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Let's get to the links...
The Hurry Up: Eagles' offseason priorities - JimmyK, Philly.com
What are the biggest questions facing the Eagles this offseason? Philly.com's Jimmy Kempski joins CineSport's Noah Coslov to get into that, the NFL Draft & handling expectations in 2014.
Source: New contract for DeSean Jackson unlikely - Jeff McLane, Inquirer
DeSean Jackson said that he was "deserving" when asked on Monday if he wanted a new contract. Later that day, the Eagles wide receiver wrote on Instagram that he "didn’t ask for a new a contract" and that he "was tired of dumb info being twisted." Whether Jackson does or doesn’t want his five-year, $47 million deal restructured, the Eagles are unlikely to rework his contract, a source close to the situation said. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said on Monday that he wouldn’t discuss Jackson’s contract situation, but he did compliment the receiver on his season.
Let’s Talk About Safety - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
The Eagles need help at Safety. We all agree on that. Let’s talk for a minute about the position and what needs to happen. We’ll start by reviewing 2013. Nate Allen had a solid season. Earl Wolff showed good promise as a rookie. Patrick Chung, who I had high hopes for, proved to be a major disappointment. Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson played sparingly and failed to show much on defense. Keelan Johnson just dipped his toe in the water. Impossible to judge him. If the Eagles re-signed Allen and paired him with Wolff to be the starters in 2014, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. But it also wouldn’t be ideal. Allen is coming off the best year of his career.
Year Two Begins: An Eagles Offseason Rundown - Brian Solomon, McNabb or Kolb
Chip Kelly's arrival was met with lots of fanfare, and more than a few skeptics. I won't bother to link to those old columns written about the "college coach" and his "gimmick offense," but suffice it to say that no one's a skeptic now. If anything, we're still underestimating the job he did in his first year. Before the season began, I found all 113 teams in Football Outsiders' database that finished 20th or worse in both offensive and defensive DVOA. Those bad teams had an average overall DVOA improvement of +11.9% in their next season. Kelly's Eagles, as it stands now, posted a +37.8% increase, the third-largest jump on record. But with an early bounce from the playoffs, the long offseason looms and more changes are inevitable. In today's NFL, huge improvement can always be followed by huge disappointment. In my opinion, the Eagles are much more likely to add to, grow from, and improve off of their 2013 success. But that's far from guaranteed. Here's where the team goes from here.
Keyshawn: Kelly Fell Short Of Expectations - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
From time to time in this space, we like to get a national perspective on what’s being said about the Eagles. While most reviews for Chip Kelly’s first season have been positive, analyst Keyshawn Johnson said during a recent ESPN Radio interview (via 97.5 The Fanatic) that he would give Kelly a "C" for his performance so far. Asked for an explanation, Johnson said: "Because he started off slow. He thought that his offense was going to work to the point of no return. It’s been OK. It hasn’t been this eye-popping… we’re all of a sudden gonna change the way that football is played on the professional level. It hasn’t done that, and I think that was the expectation. I would say that he’s come up short of expectations."
Kelly remains intrigued by Barkley's potential - Reuben Frank, CSN Philly
The numbers are ugly, and Matt Barkley knows that. And he also knows it’s kind of silly to judge him by the numbers in two games that he played as a rookie emergency quarterback without any practice reps in situations where the Eagles had to throw the ball. He knows that the Matt Barkley Eagles fans saw this year isn’t the real Matt Barkley. And he can’t wait to prove it.
Why the Philadelphia Eagles don’t need Riley Cooper anymore - Andrew Kulp, The700Level
Randy Moss. Terrell Owens. Chad Johnson. These are names of players who fans suggested play wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles after Jeremy Maclin suffered a torn ACL in training camp. In 2013! That’s how desperate folks were to keep Riley Cooper off the field before he used a racial slur. Fast forward six months, and suddenly people are acting like the Eagles can’t do without Cooper as the four-year veteran hurtles toward free agency for the first time. As it turned out, Cooper filled the role of No. 2 receiver in Chip Kelly’s offense adequately and then some. He actually became quite the big-play threat, finishing third in the NFL with 17.8 yards per catch, sixth with six receptions of 40 yards or more and 16th with eight touchdowns.
If this is goodbye, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick leaves Philadelphia a better man | NJ.com
I'm not around Vick 24/7/365, and don't pretend to know him on a personal level. He could stumble tomorrow and make me look silly. But I have been around him outside the locker room, and I have watched Vick make good on his promise to have a positive impact on the Philadelphia community. I have seen him speak on numerous occasions to the city's youth, many of whom live on the edge of making a life-changing misjudgment. When he spoke to a group of high-school students in Philadelphia, and warned them against making the same mistakes he had, the students were fixed on him. It's difficult to imagine he didn't have an impact. But he gave them more than words: With money out of his own pocket, Vick turned a neglected playground into one of the nicest public fields in the city.
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