I don’t know how he’s going to do when he comes back in. I’m hoping for the best, but we’ll see how things work out.”

The decision to move to right tackle a guy who was a Pro Bowl alternate at left guard suggests that things aren’t working out well.

Then again, no one really needs to say that. In this regard, the images of Mike Vick constantly running for his life say it all.

Two days after admitting his transition to the NFL was “overwhelming,” Eagles rookie Danny Watkins was removed from the starting lineup.

Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com reports from Eagles practice Wednesday that new waiver pickup Kyle DeVan will replace Watkins in the starting lineup. DeVan took all the reps with the starting lineup.

Still, the Eagles have to be disappointed with the uncertainty of their offensive line. Their right guard is a waiver pickup that wasn’t good enough to stick with the Colts. The right tackle was moved from guard because their first two options were hurt. The center is a rookie. The first round pick is on the bench.

There are plenty of reasons to think the Eagles will be good this year, but there are almost as many questions about them.

Red_One43 wrote:Does anybody who watched the Packers and Saints game last night think that the Eagles are still the Dream Team?

yupchagee wrote:

Red_One43 wrote:Does anybody who watched the Packers and Saints game last night think that the Eagles are still the Dream Team?

Absolutely! If they think they can just cruise to the SB, they are dreaming!

The Eagles, gashed on the ground through two weeks of the season, will be trying to improve their fortunes by rearranging their linebackers.

Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, rookie Casey Matthews has been moved from middle linebacker to the weak side. Weak side linebacker Moise Fokou has been moved from the weak side to the strong side. And strong side linebacker Jamar Chaney has moved to the middle.

And so the Eagles are doing on defense what they previously did on offense. They’re addressing a weakness by moving around the parts of the puzzle. They did it with the offensive line, and they’re doing it with the defense.

Whether it works remains to be seen.

And then there was the question of Samuel’s reaction to sharing the position with two other top-flight players. That seemed to be a big concern back in training camp.

“I want to be where I’m wanted,” Samuel said back in August. “If they’re tired of my big playmaking ability, they can ship me out.”

We didn’t hear much from Samuel after that point and things seemed to have come together nicely for the Eagles. All three corners play a lot and all three have played fairly well in the first two weeks of the season. That made it odd to hear Samuel express some displeasure with the arrangement during a conference call with Giants media in advance of Sunday’s NFC East showdown.

Samuel was asked if he could ever see himself joining one of Philly’s NFC East rivals the way that wide receiver Steve Smith did when he signed with the Eagles as a free agent. The answer comes via Tom Rock of Newsday.

“The way things are going this year,” Samuel said, “I guess I probably could.”

It is hard to understand just what’s bothering Samuel. As mentioned, he’s playing a lot and his role — stopping receivers from catching the ball — isn’t any different than it was before Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie came to town. What’s more, he’s still being paid very well, $5.9 million this year, and still has a contract worth $18.8 million over the next two years. It might be unrealistic for him to see that money in Philly, but it is still pretty hard to see where he’s been dealt such an awful hand by the Eagles.