Eagles News: Jeffrey Lurie’s claim about meddling “strains credulity”

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Jeffrey Lurie claims not to be the meddlesome Eagles owner others describe - Inquirer
Lurie cited the Eagles’ drafting of Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in 2013, the missing out of selecting Russell Wilson in 2012, and the seventh-round swing for Australian rugby player Jordan Mailata in 2018. By coincidence — or not — the 70-year-old owner’s three moments of draft room cheerleading involved one of the best offensive linemen in Eagles history, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, and a Cinderella shot in the dark that has proved to be one of greatest gambles in NFL history. With that kind of success rate it’s a marvel he hasn’t spoken up on more occasions, or at least as far his selective memory is willing to go. “I sometimes look in the mirror and I say, ‘Have you ever felt like, geez, maybe you over-rooted for something or overextended yourself in terms of what you wanted to see happen,’” Lurie said at the NFL owners’ meetings. “And yes, there’s probably been three instances as I look back on whether, well, should I have been so excited or rooted for something to happen.“And it’s never been based on my evaluation. It’s been based on, you get excited when you’re in a draft-preparation process — and I’ll tell you what they are — so you have some feel for it.” Lurie’s claim, of course, strains credulity and runs counter to recent reporting – or “reporting” as he derisively called it – by The Inquirer and elsewhere regarding his immersion in football matters related to his team.

Malcolm Jenkins announces NFL retirement after 13 seasons - BGN
During his time with the Eagles, Jenkins amassed 515 total tackles with 32 for loss, 58 defended passes, 12 forced fumbles and 6 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, 4 returned for TDs, and 5.5 sacks. He also didn’t miss a single game in his six years in Philly, all while taking nearly 100 percent of the defensive snaps. He won his second Super Bowl, was voted to three Pro Bowls, and made huge contributions in the community. From social justice reform advocacy to opening a clothing store, Jenkins and Philadelphia are indelibly linked.

At the Podium: Jeffrey Lurie and Nick Sirianni at the 2022 NFL League Meeting - BGN Radio
Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie and Head Coach Nick Sirianni speak with the media at the 2022 NFL League Meeting on Tuesday.

Why ‘Summer of Soul’ is the film Jeff Lurie had to make - NBCSP
It was Marie Therese-Guirgis, head of production for Lurie’s Play/Action Films, who first told Lurie about the fledgling film project. “She’s always on the lookout for projects she thinks I would find interesting,” Lurie said in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia Wednesday. “She’s the one who discovered the project, and she immediately called me to tell me about it. I had no idea that these concerts even existed. I was very familiar with all the music – Sly and the Family Stone, 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder – but I had never heard of the Harlem Cultural Festival. As soon as she told me about the footage that had been discovered and the project, I knew it was something I would be interested in supporting both financially and creatively.”

NFL draft tier rankings 2022: Highest-graded prospects for this class from Todd McShay and Scouts Inc. - ESPN+
McShay: I’ll also mention the receivers here. There’s a pretty strong consensus that Wilson or London will end up the first wideout off the board at the end of April, and both deserve to be in this tier. They are very different types of receivers, so who is actually the top WR might come down to team preference. But this is also a sign of what this receiver class is. Four pass-catchers slid into Tier 2 last year, and three were there in 2020. Just two this time around. I love this receiver class, but it’s because of the depth and variety. Teams will have a lot of options later in Round 1 and on Day 2, and they will be able to draft pass-catchers based on exactly what they’re looking for on offense.

Where are they now? DE Victor Abiamiri - PE.com
“I know a lot of guys have difficulty transitioning from the game, and going back to school was another avenue for me to say, ‘You know what? Pick yourself back up. Work hard. Go back to school.’ So I went back to get my MBA at Drexel University. I started in 2012 and finished in ‘13. I learned to network off of individuals that had more traditional career paths.” Making their home in suburban Baltimore, Abiamiri and his wife, Andrea, have two sons: Christian and Julian. He is a partner and portfolio manager at a private registered investment advisory firm that he actually interned at, Brown Advisory.

State of the NFC East: It has been a dry offseason pretty much all the way around - Blogging The Boys
The Philadelphia Eagles are armed with three picks in the first round of this year’s draft which is certainly enough to make a franchise-changing decision. Typically those center around drafting new quarterback, it was just five years ago when the Eagles moved up all the way to number two overall to select Carson Wentz who we just referenced. This year’s quarterback class doesn’t exactly have someone worth moving heaven and earth for, so it seems like Philadelphia may try a third year of Jalen Hurts. Our friends at Bleeding Green Nation seem to think this may not exactly be a prosperous idea as they included it in a wondering whether or not their team is in a purgatory of sorts.

Making the case: Should Giants draft David Ojabo if he falls to No. 36? - Big Blue View
Before the Achilles injury, Ojabo was considered a fringe top-10 pick. The NFL Mock Draft Database showed Ojabo peak as high as an average of the No. 9 overall pick. He is now sitting at No. 23, and it appears likely he won’t get out of the first round. That, of course, would render this discussion moot. Dan Shonka of Ourlads, a long-time NFL scout who worked for several teams, told me that “everyone wants him” when I asked about Ojabo. Thus, it seems likely GM Joe Schoen and the Giants won’t face this decision. If they did, and if they turned in a card with Ojabo’s name on it, I’d be fine with that.

Giants Top List of 2021 DVOA Underachievers - Football Outsiders
But you can’t blame all of the Giants’ offensive woes on players missing time. The Giants didn’t exactly get worse with Saquon Barkley out of the lineup; their run DVOA went from was -29.1% with Barkley to -22.6% with Devontae Booker. The receivers were constantly misused, even when healthy, Kadarius Toney being the biggest example there. The offensive line consisted of Andrew Thomas and four guys who were very much not Andrew Thomas; they finished 31st in adjusted line yards. They were a little better in pass protection, but only because the Giants gave up on throwing downfield by midseason; Jones’ 7.2-yard aDOT was fifth-worst in the league. And every member of the staff failed them. Gettleman brought in no depth for the offensive line, so when injuries started happening they didn’t even have promising prospects or quality backups to slide in. Jason Garrett was fired at midseason after his ultra-conservative, stagnant offense went nowhere. And Joe Judge called a sneak on third-and-9, the icing on a cake of incompetence and frustration. All the laps in the world weren’t keeping the Giants’ offense afloat in 2021.

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Free agency and trades continue to shake up the 1st round - Hogs Haven
11. Washington Commanders: Derek Stingley, Jr., CB, LSU. Washington should be looking at WR, CB, and LB with their first pick. I would look at Garrett Wilson, Drake London, or Chris Olave if available. LB Devin Lloyd would be another option but 11 is a little rich for me. With Wilson off the board here, I am going with Derek Stingley, Jr. He had an amazing freshman year back in 2019 but has barely played the last two years due to Covid and injuries. He is a special player that has some Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey in his game. That’s high praise but he was going up against stud WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson everyday in practice and did more than hold his own in those matchups. If he can neutralize guys like that, sign me up for him at pick #11.

Bruce Arians retiring from coaching, Todd Bowles to take over as Head Coach - Bucs Nation
This will be Bowles’ second stint as a head coach in the NFL. He had a 24-40 record with the New York Jets and will now be trusted to lead the Bucs to the Super Bowl in what could be quarterback Tom Brady’s final season. Bowles will also make the fourth Black head coach in Buccaneers history - including Tony Dungy, Raheem Morris, and Lovie Smith - most in the league.

Patrick Peterson is returning to Minnesota - Daily Norseman
The details of Peterson’s contract are now out, courtesy of Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $4 million. [BLG Note: Peterson previously indicated the Eagles had some interest in him.]

The NFL will allow both teams to have possession in overtime, but there’s a catch - SB Nation
The NFL owners’ meeting is a place where business gets done and the power brokers of the league make decisions on the future of football — and finally we have one that makes sense. On Tuesday a vote passed that will see both teams get possession of the ball in overtime, but only in the postseason.

NFL University #34: New OT rules, Irsay despises Wentz, and top 10 mock draft - The SB Nation NFL Show
Welcome back to another edition of NFL University! Stephen Serda, Kyle Posey, and Justis Mosqueda discuss the new NFL overtime rules–and how they still got it wrong. Jim Irsay had some very interesting things to say at the league annual meetings about their breakup with Carson Wentz, and it looks like Jimmy G is going to be a 49er for a while longer. We finish things up with our first mock draft–breaking down how we see the top ten picks playing out in the upcoming NFL Draft.

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