Eagles News: Michael Bennett’s attorney says his client “just didn’t do it”

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Attorney says Michael Bennett ‘just didn’t do it’ - NBC Sports Philadelphia
“He just didn’t do it,” Bennett’s attorney Rusty Hardin said by phone to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Monday evening. “I strongly feel that way and not just because it’s totally inconsistent with his whole history and not just because he says he didn’t. I’ve talked to other witnesses. We’ve talked to other witnesses who also didn’t see anything.” Bennett, 32, was released on bond Monday and plans on heading back to his home in Hawaii. His next court appearance is on April 23 at 1 p.m. Hardin said that appearance will be for the prosecution and defense to exchange information. Hardin said he’ll be happy to give them as much as he can. “I’m just comfortable that it’s not him,” Hardin said. “And it’s not one of these things that it’s my client and he didn’t do it. I’m just convinced this guy didn’t do it. I told the DA’s office I would try to get them everything I can to show you, you have the wrong person.”

My answer to the question, “Are Eagles fans worse than any other fan base? - BGN
The short answer is no they are no worse than other fan bases. However, it is a fun although lazy narrative that non-Philly and national media absolutely loves to perpetuate.

Conversations: Former Eagles LB Kevin Reilly - BGN Radio
Vince Quinn sits down with former Eagles LB Kevin Reilly and his amazing story about his life, family and relentless pursuit of getting his life back. Kevin has a new book call Tackling Life and shares how much strength he thinks willpower has in your life.

Howie Roseman clearly open to trading Nick Foles, wants a strong return (obviously) - PhillyVoice
When asked about the potential trade of Foles, it’s always telling when the answer isn’t something similar to, “Trade Foles?!?! What?!? Get out of here!” Clearly the Eagles would trade Foles for the right offer, and according to Roseman, the “right offer” is an expensive one.

A Bit More on Foles - Iggles Blitz
There is a reason Foles was drafted in the 3rd round. There is a reason the Eagles traded him after 2014. And the Rams let him go. And that he didn’t have a ton of interest as a free agent prior to last season. Foles is talented, but he is flawed. The tape shows that. There is a catch here. Scouting reports are constantly changing. The report on Foles now has to mention that he played well against the Falcons and then was lights out against the Vikings and Pats. Those were legitimately great performances. That doesn’t wipe out poor games from the past, but it does counter them to a certain extent. If Foles had played well for 10 or 12 games, then you might have a really different scouting report. You just can’t take a small sample and turn that into definitive evidence, even with a Super Bowl win.

Malcolm Jenkins: Owners can ‘uphold commitment’ by voting yes - ESPN
The NFL player movement started by Colin Kaepernick is entering a new phase, led in large part by Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and the Players Coalition he co-founded. As the owners gather in Orlando, Florida, for their annual meetings, issues related to player activism are on the agenda. They enter divided on how best to address protests during the national anthem. Serious debate is expected this week in front of a potential resolution at the May meetings in Atlanta. Owners also are set to vote this week on a key part of their pact with the Players Coalition worth millions of dollars. If it passes, each team would create a fund of about $250,000 for community-specific causes in conjunction with the efforts of the national campaign. Per league sources, around $73 million of the original $89 million agreement in October has been approved, and the rest is on the line over the next couple of days.

The history of Doug Pederson’s new task: How past 6 first-time SB winning coaches fared the next year - PennLive
Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson is in Orlando this week for the NFL’s annual league meeting, his team has been busy making roster moves the past month and preparation for the NFL draft is about to ramp up. The Super Bowl honeymoon is over. But what can we expect out of Pederson moving forward? As a coach coming off his first championship, is he more likely to surge toward sustained greatness or stumble back into mediocrity? While every situation is different, we thought it’d be worthwhile to study all six of the first-time Super Bowl winning coaches over the past decade. We looked at how they fared the following season and how the next few years panned out after they reached the NFL’s mountaintop.

Eagles Built To Win Now ... And Later - PE.com
In a matter of two weeks, the Eagles attacked free agency in a way that few expected. They cleared space within the NFL’s salary cap days after reports said the team was as much as $11 million over the limit of $177.2 million. They retained standout linebacker Nigel Bradham. They made two trades, acquiring defensive end Michael Bennett and cornerback Daryl Worley. They signed unrestricted free agents defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, linebacker Corey Nelson and wide receiver Mike Wallace. Not a bad start to the offseason.

2018 NFL Draft needs: Roster holes Eagles, Cowboys, Giants and Redskins still need to address - CBS Sports
Howie Roseman hasn’t rested on his laurels after watching his team win a Super Bowl in February. One area Roseman has yet to address is tackle, where an heir for Jason Peters is needed as the team’s long-term left tackle comes off a major injury. The Eagles lost two tight ends behind Zach Ertz this offseason and have yet to replace them, so expect that to be a priority from here on out. Finding a third safety to replace Corey Graham is key, especially one who could take over a bigger role if the team has to shed one or both of their top two safeties’ contracts down the line. Running back and receiver both have quality depth, especially after Mike Wallace was brought in, but adding more depth to the position wouldn’t hurt either. Cutting Mychal Kendricks next year would save the Eagles $7 million in cap space, so identifying someone to take over his role this offseason would be smart. At defensive end, the recently-acquired Michael Bennett is now in legal trouble, and it’s possible the team will have to find a Plan B for his role.

FAQ on the Michael Bennett situation: Legal analysis of his options, possible outcomes and more - The Athletic
It’s hard to say, even for the attorneys handling the matter. Publicity cases involving polarizing figures can be hard to predict because the attention tends to change people’s actions, even if they don’t want to admit it. Most cases do not go to trial. This case doesn’t look like the type that should go to trial. From known police information and no video of the incident — and with Hardin as his attorney — this appears to be a winnable case for the defense, and in normal cases that can pressure prosecutors to dismiss charges.

2017 Adjusted Games Lost: By Unit - Football Outsiders
Even in Week 17 with Elliott back, the Cowboys scored just six points against the Eagles’ backups in an odd game. While the defense would knowingly struggle with the suspensions it had to overcome, the healthy offense was a bland disappointment in 2017.

Analyzing the route trees of the 2018 NFL Draft CBs - Mike Hughes - PFF
During the marvelous run that was the 2017 season for the University of Central Florida, one defensive player (and special teamer) had an extremely productive season. McKenzie Milton, Tre’Quan Smith and the rest of the ‘UCFast’ offense put up points in bunches and Shaquem Griffin may have stolen the defensive headlines (and rightfully so), but cornerback Mike Hughes dominated receivers on his side of the field. In doing so, the UNC-transfer and UCF cornerback smashed his ceiling and blasted up draft boards with his career year in coverage and overall grade. Hughes currently sits as our No. 5 cornerback for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Kraft discounts any discord in Patriots organization - AP
Every marriage has its ups and downs. So New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft urged everyone not to read too much into any reported discord in his organization. Kraft praised Bill Belichick on Monday when asked about some of the unusual decisions the coach made in the Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia. As for any split among owner, coach and star quarterback, Kraft said he has learned to work with “a strong and powerful coach.” ”The so-called tension gets greater when you lose,” Kraft added. And with Brady, Kraft noted that the “feeling of a loss is worse than the feeling of a win” in a Super Bowl, except for that first victory.

Seahawks defensive end Marcus Smith says he played with torn ligament in foot - PFT
Smith has 2.5 sacks for Seattle in 14 games played last season with both full sacks resulting in forced fumbles. He recorded 15 total tackles as a rotational pass rusher for the Seahawks. Smith signed another one-year deal to return to the Seahawks for 2018.

Odell Beckham contract: Giants, Beckham beginning to show their hands - Big Blue View
The relationship between Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants has taken a serious, though hardly unexpected, turn. That’s because it’s time to get serious about the money. It’s always, of course, about the money. Will the Giants give it to the superstar wide receiver or will he have to find it somewhere else? At the NFL owner’s meeting on Sunday, Giants co-owner John Mara gave a loud and clear signal that his previously unequivocal support for Beckham is wavering. Mara said that “nobody is untouchable” after a 3-13 season and that while the Giants wouldn’t go looking to trade Beckham that “you always listen.”

Report: Cowboys have “had talks with” La’el Collins about moving back to guard - Blogging The Boys
Last week when the idea of La’el Collins moving back to guard was openly speculated on by Todd Archer and Ian Rapoport, many scoffed. The general consensus was that there was “no way” La’el would move back to guard. It just didn’t seem possible that the Cowboys would be considering moving him away from right tackle. What if I told you it was possible, though? What if ESPN’s Todd Archer even told you that the Cowboys have had talks with La’el about it? Well, here we are.

A quick observation about every NFL coach in the 2018 yearbook photo - SB Nation
Doug Pederson seems uncomfortably stiff because he’s actually a dog who became a person thanks to an ancient family curse.

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