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Let's get to the links...
WR Update - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
The biggest question on offense is what will happen at WR. Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin are free agents. Will the Eagles keep one, both or none? And then there is Jason Avant. He’s a descending player who the team might want to upgrade. I was hoping to get a better feel for things while down in Mobile, but the WR position is a real mystery. Maclin’s ACL and Cooper’s off-field incident complicate things. The overall situation is tough to read because the free agent receiver class is so thin and the draft class is so deep.
Nick Foles is co-MVP of the Pro Bowl, and 10 awards from Honolulu! - JimmyK, Philly.com
Best Player in the NFL: Nick Foles
Because the Pro Bowl is a collection of the best players in the NFL, and Nick Foles was co-MVP of the game, I can only conclude that Nick Foles was the best player in the NFL this season, just like Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph was last year.
Foles: Surreal To Win MVP Award - PE.com
"It's kind of surreal to be standing here with the MVP," Foles said after the game. "All of the guys did a great job. I'm just glad to be here representing the Philadelphia Eagles and all of my teammates."
Eagles Prospect Watch: Van Noy, Urban And Ford - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
Taking all measurements off the table and just focusing on on-the-field production, Auburn’s Dee Ford was easily one of the stars in Mobile. The DE/OLB was named MVP of Saturday’s game with a pair of sacks and a pass deflection in the first half. At 6-2 1/8, 243 pounds, Ford doesn’t jump off the charts from a measurables perspective. But he has good length (32 3/4-inch arms), and there’s no denying his production. Ford had 10.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss as a senior playing in the SEC. If Ford continues to turn heads during the pre-draft process, he could be a first-round pick.
Unveiling the All-Bruschi Team - Tedy Bruschi, ESPN
Foles was the most efficient quarterback in the NFL this year. He led the league in passer rating and passing yards per attempt, and he threw only two interceptions. This is no dink-and-dunk quarterback; he will take you deep and make you pay. Foles led the Eagles to the NFC East title despite entering the year knowing Michael Vick was the starter. Once Vick went down, Foles stepped in and didn't look back. The Eagles might have found their franchise quarterback.
A review of the safeties the Eagles spoke with at the Senior Bowl - JimmyK, Philly.com
While Earl Wolff certainly showed glimpses that he can start in the NFL, his play was perhaps a little overrated by the fan base because of the fact that he isn't Patrick Chung. Wolff is a promising player, but he shouldn't be considered a sure thing at this point. Even if the Eagles are able to retain Allen, the Eagles will have one functional starter, one promising player who might be starter in the NFL, and then a handful of "replacement level" players as depth. There's a pretty good chance the safety position will be addressed both in free agency and the draft, like it was a year ago. The Eagles spoke with two safeties after Senior Bowl practices. They were Deone Bucannon of Washington State and Ahmad Dixon of Baylor.
Super Bowl weather forecast will be watched closely by other cities hoping to host - Washington Post
Super Bowl week is at hand, and as always, various rooting interests are in play as the country’s biggest sporting event nears. But with the game set to be played for the first time on the supersize stage of the New York area in what could be the grandest and coldest Super Bowl ever, a significant number of onlookers are rooting for the host city. Or at least they should be. Any hopes for other cities with frosty winter weather and outdoor football stadiums — such as Washington — to host future Super Bowls might rest on how things go in New York during the upcoming week. "Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore are all asking, ‘Is this something we can do?’ " Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy said recently. "You’d be amazed how many fans and how many [Packers] shareholders here have asked the same thing."
Rep. Jon Runyan on Quitting Congress - POLITICO Magazine
People are constantly asking me how similar politics is to pro football. I spent more than a decade in the NFL before spending the past three years in Congress, and the truth of the matter is the two occupations are more alike than not. Both are contact sports, and you’d better be ready to play when you step onto either field. While it’s tough to say which is more difficult, there have been plenty of times in the past few years when I’ve thought politics was harder. At least in football you know exactly who your opponent is.
NFC Gone Fishin’: Offseason Questions for Each Eliminated Playoff Team - Grantland
The beginning and the end couldn’t have gone more differently for the Eagles’ offense, but somewhere in the middle, it became clear that this Chip Kelly experiment was probably going to work. Philly finished third in offensive DVOA, and it’ll have more or less the same group back to try it again. Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin are free agents, and the only real question the Eagles have to answer on offense is what they’ll do across from DeSean Jackson.
