Eagles News: Michael Bennett says Nick Foles is better than Carson Wentz

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Michael Bennett says Foles is better than Wentz - WIP
Long: I look at the Carson Wentz situation, someone I always knew had it in him. If you play with Carson, he is a good guy, but you don’t know if he has that intestinal fortitude to be that first one to step over the line— Bennett: Nick Foles is better. Long: He said Nick Foles is better. McCourty: Yes (laughter). Bennett: Keep going, keep going. Long: As a sidebar, it seems to matter what time you are on too because it didn’t go well in Jacksonville. Bennett: Yeah yeah, I’m just saying. (laughter). Long: You are the worst. We are trying to have a serious conversation and you wanna divide Philly in-half. I love both those m*****f******s, let me both-sides that. There is no both-sidezing on police brutality to me but on the Nick Foles/Carson Wentz debate, I’m gonna straddle the line like a f****** champ.”

Quick Reads Decade in Review: QB Games - Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: Nick Foles had one of the best games ever and two of the worst by Football Outsiders’ metrics.]

8 Eagles players who could bounce back in 2020 - BGN
DESEAN JACKSON — Sticking with players who have “Jackson” as their last name, DeSean is one of the most critical bounce-back candidates. We all saw just how much the Eagles sorely missed the vertical element he brings to the offense after he got hurt in Week 2 last year. Jackson turns 34 this year and he’s missed an average of 5.2 games over the past five seasons. There’s decent reason to believe he won’t be available for all 16 games this year considering that’s only happened twice out of his 12 seasons. But if Jackson can stay healthy, he could have a pretty good year. The veteran speedster had a real good connection going with Carson Wentz during the offseason that translated into eight receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in their first regular season game together.

Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: K’Von Wallace - PhillyVoice
Wallace reminds me a lot of a player I have long admired in Glover Quin, who played corner and safety (mostly safety) for 10 years with the Texans and Lions, and who Jim Schwartz actually signed as a free agent in Detroit in 2013. Quin was a fourth round pick of the Texans in 2009, and he started 12 games as a rookie. Over his 10 year career, he only missed one game, picking off 24 passes and forcing 10 fumbles. In his prime he was one of the best cover safeties in the NFL, who probably never got the recognition he deserved.

Adaptability - Iggles Blitz
Why do things the same way over and over if you can find a better way? Pederson keeps an open mind and embraces the idea of change rather than fighting it. The 2020 season is going to be unlike any other in history. We don’t know what practices are going to be like. Will there be fans at games? What kind of special precautions need to be made in case anyone gets the coronavirus? Teams need to be creative and flexible to navigate complex situations like this. Pederson has a history of handling tough situations pretty well. He listens to his players and coaches. He adapts when he needs to. We tend to think of good coaching as X’s and O’s or fiery speeches. This year good coaching could be something very different. It sure feels like the Eagles are in good hands for a situation like this.

Jeff Lurie’s 10 greatest achievements as Eagles owner - NBCSP
Working in the community. June 6, 1996: “When I came to Philadelphia, I had two goals: To build the Eagles into a championship team and to make a positive impact on the quality of life … in the region.”Soon after buying the team, Lurie made a commitment to making a difference in the community, and he’s held up that end of the bargain with initiatives such as the Social Justice Fund, Eagles Care Summit, the Eagles EyeMobile, the annual Playground Build and many more. The Eagles have donated over $25 million to organizations in Philadelphia and the surrounding community.

Eagles positional previews: Linebacker - Inquirer
Nathan Gerry, a converted safety who the Eagles took in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, started 12 games last season. He played OK, finishing third on the team in tackles and notching 2 ½ sacks. Pro Football Focus ranked him 61st overall among the league’s linebackers last year – 70th against the run and 44th in coverage. He also played a team-high 335 special teams snaps. Unless the Eagles re-sign Bradham, Gerry likely will handle the defensive play-calling duties. T.J. Edwards, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, isn’t the most athletic guy in the world (he ran a 4.87 and had a 32.5-inch vertical jump at his pre-draft Pro Day), but he’s a smart player with a nose for the football. He was a core special teams player as a rookie who led the team in special teams tackles. He also played 10 or more defensive snaps in six games. You don’t really want him on the field in passing situations, but he has a good chance to be their third linebacker in base packages.

Film Room: Why Javon Hargrave can excel in the Eagles’ defense - PE.com
See why Javon Hargrave can excel in the Eagles’ defensive scheme in this edition of Film Room.

Early 2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - Fake Teams
12) This is my final year of believing that Carson Wentz can be a top fantasy option.

What Led to Roger Goodell’s Video; Nate Boyer Revisits Colin Kaepernick Advice; Broncos March - MMQB
Others are taking the approach that coaches will return when the players do, believing they hit a nice rhythm in working remotely. The Eagles’, Browns’ and Panthers’ staffs have that mandate. (Cleveland does have some coaches in, but it’s voluntary.) The Vikings seem to be moving in that direction as well.

Ranking the NFC East, 2020: Cornerbacks - Hogs Haven
All of these coverage traits make crossing routes his kryptonite. The majority of the passes I saw him give up were on crossing routes, especially to quick, physical WRs who are good route runners. Keenan Allen beat Darius Slay like a drum in week 2 (before the hamstring injury), and Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, and Davante Adams did well against him late in the season (after his injury should have been healed). Although Slay still looks fast, I also didn’t think he looked quite as fast as in years prior and I wonder if his speed is starting to decline. All in all, Slay is undoubtedly a savvy and fast CB with good coverage traits who is especially good at defending the boundary, but is not quite so good at defending crossing routes or the slot and is a liability in run defense. A big question to be answered this year is if this evaluation is overly-pessimistic due to last year’s decline being more about a temporary injury or Slay’s contract situation, or if he is in fact in decline. Assuming the Eagles maintain the same coverage scheme though, Slay should benefit from not having to shadow star WRs and being able to stick to the boundary.

PFF ranked the Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle tandem as the second-best in the NFL - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys will, without question, be of lesser quality in the middle of the offensive line as Travis Frederick retired this offseason. They obviously played without him just two years ago while he fought Guillain-Barré syndrome, but losing him is still tough. As things currently stand, the best overall lineman on the team is without question Zack Martin. Tyron Smith has always been incredible, and over the last year La’el Collins really ascended to the next level. Where do Collins and Smith rank as one pair considering they are the team’s two offensive tackles?

The Seven NFL Players Who Need to Break Out in 2020 - The Ringer
If the 25-year-old wants to not only win the starting job for the Bears this year but start living up to his lofty draft billing, he’ll have to show major improvement in his ability to decipher coverages―and then start cutting it loose as both a passer and runner. Mitchell Trubisky does hold a few small advantages over Foles, particularly in an offseason limited by COVID-19: He has more experience with the team’s playbook and has more reps throwing to Chicago’s pass-catching group. We’ll find out whether that’s enough to push him over the top.

What the NFL is doing to start the 2020 season on time - SB Nation
In order for facilities to open, most teams would have to modify their locker rooms to allow for a six-foot distance between locker rooms. They could do this by moving the lockers or by adding additional lockers. Common areas like locker rooms and meeting rooms must also be changed with the help of distance markers and by establishing one-way traffic in hallways and rooms.

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