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Football at Four: DiCecco's Thursday Eagles Notebook · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

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Speaker 1: Football and four powered by the Inside the Birds Podcast.
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Speaker 1: It's brought you by the Fanatic Sports Book at Ocean Casina.
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Speaker 1: Was are in Atlantic City, Andrew to Checko's here on
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Speaker 1: opening day. The Phillies have just been introduced, but the
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Speaker 1: Eagles have introduced some new players as well. I want
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Speaker 1: to get Andrew's teak on how they fit in and
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Speaker 1: what the plan might be after making some of those
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Speaker 1: announcements earlier this week. Is Andrew to checko from the
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Speaker 1: Inside the Birds podcast, and Inside the Birds joins us
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Speaker 1: right now. Andrew, Welcome back, Bud.
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Speaker 2: How are you hey, Mike? I'm doing great. What's happening us?
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Speaker 1: I know it's feeling baseball eat today? But you know,
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Speaker 1: everybody needs to know everything the Eagles do, and they
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Speaker 1: made a couple interesting moves earlier this week. Love to
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Speaker 1: get your take. Number one on Elijah Moore. I know
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Speaker 1: there's a guy a couple of years ago studying the draft,
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Speaker 1: second round pick, had a lot of talent. The Jets
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Speaker 1: took him, he bounced to the Browns, ended up having
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Speaker 1: a couple of nice seasons out there, ended up in
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Speaker 1: Buffalo and obviously did not make an impact. I want
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Speaker 1: to see how you think a guy like Elijah More
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Speaker 1: fits with this team. Is he a guy that you
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Speaker 1: think can make it him back? Is he a cambody?
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Speaker 1: Is he someone for competition?
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Speaker 2: Well, it's kind of par for the course with how
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Speaker 2: Howie Roseman approaches the offseason, leaving no stone unturned to
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Speaker 2: try and better the roster or at least conjure competition
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Speaker 2: at a position that really needs it beyond Aj Brown
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Speaker 2: and Devonte Smith. But I wouldn't be so sure that
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Speaker 2: Elijah Moore is a lot to make the roster or
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Speaker 2: anything like that. He's going to have to battle with
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Speaker 2: some guys Darius Cooper, Hollywood Brown I think has more
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Speaker 2: solid footing than Elijah Moore does. And Johnny Wilson's a
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Speaker 2: player who they really like. You can do some blocking
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Speaker 2: and some of the dirty work that they so sorely miss.
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Speaker 2: And let's just say this, if you have four receivers,
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Speaker 2: two of them beyond Davante and AJ being Hollywood Brown
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Speaker 2: and Elijah Moore, who's playing special teams? Who's returning punts? Right?
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Speaker 2: I mean, Hollywood Brown and Elijah don't play special teams.
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Speaker 2: But on the face of this signing, I do think
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Speaker 2: it's a little intriguing because in a more stable situation,
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Speaker 2: perhaps Elijah Moore can tap into the player that everyone
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Speaker 2: believed he would be when he came out and was
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Speaker 2: taking thirty fifth overall by the Jets. He's bounced around
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Speaker 2: a little bit though. The Eagles are his fifth team,
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Speaker 2: so he's going to have to pick things up quickly
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Speaker 2: and try to make an early impact.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know you mentioned Hollywood Brown. He's a kind
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Speaker 1: of a guy that you would think makes the team.
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Speaker 1: You know more, do you think he's a definitive shoeing
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Speaker 1: or are they battling each other? How do you kind
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Speaker 1: of see those two guys opportunities to make this team?
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Speaker 2: Personally? I think Hollywood Brown is a little better of
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Speaker 2: a player right now, But you also have to like
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Speaker 2: the appealing aspect of Elijah Moore being twenty six years
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Speaker 2: old and not having a ton of wear and tear
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Speaker 2: on him either. They're kind of similar. I think Hollywood
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Speaker 2: Brown ideally would be the three where he projects. I
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Speaker 2: like the speed to be able to stretch teams vertically
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Speaker 2: and create spacing for teammates, and Elijah Moore I view
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Speaker 2: a little differently. He offers a different skill set in
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Speaker 2: that the shorts to intermediate routes, the ability to separate
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Speaker 2: over the middle. I don't necessarily view him as a
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Speaker 2: downfield burner. So they both provide something different, at least
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Speaker 2: in theory to the offense. And so I think they
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Speaker 2: both kind of compliment each other well. And really they
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Speaker 2: didn't have a whole lot of experience behind Aj and DeVante,
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Speaker 2: but prior to getting Hollywood Brown, then you bring in
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Speaker 2: Elijah Moore. But beyond that you have Johnny Wilson who
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Speaker 2: played one season, Darius Cooper who played one season, Ques Watkins,
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Speaker 2: Danny Gray, Brittain Covey, and so I think that they
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Speaker 2: could use all the experience they could get, at least
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Speaker 2: in training camp and see what you.
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Speaker 1: Have Hi Andrew the checko football for Elijah Wore the
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Speaker 1: wide receiver and then a savvy move. But I'm really
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Speaker 1: interested to see what you think about Fred Johnson. Obviously
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Speaker 1: there's a offensive line coach change, and Fred is a
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Speaker 1: guy that you know. I think they got more out
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Speaker 1: of him than maybe his talent suggests. He's been a
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Speaker 1: steady player here, but they've looked around for a swing tackle,
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Speaker 1: couldn't find anybody, so went back to Fred. Fred look
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Speaker 1: for a starting job, couldn't find one, so he comes
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Speaker 1: back here. Do you think he's a fit for what
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Speaker 1: they might do with this offense.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. Prior to the Fred Johnson signing, I'd gone on
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Speaker 2: record and saying that I thought probably the most understated
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Speaker 2: loss for the Eagles this offseason was Brett Toath because
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Speaker 2: he gives you value at all in all three interior positions,
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Speaker 2: and I think that he would fit this presumed scheme
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Speaker 2: even better than he did under Jeff Staltlin. And they're
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Speaker 2: really youthful behind the starters. That being said, bringing back
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Speaker 2: Fred Johnson I think was a really important thing for
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Speaker 2: the Eagles to do. Now it didn't quite work out
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Speaker 2: the way Fred Johnson envisioned last offseason, left in pursuit
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Speaker 2: of a starting job, or at least the opportunity to
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Speaker 2: challenge for a starting job, and then same thing this offseason,
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Speaker 2: wasn't able to find the right pairing, the right match,
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Speaker 2: and he returns to Philadelphia where he is a really
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Speaker 2: good fit and a great story of development under Jeff Staltland.
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Speaker 2: I think that that is valuable in the sense that
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Speaker 2: he can be the swing tackle. He started eight games
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Speaker 2: last season, played a career high six hundred and twenty
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Speaker 2: six snaps. I thought he performed well, especially relative to
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Speaker 2: what you would expect a backup to play that level.
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Speaker 2: And in this system, he does move well. He does
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Speaker 2: have some some fluidity to him, and I think that
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Speaker 2: that's going to be really important. And let's not forget
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Speaker 2: that if they didn't have Fred Johnson in the fold,
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Speaker 2: you're looking at a youth infused room with Cameron Williams,
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Speaker 2: Miles Hinton, holland Pierce. I mean, of course, I still
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Speaker 2: expect them to draft the tackle, but Fred Johnson gives you,
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Speaker 2: you know, proven experience.
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Speaker 1: He does, and he's obviously back as you would think,
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Speaker 1: the swing tackle behind Lenk Johnson and obviously Jordomilotta. There
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Speaker 1: they do have basic the whole offensive line returning. But
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Speaker 1: I don't know Andrew about you. You got a new
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Speaker 1: offensive line coach, you got two guys coming back from
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Speaker 1: some injury issues. You got Lane obviously, who's getting close
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Speaker 1: to the end. This offensive line, which has been the
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Speaker 1: star of the team for a number of years, they
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Speaker 1: struggled last year. Do you anticipate this line being a
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Speaker 1: finished product? Yeah?
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Speaker 2: In terms, I still think they're gonna draft an offensive lineman.
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Speaker 2: In fact, right now, as we speak today, I would
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Speaker 2: imagine that offensive tackle will be at the top of
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Speaker 2: the list, maybe even later you look for a versatile
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Speaker 2: interior offensive lineman to replace what you had in Brett Toee.
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Speaker 2: They really like Drew Kendall, I can tell you that.
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Speaker 2: But I think in terms of starters for twenty twenty,
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Speaker 2: I think they're pretty well set there, and that includes
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Speaker 2: Tyler Steen. If you remember at the NFL scouting combine,
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Speaker 2: Howie Rosmen included Tyler Steen when talking about that group,
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Speaker 2: and so yeah, I think as a starting unit they
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Speaker 2: are set.
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Speaker 1: Andrew to check football at four. Let's look at the
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Speaker 1: change at the safety position. Obviously read Blanketship is out.
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Speaker 1: They traded Sydney Brown, who was more of a reserved
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Speaker 1: player special teams player. They bring Marcus Epps back. Would
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Speaker 1: you be comfortable with a Andrew mccuba Marcus Epps tandem
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Speaker 1: or do you think they still need to find another safety?
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Speaker 2: If I were the Eagles, I wouldn't necessarily be comfortable
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Speaker 2: with that. I think Marcus Epps is a solid, if
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Speaker 2: unspectacular player that you'd feel more comfortable with starting three
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Speaker 2: four games than you would the full slate of games
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Speaker 2: because he's a instinctual player. He's a heady player and
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Speaker 2: someone who I think it can be sort of that
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Speaker 2: red Blanketship esque traffic cop back there. But he does
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Speaker 2: lack for athleticism, he lacks for range, and there are
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Speaker 2: some limitations to his game. But it made a lot
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Speaker 2: of sense to bring him back. They didn't have a
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Speaker 2: lot they didn't have any experience there at that position,
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Speaker 2: and the Eagles and Marcus EPs know each other well.
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Speaker 2: Marcus knows this defense, so you don't have to worry
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Speaker 2: about him getting up to speed, and if he needs
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Speaker 2: to start in a pinch, he can do that. I
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Speaker 2: still think that there are other avenues in which the
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Speaker 2: Eagles can explore to bolster that group, whether that be
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Speaker 2: the trade market or even in the NFL draft. Now
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Speaker 2: I'm not suggesting that they take a safety high, but
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Speaker 2: you got to continue to add to that room. And
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Speaker 2: they also signed J. T. Gray, who, for those who
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Speaker 2: don't know in your audience, he's a phenomenal special teams player,
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Speaker 2: but that's really his area of expertise. He's only played
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Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty three snaps on defense. That's not
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Speaker 2: why he was signed, but he kind of replaces the
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Speaker 2: special teams production that the Eagles got from Sydney.
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Speaker 1: Brown Andrew last week, I'm sure you were typing away
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Speaker 1: banging out these stories with all the additions, and last
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Speaker 1: week on football for the NCAA tournaments on, we didn't
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Speaker 1: get a chance to hear some of your thoughts on
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Speaker 1: a Damian Pierce is a guy who had a big
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Speaker 1: year in Houston. I don't say a big year at
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Speaker 1: nine hundred and plus yards. Does this feel like a
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Speaker 1: guy who has a role or just a guy that
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Speaker 1: wanted to kick the tires.
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Speaker 2: On the latter, I think they're more so kicking the tire.
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Speaker 2: You're bringing in someone who's twenty six years old, not
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Speaker 2: a lot of tread on the tires, had the breakout
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Speaker 2: rookie campaign and then injuries mounted. He had some ball
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Speaker 2: security issues. But these are the type of players that
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Speaker 2: you're willing to go the one year, prove a deal
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Speaker 2: route with because if they're able to pan out, you've
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Speaker 2: pretty much paid them next to nothing and you look
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Speaker 2: pretty smart for bringing that player. And now I think
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Speaker 2: Damian Pierce and I know that some have pointed to
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Speaker 2: his kick return ability. Yes, he's returned twenty kicks in
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Speaker 2: the NFL. I don't believe it. That's why he was signed.
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Speaker 2: They may look at him there, but he has an
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Speaker 2: uphill battle to make the roster. Make no mistake about that.
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Speaker 2: They have three running backs who'se roster spots are exton
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Speaker 2: Stone essentially, of course, with Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, who
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Speaker 2: just changed his number to eight today, by the way,
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Speaker 2: and Will Shipley, who on game days is a core
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Speaker 2: special teamer. And we'll see how Sean Mannion chooses to
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Speaker 2: use him, maybe as change up or in the receiving game.
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Speaker 2: So they have three players with the fine roles. They
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Speaker 2: did keep four last year with AJ Dillen, but I
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Speaker 2: would argue that that wasn't necessary. So he's gonna have
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Speaker 2: an uphill clim to make the roster in my estimation.
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Speaker 1: There you go, Nick nuggets Urchall sitting here with me
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Speaker 1: to check out with a nugget, Tank Bigsby changing his
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Speaker 1: jersey number to eight. He just did that today. Let's
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Speaker 1: get your thoughts in Reid on the Andy Dalton trade
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Speaker 1: because it was reported that the Jets had called the
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Speaker 1: Eagles about McKee, and the Eagles asked for a second
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Speaker 1: round pick. I don't know if that's a greedy ask
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Speaker 1: or they're just not interested in trading him. But then
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Speaker 1: they go out and trade for Andy Dalton. So is
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Speaker 1: that their way of saying, we would trade McKee and
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Speaker 1: now we got a little insurance in case we do.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. My understanding, Mike, with that whole situation is that
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Speaker 2: there's no immediate plan to move Tanner McKee. Now that's
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Speaker 2: not to say that if an enticing offer was floated
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Speaker 2: the Eagles way that they wouldn't pull the trigger. But
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Speaker 2: the Eagles value the backup quarterback position, perhaps more than
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Speaker 2: any other team in the league, and I look at
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Speaker 2: the Andy Dalton addition as more fortifying that group. Did
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Speaker 2: they need to add them? Probably not. They could have
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Speaker 2: drafted a quarterback. They are the quarterback factory, after all,
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Speaker 2: but they didn't need Sam Howell. They could have probably
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Speaker 2: gotten by without Sam Howell last season. I know McKee
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Speaker 2: was banged up, but they've also invested in previous years
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Speaker 2: in Gardner, Minshew, Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota, and so it's
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Speaker 2: kind of a common theme that you've seen with the Eagles,
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Speaker 2: And so I didn't read a whole lot into it.
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Speaker 2: And it's something that when you see the asking price
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Speaker 2: being a second round pick, the Eagles clearly value Tanner McKee.
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Speaker 2: And that's always where you want to start. You want
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Speaker 2: to aim high and then maybe a team you're able
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Speaker 2: to kind of, you know, go a little bit lower
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Speaker 2: in terms of your in terms of your agreeing for
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Speaker 2: the asking price. But I you know, I think right
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Speaker 2: now with their three quarterbacks, and if they're blown away
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Speaker 2: down the line, they'll move them. But they're not going
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Speaker 2: to just give Tanner McKee away because because they should
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Speaker 2: be looked at as having a luxury of players at
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Speaker 2: that position or anything like that.
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Speaker 1: All Right, Andrew, to check out, we're inside a month
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Speaker 1: to the NFL Draft. Over at Inside the Birds dot Com.
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Speaker 1: Andrew's mock draft for the Eagles his two point zero
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Speaker 1: And you mentioned it earlier. You have the Eagles staying
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Speaker 1: on the offensive line Blake Miller from Clemson. So it
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Speaker 1: sounds like, even though the line is back you hinted
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Speaker 1: at earlier, you still think offensive line will be the
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Speaker 1: direction they go.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I do. And to kind of expand on the
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Speaker 2: Blake Miller pick because if you remember, you may remember
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Speaker 2: in my initial mock draft one point zero, I had
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Speaker 2: them taking Cayden Procter, that offensive tackle out of Alabama
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Speaker 2: under Jeff Staltlin. That would have made a lot of sense,
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Speaker 2: but it Caden Proctor is six foot seven, three hundred
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Speaker 2: and sixty six pounds, so I'm not quite sure how
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Speaker 2: that frame or skill set would translate to an offensive
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Speaker 2: line and a run designs that we're expecting is going
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Speaker 2: to demand offensive lineman be a little bit more fleet
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Speaker 2: footed and more fluid and be able to get in
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Speaker 2: space and things like that. So I look at Blake
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Speaker 2: Miller six seven, three point fifteen really athletic, good, good footwork.
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Speaker 2: He's a polished product in that regard. I do have
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Speaker 2: questions about his ability to anchor. But when you're looking
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Speaker 2: at that point in the draft, I mean, most first
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Speaker 2: round picks are going to have questions about some area
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Speaker 2: of their game, but I think Blake Miller would tend
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Speaker 2: to profile as a little bit more of a of
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Speaker 2: an appealing option for this new look Eagles offense.
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Speaker 1: All right, check out the full mock draft that Andrew
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Speaker 1: has posted for the Eagles over at insidethe birds dot
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Speaker 1: com and check out what areas they might be targeting
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Speaker 1: in the draft now post free agency for the most part,
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Speaker 1: I mean they can still make free agent moves. The
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Speaker 1: last thing I want to ask you before we get
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Speaker 1: out of here is are they a finished product at
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Speaker 1: edge rusher or is Howie kicking the tires? Is there
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Speaker 1: a big move to make at edge rusher.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, this is an interesting one, Mike, because no, I
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Speaker 2: don't think that they're finished at edge rushers. Certainly, they
14:02
Speaker 2: went into last offseason with Jalox Hunt Nolan Smith as
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Speaker 2: their top two guys. They ended up having to add
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Speaker 2: a reinforcement in a big way in Jalen Phillips. But
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Speaker 2: right now they have Ebacadie who they sign in for agency.
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Speaker 2: Jose Ramirez is mostly a camp body, but they still
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Speaker 2: need to carry They EGO typically carry seven or eight
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Speaker 2: edge rushers into training camp. And whether it's through the
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Speaker 2: draft and you're adding a headliner in the first round
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Speaker 2: or the second round. I like Joshua Joseph's out of
14:31
Speaker 2: Tennessee in the second round at sixty eight. I think
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Speaker 2: that might be a sweet spot for him. Or you're
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Speaker 2: drafting someone like a Keldrick Falk out of Auburn at
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Speaker 2: twenty three. They could still explore the trademark. Jonathan Bernard
14:42
Speaker 2: is a popular name, and I still think that this
14:45
Speaker 2: group lacks for a bona fide headliner. That then allows
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Speaker 2: j loox Hunt to settle into that number two role
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Speaker 2: and Nolan Smith to settle into that three roll in
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Speaker 2: Ebukadi to be that fourth edge rusher. And I think
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Speaker 2: you're feeling pretty good about that group once you make
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Speaker 2: that upgrade.
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Speaker 1: All right, well, first pitch about a couple of minutes away.
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Speaker 1: Andrew will let you get to the first pitch. But
15:05
Speaker 1: everybody listening in here at the anchorage for Football at four,
15:09
Speaker 1: everybody's favorite segment of today. It's Andrew de Checko for
15:13
Speaker 1: Football at four right here on the Sports Patch from
15:15
Speaker 1: the Inside of the Birds Podcast.
15:17
Speaker 2: Thanks man, Thanks guys, Talk soon.