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Eagles News: “There was division in the Eagles’ leadership as to [JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s] worth”

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/9/20.

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NFL: DEC 29 Eagles at Giants Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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Why the Eagles drafted J.J. Arcega-Whiteside over DK Metcalf and other wide receivers - Inquirer
The Eagles, during the evaluation process, valued the 6-foot-3 Arcega-Whiteside’s ability to high-point 50-50 balls. He had also been durable and productive in college. But there was internal concern about his lack of explosiveness, his stiff hips, and ultimately there was division in the Eagles’ leadership as to his worth, sources said. Arcega-Whiteside isn’t the first early-round receiver to struggle in his first season. If he were to take a significant leap in Year 2, he wouldn’t be the first either. Some receivers need more time than others. Roseman noted that three of the top rookie receivers – Metcalf, McLaurin, and Slayton -- never caught more than 40 passes in a season during college. “Is that a factor for us when we look at college production and we kind of see how important that is to us?” Roseman asked. “Do we need to go back and look at that? I think we do.”

7 defensive coordinator options for the Eagles if Jim Schwartz isn’t back in 2020 - BGN
The thinking here isn’t that the Eagles believe Schwartz is a bad defensive coordinator, because he’s not. The Eagles have allowed the fewest home points per game since Schwartz came to Philly in 2016. The Eagles have also allowed the fifth fewest overall points per game in that span. The potential problem with Schwartz is that he may have worn out his welcome within the NovaCare Complex. Remember how back in 2017 there was a report that some Eagles players believed Schwartz was trying to overtake Pederson as head coach? That report was essentially swept under the rug with the Eagles having so much that year en route to a Super Bowl win. But my understanding is that that report wasn’t off-base and that the Pederson and Schwartz relationship hasn’t always been so amicable (to put it lightly). My sense is that the Eagles would prefer Schwartz to get hired away so they don’t have to go through the optics of dismissing him.

Bad Takes & Big Needs - BGN Radio
Jimmy Kempski and Brandon Lee Gowton go over the Eagles-Seahawks result and debates, discuss the recent draft classes from Howie Roseman, rank their positional needs for the off-season and much more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Carson Wentz’s ascension makes Eagles’ season a big success - ESPN
“He came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this next year. We’re going to be back and we’re going to be better.’ In my head I’m like, ‘Dude, are you OK? I’m not even worried about that right now. I’m worried about how you’re doing,’” said rookie receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. “Even after him taking that hit, the injury, to be in that locker room to make it about everybody else and not him is a true testament of the guy he is, the leader he is.”

What Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson said, what they meant and why it matters for the Eagles - The Athletic
What he meant: We might have missed on this pick, but let’s exercise some patience because Arcega-Whiteside had intriguing skills coming out of Stanford. Some of you liked the pick when we made it. I’m going to remind you about all the compliments I heard from others in the league about the pick during the preseason. I hope you’ve all forgotten that the same people around the league called to compliment me on the Clayton Thorson pick, too. But it looks bad, especially with how well DK Metcalf played. Honestly, we have to look hard at how we evaluate wide receivers. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and Darius Slayton didn’t have elite production in college. All three ran sub-4.4-second 40-yard dashes at the combine, had big games against us and were standout rookies. So, we must assess how we scout the position. As you know, Joe Douglas placed a premium on college production when he was here. (That might be a convenient excuse with him now in New York. Or not.) And our analysts also need to look at the data profiles of the successful wide receivers, too. It’s especially important because this is a deep draft class for wide receivers. We can’t afford to miss on one again.

More details about the concussion Carson Wentz suffered on Sunday - NBCSP
Just how scary was Carson Wentz’s concussion on Sunday? According to sources close to the situation, Wentz had a brief loss of memory on the sideline. He couldn’t remember what happened or who the Eagles played the week before. While inside the blue medical tent, Wentz also had a little bit of trouble sitting in a stationary position. Initially, when he came off the field, Wentz told Josh McCown that he wasn’t feeling right. That’s when the medical staff took him inside the blue tent on the sideline for further evaluation.

Mission 2020: Add youth, speed, depth to Eagles roster - PE.com
3. Looking ahead, Roseman said that adding younger players was important for the roster. “Going forward, we need to infuse youth into this team. We think we’re going to have 10 draft picks,” Roseman said. “We’re excited about that. When we look at what the young players did for this team, down the stretch, it’s a great tribute to them. It’s a great tribute to our coaching staff. It’s a great tribute to our developmental program that we take a lot of pride in. “It’s a great lesson. You have to let young players play. It’s natural for us to want to have a safety net at every position. We have to allow these young players to grow and get some experience. Just the energy that they injected into the team and the production that they had. We have to balance some of that.”

Will the Browns Learn From Previous Mistakes When Hiring a Head Coach? - MMQB
Again, watch DePodesta here. He’s running the process, but not making the decision. If it’s Stefanski or Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, there’s a good chance that Berry returns from Philadelphia and the team’s chief strategy officer remains on board. If it’s McDaniels, my belief is that is DePodesta’s place in the organization would be in jeopardy. Again, a lot of this may come down to whom Haslam is listening. But as I said off the top, the key is making sure whoever Haslam picks is the right coach—and that coach isn’t hired to maintain anything existing in the building—and that the right coach is properly empowered.

QB Josh McCown on Eagles vs. Seahawks. Plus, the NFL Coaching Carousel. - The Ringer
Then Ryen is joined by Eagles backup QB Josh McCown to discuss the wild-card playoff game vs. the Seahawks, his playoff debut, what’s next for him, and more (27:25).

Four reasons to dislike the Cowboys hiring of Mike McCarthy - Blogging The Boys
There’s reason to be optimistic, at least cautiously optimistic. Mike McCarthy might be the rare individual able to make it all work in JerryWorld. He certainly has the credentials and is saying and doing all the right things. The choice absolutely could have been worse. But was Garrett’s failure to take the team farther the illness that plagued the Dallas Cowboys? Or was it a symptom of a bigger disease that has been making #CowboysNation sick for the last 25 years?

Poll results: Giants fans split on hiring of Joe Judge - Big Blue View
If you’ve been following the chatter on Twitter or reading the comments here at Big Blue View you likely knew this already, but Giants fans are decidedly split on the hiring of Joe Judge as the team’s head coach. There were 5,655 votes in our poll asking for a grade on the surprising decision to hire Judge, a 38-year-old special teams coach who has never been a head coach. And yes, I know it’s difficult, maybe even unfair, to try and put a grade on a hire before the guy has even been officially announced as the head coach. Still, the poll was simply a way of quantifying how Giants fans were feeling in the immediate aftermath.

Seahawks move Mychal Kendricks to injured reserve - Field Gulls
For most of the offseason following the 2018 season, the question surrounding the availability of Mychal Kendricks for the 2019 season had to do with his pending sentencing in federal court for his guilty plea in relation to securities fraud. With that sentencing having been delayed from its originally scheduled date in December 2018 to January 2019, then to April, then to July, then to September and now to February, both Kendricks and NFL teams are still waiting to learn his fate in that legal matter. However, with his 2019 season now over due to a torn ACL, Kendricks’ availability for the 2020 season will now depend on both the outcome of his sentencing and his rehab from the late season knee injury. Wednesday the Seattle Seahawks finally moved Kendricks to injured reserve and filled the empty roster spot with a promotion from the practice squad.

Why each of the 4 Wild Card Round losers can make it back to the NFL playoffs next season - SB Nation
This offseason, the focus will be on getting some help at key positions. They need a game-changing receiver first and foremost. Alshon Jeffery is good, but he just underwent foot surgery and is coming off a disappointing season. Nelson Agholor is hitting free agency. DeSean Jackson proved he still has something left in the tank, though he’s 33 years old and only played in three games. After that, the Eagles could use a high-end cornerback, and some other defensive depth. In all, this team has a lot of the right pieces, however. What the Eagles need to do more than anything is figure out why so much talent struggled to win games even before the injuries started piling up. Still, the fact that they showed resilience to make it to the playoffs is something they can hang their hat on. Philadelphia won the NFC East over Dallas, who will be its top competition next season as well. The Cowboys may have some growing pains with new coach Mike McCarthy, or he might turn them back into a contender. Either way, the Eagles should be able to make it back to the playoffs next season ... if they can stay healthy.

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