Eagles News: Questions raised about Jeffrey Lurie’s process

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Familiar Question: Do You Trust The Process? - Inside The Birds
Sirianni hasn’t spoken publicly since his introductory press conference, so the outside has no idea if he prefers Hurts or would rather bring in someone else. It’s quite possible Sirianni is on board with Lurie or understands that the draft capital the Eagles would need to give up to move up for Zach Wilson (and maybe Justin Fields) isn’t helpful to rebuild the team, although Chris Mortensen’s report suggests that there’s dissension on this topic somewhere inside the building. But even agreement between the owner and coach on this doesn’t legitimize a process in which the owner’s thinking on personnel carries more weight than the coach’s or general manager’s. There’s no question owners have the right to be involved and informed on major decisions; they sign the checks. There’s no question owners should have final approval. But an owner’s most important job is hiring the right people to lead the organization, people who have already convinced the owner that they have the aptitude to make the tough decisions. That’s a process worth trusting.

Report: Jeffrey Lurie wants Jalen Hurts to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback this year, doesn’t want competition - BGN
Not very comforting to see the owner being this involved in personnel decisions. Ideally, you want an owner who hires a good general manager and head coach and trusts them to decide on the starting quarterback. Doesn’t seem like that’s the setup here. [...] The feeling here is that Hurts SHOULD be the Eagles’ starting quarterback this year. What does the organization really stand to gain from paying and playing a dead-end veteran (ex: Marcus Mariota, Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor) instead of him?

From the Bleachers #55: Jeffrey Lurie Has Too Much Powe‪r‬ - BGN Radio
On the latest episode of From the Bleachers, Shamus makes sense of the Jalen Hurts QB1 talks, worries that Jeffrey Lurie is getting a little too involved in football affairs and gets riled up about the 2017 Minnesota Vikings.

Hurts The One? - Iggles Blitz
My biggest concern is the impact of the Super Bowl. Since then, the Eagles have not made good decisions. Is this bad luck or did winning the SB convince the Eagles braintrust that they are smarter than they really are. I’ll need to write a full post on this angle because there is a lot to cover. The Eagles will bring in a QB or two as competition, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll spend primary resources on that. You wonder if they would consider bringing Nate Sudfeld back. This isn’t a great QB class after the guys at the top. The team will need to be creative to find a young QB to add to the mix. This is going to be one odd offseason. Just when you think you know what to expect, you don’t.

Philadelphia Eagles 2021 free agency and NFL Draft preview - PFF
Hurts’ rookie season can be viewed in several different ways. On one hand, Philadelphia’s offense jumped from 30th in expected points added per play across the first 13 weeks of the 2020 season (Wentz’s starts) to 21st over the final four weeks of the season (Hurts’ starts). The “feel” of watching those later games matched the data. Anecdotally, it seemed as if Hurts gave the team more of a chance than Wentz. However, Hurts’ performance was far from one that would make the Eagles undoubtedly confident in him as their starting quarterback moving forward. His 57.5 PFF grade over the final five weeks of the season ranked 29th among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. Fumbles played a factor in that low grade, but there are still definite areas where Hurts must improve if the Eagles hope to be competitive with him as the starting quarterback in 2021.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ five biggest roster needs entering free agency - The Athletic
4. Wide receiver: This seems to be an annual need for the Eagles. They already cut DeSean Jackson. Alshon Jeffery will be next, with Marquise Goodwin also a possibility to be released. The top receiver at this point is 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor, who finished with 396 receiving yards in 11 games as a rookie. Philadelphia’s leading receiver last season was Travis Fulgham (539 yards), who looked like a Pro Bowler in October and a practice-squad player in November and December. The Eagles must see whether he still can be trusted. Greg Ward has been a steady, albeit unspectacular, slot receiver. But that’s not a top three the Eagles would want to take into the regular season. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside hasn’t developed in his two seasons in Philadelphia and Quez Watkins and John Hightower remain unknowns. Look for the Eagles to try to upgrade again, although the draft might be the place to look.

Ex-Eagle Brent Celek among athletes taking charge of their financial futures - ESPN
Early in his career, former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek was the victim of a Ponzi scheme. Like many young professional athletes, he knew little about navigating the murky waters of financial advisers, where sharks lay undetected looking to prey on newly-minted millionaires. He sought out a player he trusted in the locker room and went with his recommendation for a money guy, and it appeared at first to be a sound choice. “I thought this [adviser] was a good friend of mine, I created a relationship with him over time. And come to find out, he’s just stealing millions of dollars from me and all these other athletes,” said Celek, who was taken for $50,000 — a small amount compared to others. “I mean, that’s tough, and I think you learn really quickly, OK, I need to figure out how to do this the right way.”

1983 DVOA Ratings and Commentary - Football Outsiders
Wide Receivers: The top wide receiver of 1983 was Mike Quick of the Philadelphia Eagles. In his second year in the league, Quick led the NFL with 1,409 yards and was second with 13 touchdowns. That translated to a league-leading 368 receiving DYAR despite a 53% catch rate. It was an impressive year although, we should note, not as impressive as the top receiver usually is. Quick’s total of 368 DYAR was the second lowest ever for a receiver who ranked No. 1. Only Jerry Rice in 1990 (323 DYAR) led the league with a lower total.

We’re Still Waiting on the Salary Cap as the Franchise Tag Deadline Arrives - MAQB
I found this interesting from Eagles tackle Jason Peters, discussing now ex-teammate Carson Wentz on Sirius XM Radio: “One thing I do know about Frank [Reich], he’s gonna put Carson in the best position. He’s not just going to let [Wentz] just go out there [and] have bad mechanics, or just go out there and throw bad balls. He’s going to put him in the best spots. He’s going to correct him when he’s wrong, and vice versa. They’re going to communicate with each other and all that good stuff.” When Reich was in Philly, he handled a lot of scheming the offense to Wentz’s strengths, while QB coach John DeFilippo drilled him on mechanics. Presumably, then, the mechanical work here—if Reich wants to delegate it—could go to recently promoted offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and Wentz’s old friend Press Taylor. And if Wentz rebounds mechanically? Then, I think the well-regarded Brady would have a pretty clear path to becoming a head coach pretty soon.

Dak Prescott’s new contract is a win-win for both the Cowboys front office and their star quarterback - Blogging The Boys
A couple months ago, this article outlined four reasons why the front office was handling the Prescott contract situation correctly. Extending that length, getting year-one cap relief (in a reduced-cap year), and ensuring they have a great player are all big wins for the Cowboys front office. While we may still scoff at this whole thing taking so long, those reasons played a huge part in making sure this deal got done right. If Prescott continues on the path he’s going and sustains this level of play throughout the duration of the contract, the Cowboys front office may have ended up making one of their best financial investments in team history.

Washington places franchise tag on Brandon Scherff again; All-Pro guard will make $18 million - Hogs Haven
The Washington Football Team has given Right Guard Brandon Scherff the franchise tag for the 2nd year in a row. This will give him an $18.04 million 1 year contract for the 2021 season. The team still has time to work put a long-term deal, something they have failed to do for the last 3 years.

Why the Giants would be right to cut Kevin Zeitler - Big Blue View
The New York Giants are very clearly in a position where they would like to be adding talent, not shedding it. Yet, in a league where lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic is set to drive the salary cap down for the first time since it was instituted in 1994, that’s where the Giants find themselves when it comes to guard Kevin Zeitler. There are multiple reports indicating that the Giants are trying to trade the 31-year-old Zeitler to get out from under his $12 million 2021 base salary. That’s no surprise. Per Over The Cap, the Giants currently have $6.064 million in space with a cap estimated at $180.5 million. The franchise tag deadline is Tuesday, March 9 — one day from now. If the Giants want to even have the option of using the tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, which would cost them $19.4 million, they need to clear roughly another $14 million in cap space before even having that option. Which brings us back to Zeitler, and why the Giants are probably going to end up cutting their most established offensive lineman.

Report: Detroit Lions have discussed trading Chase Daniel with other teams - Pride Of Detroit
The Detroit Lions may not be done trading quarterbacks away this offseason. While the Matthew Stafford trade has yet to become official, the Lions have reportedly discussed also sending backup Chase Daniel away in a trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Daniel signed a three-year, $13.05 million contract with Detroit last year to be the team’s backup behind Stafford. He made four game appearances in 2020, with his most notable performance being in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Stafford went down with an injury one drive into the game. In that game, Daniel went 13-of-18 for 86 yards. Daniel is considered a solid resource in the quarterback room as a 12-year veteran, something the Lions may be in need of if they decide to take a quarterback in April’s draft. However, the Lions did just hire a former NFL quarterback in Mark Brunell to be the team’s new quarterbacks coach.

Monday Football Monday #27: Tag & Cap Drama + Chasing Daniel? + Ertz & Top FA TE‪s‬ - The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa and Pete Sweeney detail the latest on the NFL’s salary cap situation that could impact franchise tags, plus Chase Daniel could be on the move via trade and what does this years crop of free agent tight ends look like?

You’re fully vaccinated? The CDC says you can now have friends and family over for dinner. - Vox
The guidelines still urge caution around meeting up with unvaccinated people at high risk for severe disease. But the new rules are a big step toward normalcy.

...

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

BGN Cameo: Click here for a personalized video message