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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
The Cowboys will play games in front of fans this season, according to Jerry Jones - SB Nation
“The Dallas Cowboys plan on playing football, and we plan on playing in front of our fans,” Jones told the media on Tuesday in his first press conference since the NFL draft. “I think it’s important. I think it’s important individually. I think it’s important for the country.” Jones said he doesn’t yet have an expectation for how many fans could be in attendance, but noted the Cowboys would follow state protocols. Currently, Texas is planning on having sporting events at 50 percent capacity. For the massive AT&T Stadium, that would mean potentially 40K people even if it’s half-full. It’s hard to see how this could be safe for the general public, but there’s little doubt the NFL will do everything in its power to keep revenue flowing by putting fans in seats. We’re starting to get an idea of what NFL attendance could look like this season.
Eagles 2020 Opponent Preview: Green Bay Packers - BGN
Upon closer inspection, however, I think this game should be fairly winnable for the Birds. The Packers are a prime regression candidate in 2020. This isn’t to suggest they’ll suddenly be awful ... but they did overachieve last year. Despite winning 13 games, they ranked just ninth in point differential and 10th in DVOA. They were more of a good team masquerading as a great one. Defensive performance isn’t so sticky year-to-year and the Packers jumped up big time from 29th to 15th in DVOA last season. That unit also clearly had issues stopping the run, as the Eagles knew and were able to take advantage of. Green Bay’s season ended in the 2020 NFC Championship game, of course, when the San Francisco 49ers were able to put up 285 rushing yards (6.8 per attempt) and four rushing touchdowns on that Packers defense.
At the Podium: Doug Pederson Returns + RIP Howard Mudd - BGN Radio
Michael Kist welcomes back Doug Pederson, who spoke with the media on Wednesday, plus thoughts on passing of offensive line coaching legend Howard Mudd w/a special story about him from Colts head coach Frank Reich! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.
In search of answers, Eagles enter new phase of Training Camp - PE.com
That the Eagles have an offense with players at every position who have started games here is a huge help. And the fact that veteran coordinator Jim Schwartz oversees the defense helps transition in some projected new starters up front (Javon Hargrave at tackle), at linebacker (T.J. Edwards and Duke Riley joining Nathan Gerry?), and in the secondary (Darius Slay at cornerback, Jalen Mills moving from cornerback to safety). The kicking game returns intact. The coverage and return units will have the usual amount of turnover.
What keeps Jason Kelce feeling young going into his 10th season - NBCSP
Kelce is beginning his 10th year with the Eagles and said he always feeds off the energy and passion that the younger guys on the team bring to the meeting rooms and practice field. He makes a great point when he says how the Eagles’ 2019 season really turned around when those young guys were forced to start playing bigger roles. They were 5-7 and going nowhere with a largely veteran cast. “As some of these young guys played, it almost felt like it really rejuvenated the whole team, especially at a point in the season when we were really trending in the wrong direction,” Kelce said. “All of a sudden these young guys come in, Greg Ward, Boston Scott, Miles Sanders turned it on. All these guys were really huge for us down the stretch. You always need balance. You need experience, you need energy, you need intelligence and you need some gusto and it’s really fun to work with these guys.” Ward, Scott and Sanders were at the heart of the Eagles’ 4-0 finish that turned led to an NFC East title and a playoff berth.
Defense by Number of Pass-Rushers 2019 - Football Outsiders
As it turns out, most teams that like to blitz with five also like to blitz with six or more — the correlation between the two stats is 0.326, and that is skewed low by a pair of extreme outliers in the Pennsylvania teams. The Steelers were second in five-man blitzes but second-to-last in rushing six or more; the Eagles were in the top five in six-man rushes but 30th in sending exactly five.
2021 NFL mock draft: Todd McShay’s early predictions for all 32 first-round picks - ESPN+
27. Philadelphia Eagles. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech*. He was the first player to opt out of the college football season, but regardless, Farley registers as my third-ranked cornerback for the 2021 class (behind Surtain and Wade). He has the frame and speed to be a problem for opposing receivers, and he closes in a flash. A former wide receiver, Farley also has the ball skills and instincts to make plays, evidenced by his 12 passes broken up and four interceptions last season. Four Eagles cornerbacks, including Sidney Jones and Nickell Robey-Coleman, could hit the open market next spring. Trading for Darius Slay gives Philadelphia a top-tier CB, but the team still has to address the spot opposite him.
Monson: Predictions for 2020 NFL season division champs, Super Bowl winner, end-of-season awards and more - PFF
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys. The NFC East should be a two-horse race between the Cowboys and the Eagles, but there are just too many things pointing in Dallas’ favor right now. The coaching change should immediately make this team significantly better, given the biggest charge against them recently has been underachieving, and the draft they had just puts them over the top.
Cowboys make a big splash during training camp, sign pass rusher Everson Griffen - Blogging The Boys
The addition of Griffen immediately gives the Cowboys an impressive group of defensive linemen and pass rushers for Mike Nolan and Jim Tomsula to work with. Considering the questions in the secondary, that is definitely good news. Also, shoutout to our own Connor Livesay for writing about the potential of a Griffen signing earlier this month. You can read his story on how Griffen “would ease many concerns” on the defensive side on the ball.
CB Prince Smith, UDFA from New Hampshire, to be signed by Giants - Big Blue View
He isn’t Ross Cockrell, the veteran cornerback the New York Giants had apparently intended to add to their 90-man roster, but it looks like former University of New Hampshire cornerback Prince Smith will join the team. He cannot formally join the Giants until he passes COVID-19 testing protocols and a physical. Smith, 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, was waived last week by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he signed as a rookie free agent on April 25.
Years in the making: Jon Gruden loves having Nelson Agholor on the Raiders - The Athletic
“He is a good player,” Gruden said. “You can pick up the Philadelphia Inquirer and they will probably say something different, but this guy has caught over 200 passes, he is a young guy, he has played split end, flanker and in the slot. He caught eight or nine passes in a Super Bowl and won a Super Bowl. So he’s a world champion. He’s a great person … and he can return punts. I trust him and I think he was picked high in the draft for a reason. A change of scenery worked for Randall Cunningham, maybe it will work for him.”
Report: Jaguars expected to sign defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan - Big Cat Country
For the Jaguars, Jernigan would add much-needed defensive line depth, able to play all five techniques, giving the team a versatile veteran to add to the mix with Taven Bryan, Abry Jones and DaVon Hamilton. Depth at the position has been an issue after veteran defensive tackle Al Woods opted to sit out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns for his family regarding the coronvirus pandemic. The team also placed third-year DT Brian Price and second-year DT Dontavius Russell on the team’s reserve/injured list, ending his season.
Legendary Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd dead at 78 - Stampede Blue
Howard Mudd was as tough as they come and respected by everyone who knew the old ball coach. His time here might be over but the impact he had on the game and those that loved him will live on for decades to come.
Kittle and the 49ers are making “healthy progress” towards an extension - Niners Nation
Just another day in 49ers’ Twitter, right? Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn wrote that the San Francisco 49ers will announce George Kittle’s extension Friday. Cohn had these details on Kittle’s contract: According to the source, it will be a six-year extension worth $94.8 million — or $15.8 million per season. Of that money, the 49ers guaranteed 50 percent of it, or $47.4 million. Kittle also will receive a $25 million signing bonus, and the 49ers will structure his deal in such a way that he will cost them only $10 million of their salary cap space in 2021.
Buffalo Bills sign Sean McDermott to a multi-year contract extension - Buffalo Rumblings
The decision was clear-cut, and McDermott was the first name on our list of predicted contract extensions published earlier today. With a 25-23 record and two playoff appearances in his three years as a head coach, McDermott has been the most successful Bills coach since Wade Phillips’s tenure 20 years ago. He rebuilt the culture of a team in the middle of its worst-ever playoff drought, oversaw a dramatic roster overhaul, and led the team from those doldrums to playoff contention. He also oversaw a defense that ranked top-3 in yards allowed over the past two seasons.
College Football’s Fractured Season Will Change How the NFL Operates - The Ringer
Here is what we know, which—as with all things related to the COVID-19 pandemic—is constantly evolving and confusing: The Big Ten and Pac 12 will not play this fall. The other major conferences—the SEC, the ACC, and Big 12 are planning to go forward with their seasons perpetually on the brink. Conducting a season with nonprofessional players who are also students on a college campus is a risk, and how many games can be played by the conferences that push forward is unknown. The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported that a rare heart condition, myocarditis, which has been found in patients who have had COVID-19, has been detected in several Big Ten athletes. “The conference is aware of at least 10 players who have myocarditis, an alarmingly high number for an otherwise rare condition, on the eve of preseason camp,” Auerbach wrote. The biggest issue, a source from a Power Five conference told Stadium’s Brett McMurphy, “is the unknown long-term impact of COVID [and] liability issues involved.” These concerns have contributed to a wave of postponements thus far.
Flyers top Canadiens, 2-1, take series lead behind Carter Hart - Broad Street Hockey
27 saves for the Flyers’ netminder as he outduels Carey Price for a 1-0 series lead. [BLG Note: One down, 15 wins to go.]
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