Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / The DiCecco Daily: Are Eagles Better Or Worse At Interior DL?

Transcript

The DiCecco Daily: Are Eagles Better Or Worse At Interior DL? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened? Everyone?
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Welcome into another episode of the check Odily Andrew decheco
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds dot Com here and we're
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: going to continue our better, the same, or worse as
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: we go through the different position groups no particular order,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: but I've covered edge rusher, linebacker, wide receiver. I talked
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: about the interior offensive line, and we have a lot
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: more to get through here. So today we're going to
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: take a look at the defensive tackle room because the
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Eagles have a number of defensive tackles that I think
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: are game changers, and that's including Moro Jomo, who I've
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: said this before, but he's one of my favorite players
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: to watch on this defense with his violent hand usage.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: His unis in his ability to get.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Under the pad level of opposing guards and use his
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: leverage to his advantage, and he does have some lower
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: body power that I think is that combination is really
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: exciting to watch when you're sort of assessing the defensive
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: line play. But let's start at the top, and it
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: all starts with Jalen Carter and Jalen Carter last season,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of high expectations going in myself included.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: I thought that there was a shot.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: That Jalen Carter neared double digit sacks, knowing that he's
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: one of the most physically gifted defensive tackles in the
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: game and his trajectory was heading nothing but upwards. But
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: last season was a bit of a step back for
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Jalen Carter, and there's reasons for that.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: He battled shoulders injuries.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: And had to get a procedure done, and then after
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: the season, the way that he left it was that
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: it was likely he was going to have to revisit
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: it in the offseason.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: So nothing new to report that.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: But last season was one where you saw the human
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: element of Jaywen Carter. He's been such a dominant force
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: and just casting aside guards and finding his way into
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: the backfield and making plays behind the line of scrimmage.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: And last season you saw him get handled a little
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: bit in some occasions and he didn't have the same
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: impact that he normally does.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: I alluded to the injuries, and I think I would
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: look at the Chicago Bears game where after that game
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: he alluded to dealing with something but didn't specify. But
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: in that game where the Eagles got gouged in the
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: running game, namely by Kyle Manungi, the rookie, and you
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: don't often see Jaywen Carter get moved laterally and taken
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: out of the play and so ineffective in being able
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: to generate force and factor into the backfield. And that
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: to me was something that it was certainly abnormal and
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: out of the ordinary. And after the game, Jaywen talked
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: a little bit about that, but then he missed some
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: time thereafter.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: There's a big question.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: As to whether or not the Eagles should, you know,
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: look at Jalen Carter and try to keep him in
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: the fold for the long term. And they still have
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: another year to await on that while they come to
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: a decision. I would imagine that that would be something
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: that's top of the priority or sort of near the
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: top of the priority list. But you also want to
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: see how Jalen Carter responds before you're giving him this
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: kind of money. And this is also someone who met
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: who was ejected in Week one for the spinning incident.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: I think that Jayalen Carter is one of when he's
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: at his best and he's fully healthy, one of the
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: more feared and dominant players on the defensive side of
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: the ball in the NFL, and depending on how he
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: returns health wise, because that's going to be the big question.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he's going to be an Eagle.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: For a very long time as long as everything else
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: checks out. And there's still obviously a lot of time
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: to go between now and then. But this is a
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: player that has been a cornerstone, one of the cornerstones
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: on that side of the ball, and a homegrown talent,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: and he's really settled in nicely and established himself as
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: one of the more respected defensive tackles in the NFL.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Then you look at Jordan Davis, and Jordan Davis has
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: been a fascinating story of development. He didn't have the
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: impactful rookie season I think many were expecting when he
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: was selected thirteenth overall. I believe in the twenty twenty
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: two draft he was used mostly as a one dimensional
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: run defender.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: And playing very minimal.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Snaps, especially for someone drafted in the first round, And
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: there is questions about his conditioning and all those things
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: that Jordan Davis never really was able to answer with
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: his play until really.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: The twenty twenty.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: Four season, towards the end of the postseason when he
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: started factoring into the backfield, and then I would also
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: say later in the later on down the line. Last
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: season is where he really rounded into form and became
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: a well rounded player that was still collapsing pockets getting
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: after the quarterback. Now there's not a high volumessaction there
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: probably won't ever be what Jordan Davis had. That's not
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: necessarily his skill set, but I look at his ability
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: to impact the run game in a really positive way
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: open things up for teammates. He played the most snaps
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: of his career last year, so he's trending in the
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: right direction. The Eagles banked on when they picked up
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: his option. They banked on Jordan Davis taking that leap
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: forward or should say, continuing that leap forward from the
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty four postseason.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: And he made good.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: He made them look incredibly smart for that leap of faith,
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: and the Eagles extended Jordan Davis. I believe it was
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: three years, seventy eight million dollars, So he's going to
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: be in Philadelphia for quite some time.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: And they are banking once again. They're doubling down that.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: Jordan Davis is still yet to play his best ball
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: and he's only trending upwards, and I think that is
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: something that being around the team and covering the Eagles,
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: it's been a really, really fascinating story of player development,
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: and I think defensive line coach Clint Hurt deserves a
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: lot of credit, but also Jordan Davis for really committing
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: himself and doing whatever was whatever was necessary for him
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: to be able to elevate his play.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: And I think that.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: Another big season awaits him. And not only that, I've
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: noticed really in twenty twenty four as well, Jordan Davis
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: becoming more and more of a prominent leader and a
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: locker room pillar, especially last season when he won our
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Good Guy Award that those of us who cover the team,
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: we gave him a certificate and we all signed it.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: But it was because of his media dealings. Whenever again,
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: whenever win or loss, he was always available, He talked,
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: he uplifted the locker room.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: He was just a very positive figure for the Eagles.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: And when I think back on the twenty twenty five season,
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: obviously there's not a ton to remember, as they lost
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: in the postseason and we weren't able to cover another
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: extended postseason run. But I will think of Jordan Davis
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: really coming into his own and settling in as a leader.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: I think he exudes what it takes to be a
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: team captain, and he really embodies what it means to
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: be a Phototolph Eagle.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: When you listen to owner.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: Jeffrey Lorie speak and you know how the organization and
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: what the organization pride themselves on, that's Jordan Davis to
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: a t. So he's going to settle in really nicely
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: as the compliment to Jaywen Carter next season, and nothing's
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: changed with the top two guys. Moro Jomo comes back
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: for another year. We'll see if the Eagles are able
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: to keep all three defensive tackles in the fold.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: But that's not a conversation for right now.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: I talked a lot about what I like about Moro
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Jomo and what he brings to that defense, and I
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: think that there's a lot of teams around the NFL
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: that he would start on.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: He plays a pretty sizable role in that Eagles defensive
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: tackle rotation, and he brings a different dimension and different
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: qualities that I think really compliment Jordan Davis and Jaywen Carter,
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: and I talked about his arm length and his ability
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: to use leverage to his advantage and get under the
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: pad level of guards. That is a really important piece
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: to this defense. And he probably doesn't get the proper
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: amount of recognition that he a player of his caliber
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: warrants and a player of his impact commands.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: But that's as good of a third defensive tackle.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: And I'm using air quotes here because he does play
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: quite a bit that you could ask for. And I
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: thought he did a yeoman's job filling the shoes of
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Milton Williams, who of course signed a lucrative free agent
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: contract with the New England Patriots and had a good
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: season of his own.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: But Moro Jomo filled in capably.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: And we'll see if the Eagles are able to keep
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: him in Philadelphia for.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: A long time.
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: Beyond that, there's ty Robinson, who returns for another season.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: The Eagles drafted him in the fourth round out of
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: Nebraska last season, and he appeared in eleven games but
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: didn't necessarily have a memorable or notable impact last season,
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: and that's going to be the case when you have
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: four players in front of you.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: But let's not forget Jay.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: When Carter did miss some time and ty Robinson was
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: pressed into service and played sparingly, though not necessarily doing
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: anything that was eye popping one way or the other.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: And he didn't, frankly, have a particularly strong training camp.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: And that's not to sound alarms, but that is to
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: underscore the reality that sometimes it takes a little longer
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: for different players to acclimate, and for whatever reason, ty
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Robinson was a little bit more of a slow burn
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: despite entering the NFL a little bit on the older side,
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: he played a lot of college football, so there was
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: an expectation or presumption that ty Robinson would be able
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: to adjust and.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Help the Eagles early on.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: I was of that belief myself, but it's another reminder
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: that sometimes it's not just as simple as you look
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: at experience and skill set and it's a plug and play.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to marinate,
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: if you will. And we'll see what ty Robinson has
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: in store for next season. He's going to have to
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: battle for snaps. I already mentioned the top three guys,
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: so we'll see what he's able to do.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: I think if he's able to.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: Factor in as the fourth defensive tackle, maybe leap fraud
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: the next player I'm about to discuss because as you're
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: finding out, this room is very consistent in twenty twenty
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: six with what was the twenty twenty five Eagles defensive
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: line room.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: So we'll see what's in store for ty Robinson.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: But I mean he's one of the players that I've
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: gotten the probably dating back to last summer, the most
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: questions about, but there was not a whole lot to report.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: And I think his frame.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: His ability to use his hand usage, I think is
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: something that caught my attention during the pre draft process.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: But if he's able to blend all of those unique
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: skill sets that he has and really take to the
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: coaching in year two and embrace the fact that he's
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: going to have to really scratch and claw four snaps,
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: then I think that he'll be able to kind of
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: carve out a more prominent And when I say prominent,
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: I'm not saying he's going to play four hundred and
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: fifty snaps. I'm suggesting more along the lines of maybe
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: two fifty.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Well, we'll have to wait and see.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: Hey, if you're like me, you're desensitized to the dozens
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: of notifications on your phone every day, But if that
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: latest ping is from your security camera, ignoring it could
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: spell disaster. Picture this, someone's breaking into your home, but
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: you're giving a huge presentation at work, or you're at
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: the movies, or you're thirty thousand feet in the sky
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: on a flight. You'll see the footage in a couple hours,
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: but by then it's too late. That's why I choose
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: simply Safe. Simply Safe is a customizable whole home security
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: system back by twenty four to seven monitoring agents. I
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: can rely on to act even when I can't. I
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: use simply Safe, and you should too.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Listen.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: Traditional security alarm systems they only act after someone has
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: already broken in, but that's too late. Simply Safe's active
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: guard outdoor protection can help prevent break ins before they happen.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: While other security companies lock you in, Simply Safe comes
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: with no long term contract. They earn your trust every day,
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: keeping you safe and satisfied. And look, I'm not the
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: only one. Simply Safe protects over four million people. They
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: got twenty years of experience in home security, and we're
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: just named best home security system of twenty twenty six
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: by US News and World Report. Right now, our listeners
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: can get fifty percent off their new Simply Safe systems
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: that's simplysafe. Dot com slash birds, that's simplysafe. Dot com
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: slash burds. There's no safe like simply safe. Hey, Philly fans,
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: game day is stressful enough. Parking traffic, long lines, We've
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: all been there, But when it comes to your cannabis,
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: Camden Apothecary makes it easy. This is the dispensary for
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: sports fans, just minutes outside of Philly, with plenty of
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: free parking. You'll be in and out fast, no hassle,
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: no waiting, and they don't just care about convenience. Camden
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: Apothecary is all about the guest experience. Their staff makes
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: sure you feel taken care of every time you walk in. Plus,
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: they carry only the best quality cannabis at the fairest prices,
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: so whether you're stocking up for the tailgate, the watch party,
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: or celebrating a big win, you know you're getting the
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: good stuff without overpaying. They even show love to the
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: community with specials for fans, students, service members, and healthcare pros.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Canned in Apothecary, Top quality cannabis, great prices, and an
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: experience made for Philly fans. Twenty one and up.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: The final player on this list, and he returns in
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty six. Is Byron Young, and Byron Young is
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: someone who I believed was one of the more unsung
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: heroes when you.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Look back on the twenty twenty five Eagles.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: Why well, he had the first battle to make the team,
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: but then he was able to cement his status as
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: the Eagles fourth defensive tackle. He was pressed into a
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: more expanded role when Jalen Carter missed time due to injury,
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: and I thought he quitted himself nicely, particularly against the
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: LA Chargers. He was I think he may have had
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: He had a few big moments in that game. But
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: not easy to be thrust into a situation where all
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: of a sudden you're playing a higher volume of snaps.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: But that's life in the NFL.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: But I thought Byron Young did well for I think
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: it was three or four weeks that he had to
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: to ramp up his snap share. And he doesn't necessarily
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: have the prototypical build for the defensive tackle position. He's
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: a little bit more on the undersized category. But you know,
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: I think he's his quickness, his his I guess I
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: would say the technical aspects of what he can do
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: and what he did at Alabama, which is what made
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: him a third round pick. That is able to kind
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: of overcome some of those things. And yes, there were
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: teams who were able to take advantage of running at
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: him or whatever it is whenever he was in the game.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: But that's a really solid four and that will sort
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: of be a battle to watch with him and Ty
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Robinson to see who's able to We'll tie Robinson be
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: able to leap frog Byron Young or will Byron Young
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: be able to ward him off. But beyond that, this
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: is a group that is going to mirror the one
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: that you saw in twenty twenty five. And that's a
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: great thing if you're an Eagles fan listening, because that
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: group was pretty good and it was and it proved
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: to be pretty deep when some of the reserves were
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: pressed into service. That's going to do it for this
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: episode of The Checko Dealy Andrew Dicheco here, and we'll
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: catch you all on the next one.