Eagles News: Lito Sheppard hypes up Philadelphia’s new defensive backs coach

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Why ex-Eagles CB Lito Sheppard thinks Marquand Manuel will bring a ‘Brian Dawkins-like’ mentality to Philadelphia secondary - NJ.com
“He’s always been a student of the game, forever,” Sheppard said. “Him having the ability to adapt personality-wise, from being a player to the coaching staff, it can have a great impact. [Manuel] is probably the ideal person you want in your organization.” Sheppard said Manuel’s passion for the game will be hard to miss on the sideline at Lincoln Financial Field this fall. Manuel’s competitiveness will be relatable to his players. His energy is contagious, and his love for the game is palpable. “What I think he’s going to bring is a very Brian Dawkins-like inspirational mentality,” Sheppard said. “He’s a really pumped up guy, he’s a very exciting guy, he’s a very passionate guy about his craft.”

Report: Eagles expected to announce coaching staff changes by end of next week - BGN
This Thursday will mark three weeks since the Eagles officially dismissed former offensive coordinator Mike Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch. A number of rumored Groh replacements have reached dead ends. There’s been no real talk on who might replace Walch. Perhaps the Eagles are eyeing assistants from the Kansas City Chiefs and/or the San Francisco 49ers? In addition to these offensive vacancies, the Eagles are undergoing changes at defensive line coach and defensive backs coach. Despite never previously coaching defensive linemen, Matt Burke is rumored to be replacing Phillip Daniels’ old job. The Eagles reportedly hired Marquand Manuel to replace Cory Undlin.

From the Bleachers #16: I Don’t Have to Root for Jack Crap - BGN Radio
Shamus Clancy talks about who he’s rooting for in the Super Bowl & takes on the notion that he’s obligated to be on Big Red’s side. Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

10 Eagles hoping to take the next step in 2020 - PE.com
Greg Ward, WR: The long wait to get to the gameday roster was worth it for Greg Ward, who had 28 receptions and averaged 9.1 yards per grab. His lone touchdown was the spectacular game-winner at Washington. Next for Ward? Fend off the competition that is inevitably coming as the Eagles address the wide receiver position in the months ahead. Ward potentially projects as a candidate to man the slot wide receiver position should Nelson Agholor move on in free agency and if that’s the case, Ward won’t be handed the job. He’s suited for it, though, with his sharp routes, his short-area quickness, his sure hands, and toughness. Ward can be a very valuable piece of the receiver corps here as he continues to refine his game and learn the subtleties of the position.

Alex Van Pelt named Browns offensive coordinator - Dawgs By Nature
[BLG Note: The Eagles are now the only NFL team with an offensive coordinator opening.]

Ranking the top 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates - SB Nation
5. Terry McLaurin, Washington. This spot could belong to DK Metcalf, Miles Sanders, or Devin Singletary in a pinch, but let’s give McLaurin his due for shining in the midst of a bad situation. Washington’s continued streak of dysfunction remained unchallenged in 2019, leaving the former Ohio State wideout to catch passes from three different quarterbacks: Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, and rookie Dwayne Haskins. McLaurin leads all rookie wideouts and tight ends in receiving yards per game and has been targeted more than any other first-year player but Metcalf. A big part of that is thanks to Washington’s awful roster — because come on, who else is there to throw to? — but it also highlights the rookie’s strength. Opponents have adjusted to McLaurin’s rise as the team’s top receiving option, and he’s still found a way to gash defenses.

Andy Reid rewind: Revisiting some 2017 Eagles’ favorite memories of Reid’s time in Philly - The Athletic
Jeffrey Lurie, owner: I have so many, but I’ll give you an early one, a really early one. It’s the first, second time I think, I ever went out to dinner with Andy. So we order and, you know, go around the table and everyone orders their dish. But Andy asks for three. Three! It wasn’t one. It was like, “I’ll have one steak,” or whatever it is. He asked for three. And it was like normal. So it was sort of like, “OK!” [...] Jason Peters: Probably when I first got here (in 2009). I came to minicamp and went to practice in the indoor and was battling Trent Cole for the first time. And I crushed him all practice. It was about an hour-and-45-minute practice, but in the indoor you sweat a lot. So I crushed him all practice and then after practice (Reid) called us up and I thought we were done. He’s like, “We’ve got 12 hash gassers.” So we start running the gassers. I got to about eight or nine and I fell out. When I opened my eyes, he was straddling over the top of me and he’s like, “Yeah, big fella, I’m gonna get you right. Don’t worry about it.” That was one of my first moments with him that I remember.

Super Bowl LIV: Brian Dawkins will ‘shed tears of joy’ if Andy Reid wins Super Bowl - NBCSP
Brian Dawkins is an emotional guy and he knows he won’t be able to contain those emotions if he gets to watch Andy Reid win the Super Bowl on Sunday. Dawkins, who played under Reid for 10 seasons in Philadelphia, was on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Quick Slants on Wednesday night to promote K9s For Warriors and Reid was a major topic of conversation. How happy will you be if Reid wins the Super Bowl? “I know I’m going to shed tears of joy if that’s the case,” Dawkins said. Dawkins, 46, played in 18 career NFL playoff games but just one Super Bowl. He was 31 for the Eagles’ loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. Reid and Dawkins have a close relationship. It’s so close that in 2018, when Dawkins was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Reid chartered a plane to Canton, Ohio, just so he wouldn’t miss it. He was back in Kansas City for training camp the next morning.

Undervalued Stefen Wisniewski is again a starter, again in the Super Bowl; former Eagle would change almost nothing about his journey - Inquirer
“I think our mindset [in Super Bowl LII] was we had a lot of confidence knowing that we could win the game,” Wisniewski said. “I’ll take a lot of that mindset into this Super Bowl.” The home screen on Wisniewski’s phone has a picture of the ring he won with the Eagles. They let him test free agency last offseason, even though he again finished the previous season as a starter. But he was re-signed in May. He blocked well in training camp, but he struggled with his snaps while backing up center Jason Kelce. It’s likely numbers — roster and salary-cap — had more to do with his exit. But when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach called in early October, Wisniewski was ready. He knew Andy Reid’s offense — since protege Doug Pederson had adopted most of it in Philly — and had heard nothing but praise from teammates who had played for the coach. “He’s one of those late additions that Brett brought in that’s been pretty great for our team,” Reid said Tuesday. “Stefen is a tough kid, great personality, extremely smart.”

Chiefs, 49ers fill the need for speed in Super Bowl LIV - ESPN
Of course, neither the 49ers nor the Kansas City Chiefs are actually preparing to run a relay this week ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox), but if they were, you’d be hard-pressed to find two rooms better equipped to do it than the Niners’ running backs and the Chiefs’ wide receivers. In San Francisco, it’s Mostert, Breida, Coleman and Wilson who form the 49ers’ speedy backfield. In Kansas City, it’s Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson or Byron Pringle who make up the Legion of Zoom. ”We are the home run team,” Watkins said. “We can throw deep. We’ve got all these track runners, all these thoroughbreds. ... We can possibly be unstoppable.” [BLG Note: Hoping the Eagles can say they’re one of the fastest NFL teams in the near future.]

Penn Charter’s Mike McGlinchey brings Philly toughness to 49ers, Super Bowl LIV - PhillyVoice
Mike McGlinchey saw this coming, possibly before anyone. The massive 6-foot-8, 305-pound starting right offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, by way of Notre Dame and Penn Charter, had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before the Niners would transform from the 4-12 team they were last year to 13-3 this year and NFC Champions. Soon after McGlinchey was taken by San Francisco with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the 2013 graduate of Penn Charter, where he played 12 different positions his senior year, predicted the following: “I’m entering a good situation, because I think we’re going to be really good, really fast. I’m not saying we’re going to be in the Super Bowl tomorrow, but we’re heading in a positive direction with what they’re building here and I can see it one day soon.”

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