Eagles News: Brian Dawkins explains why he stepped down from his front office role

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Super Bowl 2019: Brian Dawkins explains why Tom Brady is one of ‘top one or two’ QBs in NFL history - CBS Sports
After stepping down from his full-time position with the team three months after celebrating Philly’s title, Dawkins explained Thursday why both sides went their separate ways. ”I want to bless people with increase -- mentally, spiritually and physically,” he said. “God had me stop being an executive for the Philadelphia Eagles to start my own foundation to bless people, to give people hope. That’s a giving thing. And as a man of God, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

What the Eagles should do at defensive end - BGN
Brandon Graham is set to be a free agent this offseason and it’s very possible the Eagles might not be able to retain him. Spotrac projects Graham to receive a contract worth $80 million over five years. That’s a lot of money to be investing in a 30-year-old pass rusher, especially for a cap-strapped team like Philly. The feeling here is that the Eagles should try their best to keep Graham around. His game should age well as he’s more of a power rusher than a speed rusher. He also doesn’t have as much tread on his tires since he only started 13 games in the first five years of his career. Graham is a great locker room presence and he also just happened to make the biggest play in Eagles history by strip-sacking Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII. Graham slayed the dragon in a situation where Brady is typically unstoppable. It’ll be impossible to blame Graham if he leaves for a big offer in free agency; he deserves to make as much money as he can. But losing him will be a big loss for the Eagles. It’ll be really sad to see him go.

BGN Memories #3: Super Bowl LII - BGN Radio
In the third installment of BGN Memories, John Stolnis tells the tale of the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52! Presented by SB Nation & Bleeding Green Nation.

A recap of the Eagles’ injury-filled 2018 season, in stick figure form - PhillyVoice
It’s amazing that the Eagles were one of the final eight teams standing this season.

Cherishing Final Days As ‘Defending Super Bowl Champions’ - PE.com
A new Super Bowl Champion will be crowned on Sunday when the Rams and Patriots play and, well, the Eagles will no longer be the “defending Super Bowl Champions.” But they will always be champions. The fans will always be champions. The Lombardi Trophy will remain in the trophy case in the lobby of the NovaCare Complex. Nobody can take Super Bowl LII away from the Eagles and the fans and the City of Philadelphia and everybody who loves the Birds.

Rams safety John Johnson III gains Eagles fans after mocking the Saints | Super Bowl LIII notes - Daily News
After New Orleans beat the Eagles in a divisional playoff, Ingram and Kamara wore the masks during postgame interviews. And then a video of the players wearing masks and celebrating in the locker room to the sounds of Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” — the Eagles’ 2017 rallying cry — was posted on social media. “That was more disrespectful. Meek Mill’s from Philly. That’s definitely their thing,” Johnson said. “So I was like, ‘Come on now.’ ” Johnson said that he was also sticking up for friends he has on the Eagles. He played high school football in the D.C. area against safety Tre Sullivan, and said he knew safety Rodney McLeod also because of their similar hometown roots. Johnson cited cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Rasul Douglas as acquaintances, as well. The second-year Boston College product has gained more friends in the Philly area and has given some Eagles fans another reason to root against the Patriots on Sunday. “I’ve gotten a lot of comments on Instagram, direct message on Instagram,” Johnson said. “It’s cool. … It’s good to know somebody’s behind us. I know when we play [the Eagles] again it won’t be like that. But for this game, it’s pretty cool.”

Top-10 running backs set to hit free agency - PFF
6) Tearing his ACL in October, Jay Ajayi may be forced into a one-year, prove-it deal before he signs anything long term despite entering free agency at just 25 years old. The former Boise State phenom has flashed high-end potential at various points in his career, most of which coming in his first two years with the Miami Dolphins. Ajayi earned 75.2 and 80.3 overall grades in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He also averaged at least 3.04 yards after contact per carry in each of his first three seasons in the NFL and forced 40-plus missed tackles in 2016 and 2017. He’s a tackle-breaking machine with a knack for making plays after initial contact when healthy.

Report: Jerry Jones won’t extend Jason Garrett for short or long term, 2019 will be contract year - Blogging The Boys
Many Cowboys fans have wanted this for some time, for Jason Garrett to have to coach with his job on the line. He did so during the 2014 season which was one of the best of his career. Five years later Jerry isn’t hiding anything, his message is loud and clear. It’s now or never.

Super Bowl LIII Preview - Football Outsiders
Much like the Eagles with Nick Foles a year ago, the Rams have to trust Jared Goff to have a big game against the Patriots. Naturally, there is skepticism over him doing so, because there has always been skepticism of Goff during his NFL career. We couldn’t write a 2016 stat study that didn’t show how frighteningly bad his rookie season was. While he improved so much statistically in 2017, a lot of the credit went to McVay for an offense that was built heavily on YAC and easier throws to the slot. Goff took things to another level in 2018, but there was still that ugly three-game stretch after the bye where he averaged 5.6 yards per attempt and threw one touchdown to six interceptions. Overall, Goff’s numbers have dropped substantially since the Rams’ bye week. Anecdotally, the decline is tied to the loss of slot receiver Cooper Kupp, although Goff was fine in the first game without Kupp (Week 11, the big Monday Night game against Kansas City). It’s since the bye week that he has struggled.

Patriots or Rams? NFL execs predict the Super Bowl LIII winner - ESPN In$ider
I like the Patriots to win, maybe 31-17. The Rams have gotten big plays on the throwback screens. New England has two weeks to take those things away, and the Pats are not letting them get a big play on the screens. The Rams are going to have to make big plays down the field, which they have done. I just don’t know how many they will get. What’s scary for the Rams is New England has run more plays than any other team in the NFL. The Pats had 90-some plays against Kansas City. If they run more than 80 plays, the Rams won’t have the ball enough to score enough to win. The Detroit game [30-16 Rams victory in Week 13] was telling because the Rams struggled to move the ball. It is the same style, the same scheme that Belichick runs. You know Matt Patricia and Belichick are talking. The difference in that game was the Rams got a sack-fumble in the fourth quarter to pull away, but it was a close game until then.

Super Bowl 53 Matchups - Rotoworld
Although Jared Goff did enough to eke out one-score Divisional and NFC Championship wins over the Cowboys and Saints, Goff has remained hit or miss game to game, quarter to quarter, and even down to down. He’s cleared 7.5 yards per pass attempt twice in his last seven starts – versus Arizona and at San Francisco in Weeks 16 and 17 – and Goff’s when-pressured struggles didn’t subside in January. The NFL’s 28th-rated passer under duress (59.8) among 38 qualifiers in 2018, Goff’s 43.2 under-pressure QB rating ranks dead last among 12 playoff QBs. Although New England isn’t widely seen as a pass-rush team, Pats opponents Philip Rivers (45%) and Patrick Mahomes (50%) were the NFL’s most-pressured quarterbacks in the second- and third-postseason rounds. As Goff has thrown seven interceptions in seven games since the Rams’ Week 12 bye – four when pressured – and Brady’s pass attempts tend to spike in the postseason, I like the over on prop bets for 1.5 INTs (+120) combined for the game, Goff to throw an interception at any point (+145), and Goff to throw the first pick (-110). Prop bets for Goff to throw an interception before he throws a touchdown pass provide especially return-friendly odds (+240).

Battle of the Blueprints: How to Build a Super Bowl Contender in the Modern NFL - The Ringer
After a series of aggressive moves via trade and free agency, the Rams were all in on 2018. The Patriots prefer to play the long game.

Poll shows most NFL fans want the Patriots to lose the Super Bowl — but think they’ll win - SB Nation
Well, this is familiar. It’s the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for the ninth time in the last two decades and the third year in a row. For fans in Boston, it’s awesome. For most of the rest of the country, it’s time to become a fan of the Los Angeles Rams. In SB Nation’s FanPulse poll this week, over 1,700 fans responded with their Super Bowl picks. Three times as many fans said they’re hoping the Rams will win than fans who are pulling for the Patriots.

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