clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Eagles News: Wendell Smallwood wants to model his game after Brian Westbrook

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/15/16.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Let's get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Smallwood wants to follow in footsteps of great Eagles backs - CSN Philly
At 5-foot-10, 208 pounds, the fifth-round draft pick is hardly undersized, not even for a pro running back. He can certainly afford to add some muscle to his frame, and no doubt will now that football is his full-time job, but plenty of the league's top rushers have excelled despite similar stature. A few Eagles legends spring to mind. LeSean McCoy, the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Frank Gore — we kid, but a Hall of Fame-caliber back with eight 1,000-yard seasons to his name nonetheless. Or Brian Westbrook, the Eagles' all-time leader in yards from scrimmage, who the 22-year-old Smallwood grew up watching as an Eagles fan in Wilmington, Delaware, and patterns his game after to this day. "I've been watching Brian Westbrook since he was here," Smallwood said. "I was just watching his highlights yesterday at the rookie dinner we had. He ran hard and that's a guy I want to model my game after."

The Carson Wentz Plan Is Far From Unusual - PE.com
The Eagles have taken a short-term and long-term approach to the quarterback position this offseason. Prior to free agency, the Eagles re-signed Sam Bradford to a two-year contract to be the starter in 2016 for a team that will compete for the NFC East title. In free agency, head coach Doug Pederson brought over Chase Daniel from Kansas City to serve as the backup to Bradford. In this weekend's Rookie Camp, the Eagles get a look at the player they selected with the No. 2 overall pick in Carson Wentz, who has the potential to be a franchise difference-maker down the line. Philadelphia's approach with Wentz isn't unusual. I looked at the starters from the 2015 season and tracked how long each of them learned behind the scenes as a backup before leading the team on the field.

Eagles' rookie minicamp practice notes - PhillyVoice
The most notable name among the "tryouts" was Everett Golson, who was the starting quarterback at Notre Dame before losing his job to Malik Zaire. He transferred to Florida State for his fifth year of eligibility. I was surprised by Golson's arm strength. He has a gun, so much so that I went back and took a peek at scouting reports to see if that was the consensus of him in live action. (It was). It's very rare for a "tryout" to make it past rookie minicamp, but I wonder if Golson showed enough physical traits to at least earn his way to the next round of the offseason at OTAs next week.

Here are 14 teams that could easily have new QBs beginning in 2017 - CBS Sports
Frankly, by Week 8, Sam Bradford could be holding the clipboard. His bizarre trade demand/holdout did him no favors. Carson Wentz is the guy for 2017, but barring a sweeping run of injuries there is no way he's starting this September. I have a very difficult time seeing Bradford having so transcendent a season that he's around a year from now, despite already having a well compensated backup on the roster in Chase Daniel. Not to mention that gave up a bevy to jump up to second overall pick via two trades to be able to draft Wentz.

Eagles Wake-Up Call: Hicks’ Hands-On Approach To Health - Birds 24/7
Hicks knows that many injuries are out of his control to a degree, but he decided to take a proactive approach to see if there’s anything more he can do on his end to prevent them. So he set off on a mission this offseason to learn more about his body, seeking out a number of doctors — including a specialist out in California — to gain insight into how he’s uniquely wired.

Eagles' Mills shows remorse, but should choose words more carefully - Inquirer
Jalen Mills seems to have made the most of his do-over since charges of a 2014 simple assault against a woman were dropped, so it would only be fair to give him the benefit of the doubt after he gave the following unfortunate explanation for why he thought he was originally charged: "The girl - basically it was her word vs. mine. Domestic violence is very serious around the [United States], so women, nine times out of 10, they usually get the upper hand until you go to court." But Mills, who was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round, left out a few pertinent details in his answer. It wasn't just his word vs. the alleged victim's. Another witness picked him out of a lineup, according to the original police warrant.

Carson Wentz isn't ready to say he will be Sam Bradford's backup on Eagles - NJ.com
Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has said a lot of things since being drafted, and most of them have been about Sam Bradford. He has said he will have a good relationship with Bradford. He has said he has respect for Bradford.  He has said he looks forward to working with Bradford. What he hasn't said? That he will be backing up Bradford. "All I care about is winning," Wentz said when asked if he will be fine as a backup. "If the the team is wining I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team, whether that is third-string, backup, the starter — it doesn't matter. I'm going to do what I can to help the team and we'll see how that plays out."

Rookie Talk - Iggles Blitz
Jalen Mills is going to play CB this weekend. I’m not sure if he’ll stay there or move to S when the full team starts practicing together. Mills talks about wanting to play CB. The team’s roster lists him at S. Nothing is set in stone at this time of the year. At this time last year we thought Walter Thurmond was a CB. The team shuffled some pieces around and boom…he became the starting FS. The Eagles have a pair of good starting Safeties. They need depth. If Blake Countess looks like he can be a quality backup, then having Mills play CB would make a lot of sense. CB is one spot where the Eagles have bodies, but no standouts. Mills might just be a body as well, but you never know until you give the player a chance.

NFL has no comment on possible violation by Eagles with Wentz/Goff talks - PFT
Some have suggested that the Eagles violated the rules by engaging in pre-draft discussions with agents representing incoming rookies, pointing out that only the team that holds the first overall pick may negotiate terms before the draft. The NFL declined comment on the situation. Whether the NFL actually does anything about it becomes a question for the vague, arbitrary process that arises from a habit widespread violations of the rules and limited, selective enforcement.

There are still some decent players available in NFL free agency - SB Nation
The second wave of free agency is here and there are plenty of players who can help teams.

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page:

BGN Twitter:

Philly sports attire: Check out Philly Phaithful!

Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bleeding Green Nation Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your Philadelphia Eagles news from Bleeding Green Nation