Defensive line -- rotation, rotation, rotation
When I listen to Jevon Kearse talk, all I can think of is that huge dude in The Green Mile. I don't know if anyone else gets that, but their voices are so similar to me that I can't help it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that The Freak is not a small man himself, though weight-wise, he coud definitely be a linebacker. Anyway, Kearse's health is what's imporaant to the Eagles right now, not his voice. The sample size was only two games last year, but the effectiveness of the Birds pass rush was so overwhelmingly improved with him in the lineup as opposed to when he was hurt.
I believe Trent Cole will be the starter on the other end by the time the season starts, though Howard didn't look bad at training camp. Howard suffered a major power outage the second half of last season, and it's hard to know if he can ever be the player the Eagles acquired him to be. But if they can keep him fresh, who knows?
One of the guys that had a tremendous camp was Juqua Thomas, who got a contract extension from the Eagles during the offseason. He got some reps with the first team and really made the most of them. I'd say he and Victor Abiamiri, the second-round draft pick out of Notre Dame, helped theselves more than anybody else on the defensive line.
Interestingly, Jim Johnson played with Abiamiri both as a tackle and as a joker, or basically a fourth linebacker in a special run-stopping package. If he continues to show that versatility and can actually learn to flourish in all those positions, Vctor is going to become one of Johnson's favorite players pretty quick.
Assuming the Eagles are going to keep fives DE's and five DT's, like they did last year, then Jerome McDougle is a dead man walking. Many jumped on the solid results he was putting up during training camp as a sign of life, forgetting that he was doing it against third-team offensive linemen. You won't find a coach saying a bad thing about him, but that doesn't mean they want to keep him.
Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson both had strong camps at DT, and injuries aside, I think folks will be relieved by their production in there. Neither is probably quite as good as Corey Simon was at his best, but then look where Corey Simon is these days.
The big concern is with the Eagles' two free agent pickups, Montae Reagor and Ian Scott, neither of whom will see any action in the Baltimore game. If it isn't clear the one or both of these guys is going to be able to contribute, then the Birds have to look for a Plan B or C to fill out the all-important rotation. That means LaJuan Ramsey is in for a bigger role, maybe Abiamirir sees more plays inside, or perhaps a guy like rookie free agent Jeremy Clark gets a chance to make the team.
Quick story: I was standong out front of the Eagles locker room/workout facility the other day with Les Bowen of the Daily News when Clark walked out. Les started interviewing him and it took me a second or two to figure out who he even was, but I eventualy caught up. Anyway, Les asked him if he thought an ankle injury he'd suffered had hurt his stock to the point where he had not been drafted, and Clark sort of slid by the question. In fact, he pretty much gave rote answers to everything. But as he was walking away afterward, he suddenly stopped and turned around and said, "I never thought my ankle had anything to do with the draft." Like it had really just occurred to him that an injury history might have spooked some teams, or that scouts thought he wasn't as quick as he was because they saw him when he wasn't 100 percent. It was a very strange moment, and I sort of hoped Clark gave himself room to feel more confident after that. I have no idea if he's an NFL player, but it seems like the draft is such an area of disappointment for some of these rookie free agents that any excuse they can use to discredit it is a good one.
I believe Trent Cole will be the starter on the other end by the time the season starts, though Howard didn't look bad at training camp. Howard suffered a major power outage the second half of last season, and it's hard to know if he can ever be the player the Eagles acquired him to be. But if they can keep him fresh, who knows?
One of the guys that had a tremendous camp was Juqua Thomas, who got a contract extension from the Eagles during the offseason. He got some reps with the first team and really made the most of them. I'd say he and Victor Abiamiri, the second-round draft pick out of Notre Dame, helped theselves more than anybody else on the defensive line.
Interestingly, Jim Johnson played with Abiamiri both as a tackle and as a joker, or basically a fourth linebacker in a special run-stopping package. If he continues to show that versatility and can actually learn to flourish in all those positions, Vctor is going to become one of Johnson's favorite players pretty quick.
Assuming the Eagles are going to keep fives DE's and five DT's, like they did last year, then Jerome McDougle is a dead man walking. Many jumped on the solid results he was putting up during training camp as a sign of life, forgetting that he was doing it against third-team offensive linemen. You won't find a coach saying a bad thing about him, but that doesn't mean they want to keep him.
Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson both had strong camps at DT, and injuries aside, I think folks will be relieved by their production in there. Neither is probably quite as good as Corey Simon was at his best, but then look where Corey Simon is these days.
The big concern is with the Eagles' two free agent pickups, Montae Reagor and Ian Scott, neither of whom will see any action in the Baltimore game. If it isn't clear the one or both of these guys is going to be able to contribute, then the Birds have to look for a Plan B or C to fill out the all-important rotation. That means LaJuan Ramsey is in for a bigger role, maybe Abiamirir sees more plays inside, or perhaps a guy like rookie free agent Jeremy Clark gets a chance to make the team.
Quick story: I was standong out front of the Eagles locker room/workout facility the other day with Les Bowen of the Daily News when Clark walked out. Les started interviewing him and it took me a second or two to figure out who he even was, but I eventualy caught up. Anyway, Les asked him if he thought an ankle injury he'd suffered had hurt his stock to the point where he had not been drafted, and Clark sort of slid by the question. In fact, he pretty much gave rote answers to everything. But as he was walking away afterward, he suddenly stopped and turned around and said, "I never thought my ankle had anything to do with the draft." Like it had really just occurred to him that an injury history might have spooked some teams, or that scouts thought he wasn't as quick as he was because they saw him when he wasn't 100 percent. It was a very strange moment, and I sort of hoped Clark gave himself room to feel more confident after that. I have no idea if he's an NFL player, but it seems like the draft is such an area of disappointment for some of these rookie free agents that any excuse they can use to discredit it is a good one.
posted by SMc. at 10:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home