Eagles News: Philadelphia’s most underrated player

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Most underrated player on all 32 NFL teams ahead of the 2020 NFL season - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: TE Dallas Goedert. When you enter the NFL in the shadow of one of the league’s best tight ends, it’s easy to be somewhat overlooked. That is the case with Goedert, who was immediately thrust into a role as TE2 despite being taken in the second round out of South Dakota State. The Eagles have run a heavy dose of two tight end sets to get both him and Zach Ertz on the field, and it’s pretty clear from those snaps that Goedert is a top-end TE in the NFL. Since 2018, Goedert actually ranks fifth among qualifying tight ends in overall grade, ahead of Ertz. A big reason — outside of the obvious mismatch threats he poses as a receiver — is his elite play as a blocker for the position. Goedert’s 81.4 run-blocking grade sits sandwiched between Maxx Williams and George Kittle for second at the position over that same span. He is a complete tight end who would be a high-level primary option on most rosters in the NFL. [BLG Note: Washington’s most underrated player is ... Ronald Darby.]

Eagles alternate timeline OTA practice notes - BGN
In an alternate timeline (read: not the one we currently live in) where there’s no coronavirus pandemic, the Philadelphia Eagles held an OTA practice earlier today. The session was open to media and I was there. Keep in mind that these are all non-contact drills at this point. Players aren’t allowed to wear pads until training camp. There’s only so much to be gleaned from guys running around in shorts but here’s what I noticed.

From the Bleachers #25: Interview w/Mike Warne of Pkew Pkew Pkew - BGN Radio
Shamus Clancy is joined by Mike Warne, guitarist and vocalist of Canadian punk band Pkew Pkew Pkew to discuss how A guy from Toronto became a gigantic Eagles fan, what it’s like trying to follow your favorite team while constantly touring and what it’s like being a sports super fan when a lot of musicians look down on the “jock” stereotype. Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles new player (or current player with new role) series: Darius Slay edition - PhillyVoice
Ultimately, Slay was brought to Philadelphia to cover receivers, something Eagles corners have not done well for years. In 2019, including the playoffs, the Eagles allowed 16 pass plays of 40-plus yards, or just a hair under one per game. No team allowed more. [...] The addition of Slay will go a long way toward fixing that mess. That’s what matters most, and I came away from this exercise impressed with his cover ability, especially given the high degree of difficulty of his assignments. That said, expectations will be higher in Philly than they were in Detroit, and Slay is going to have to at least fake more effort when tackling here than he did there.

A True Impact Player - Iggles Blitz
There is risk. I liked the move because I felt the Eagles had to get a veteran corner, but there are no guarantees it will work out. We’ve seen more than a few offseason additions that made sense on paper and didn’t work in reality. The Eagles have not had a true #1 CB for a while. They thought Ronald Darby might be that guy, but he only played in 28 of 48 possible games. He picked off 6 passes in three years. He also got burned on some big plays. There were flashes, but no consistency. If Slay can be a legit #1 CB, that changes a lot. He’s not going to shut everyone down. He’s not Deion Sanders or even Troy Vincent. Slay is a good cover corner and he will make you work hard to beat him. QBs won’t have nearly as many easy throws. They’ll have to earn their yards when throwing his way.

10 questions to consider for 2020 Eagles - PE.com
7. After Carson Wentz at QB, how does the depth chart play out? It’s very likely that Nate Sudfeld will be the No. 2 with Jalen Hurts in a developmental role in his rookie season. But you never know. Kyle Lauletta is also aching to show his worth, so the camp period and preseason games will be extremely interesting to watch.

Five best NFL franchises to bet on during the Super Bowl era - ESPN
No. 2: Philadelphia Eagles (432-387-13, .527). The Eagles have the second-best mark against the spread in the Super Bowl era. It is the city of underdogs, right? While Philadelphia has only one Lombardi trophy to its name, it has been a consistently competitive franchise over much of the past four-plus decades while avoiding long down streaks. Credit strong coaching for some of that. From Dick Vermeil to Andy Reid to Doug Pederson, the Eagles have found leaders who inspire loyalty and accountability among the players. Reid’s tenure in particular stands out. The Eagles enjoyed eight double-digit-win seasons under him.

The best Eagles defensive players and specialists to never make a Pro Bowl - NBCSP
Defensive ends: Brandon Graham, Greg Brown. Graham has the most sacks in Eagles history without a Pro Bowl — 51 1/2 — and the fourth-most among active players. Greg Brown had 50 1/2 sacks as an Eagle in the mid-1980s, including seasons with 13 and 16 sacks without a Pro Bowl. He’s one of only 11 players in NFL history with two 13-sack non-Pro Bowl seasons.

Inside the Two-Year Process That Could Finally Lead to a SkyJudge for the 2020 NFL Season - MMQB
At the NFL’s 2019 Annual Meeting, the 32 coaches banded together, drafted a SkyJudge plan and voted 32-0 in favor of it. Eventually, with owners not ready to embrace it, the PI review was reached as a compromise. But as the NFL got there, in the room, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie championed the coaches’ drive to bridge the technological gap, by supporting their desire to push toward better solutions, and Garrett spoke eloquently about prioritizing “getting it right,” drawing a round of applause from all of those in attendance.

Torrey Smith Gives $20K College Scholarships to 7 Baltimore-Area HS Seniors - B/R
Former NFL receiver Torrey Smith surprised seven high school seniors with a $20,000 college scholarship courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens.

Which Bears projected starter are you most concerned with in 2020? - Windy City Gridiron
“I’m not buying into the comfort of the Andy Reid-Matt Nagy system affording Nick Foles some sort of Renaissance. He’s a career journeyman backup quarterback for a good reason. Elevating his stature because he happened to be the starter for professional football’s best roster in 2017 is shortsighted to me. He’s an incompetent quarterback capable of the occasional stellar outing or streak, like many others of his ilk. On what I would otherwise consider an above average roster, the man under center is The Weak Link.” ~ Robert Zeglinski.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has strong odds to win NFL Coach of the Year - Blogging The Boys
Much like MVP, the Coach of the Year is often given to the head coach of one of the best teams in the league. Therefore, the Cowboys would have to likely win the NFC East and challenge for a top seed in the NFC Playoffs if McCarthy has any chance to living up to these offseason odds. Speaking of MVP, Prescott also has high odds to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player, while CeeDee Lamb is in the top seven for Rookie of the Year honors. It appears that many are expecting the Cowboys to be good in 2020. Will Dallas rebound after a disappointing 2019 season? If so, Mike McCarthy will be a big reason why.

How good can Terry McLaurin be? - Hogs Haven
On a team filled with young, developing players, Terry McLaurin is the one young offensive playmaker who both produced at a high level throughout 2019 and appears to have “star” potential. On a roster dominated by top draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, McLaurin and Haskins are probably the only two players on offense who have any national name recognition (aside from a TE with the notable name of Moss).

2020 Fantasy Football Pick One: Terry McLaurin, Marquise Brown or Jarvis Landry - Fake Teams
Which wide receiver would you take in the sixth round: Terry McLaurin (6.04), Marquise Brown (6.07) or Jarvis Landry (6.07). I’m drafting: Terry McLaurin. An interesting trio here, comprised of two young number one receivers and one fantasy stalwart. Starting with Scary Terry, he made the absolute most of his opportunity in Washington as a rookie, finishing the season with 58 catches for 919 yards and 7 touchdowns, including five in his opening five games. He finished in the top-30 receivers in fantasy with a solid 13.7 points per game. He caught passes from three different quarterbacks in 2019, but Washington look set to stick with Dwayne Haskins, who McLaurin averaged 18.4 points per game with in their final three games together last season. McLaurin enters his second season as the number one receiver on the depth chart and I’m banking on 120+ targets and a top-15 finish in fantasy.

Second wave of Covid-19 could be devastating to 2020 NFL season - DraftKings Nation
“I think it’s a real concern,” Bedi said of a potential second wave in the fall or winter. “And obviously that’d be incredibly devastating not just for sports and seasons, but for the economy and so many facets of our life. I think that’s why it’s so critical that our behavior in the upcoming months will have such a critical influence on what we’re seeing in the following months. In the fall, it’s really gonna be about continuing those safe measures that might have us avoid seeing a second wave becoming a major or even more devastating second peak.”

The NHL’s wild alternate season plan, explained - SB Nation
On Tuesday night the NHL unveiled its plan to resume play this season in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, and inside of all the proposed plans leagues are coming up with, this is hands-down the absolute best. The 2020 regular season is cancelled. There will be no more games played, the slate is wiped clean. The league will instead transition into a 24-team playoff format, which rewards teams that had the best records entering the suspension of play, while widening the field to give more teams a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The US has reached a grim milestone: 100,000 coronavirus deaths - Vox
Officially, 100,000 Americans and counting have now died from the novel coronavirus, another unfortunate marker in the pandemic. In the three months since the first reports of a US Covid-19 death on February 29 in Washington state, the death toll has reached six figures, according to the New York Times’s count. An unprecedented nationwide lockdown, with almost every state issuing a stay-at-home order and all of them placing restrictions on public activities, could only do so much to slow the virus’s spread (although earlier action likely could have saved more lives). The coronavirus now looks like it will soon claim more lives in the US than the influenza outbreaks of the 1950s and ’60s that resulted in more than 100,000 deaths — the worst pandemics in modern history, behind only the 1918 flu that killed about 675,000 Americans.

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