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The DiCecco Daily: Projecting Eagles Training Camp Stars On Defense · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome in everyone to another episode of The
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: check O Daily. It's Andrew de Checko, Eagles beat reporter
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  Speaker 1: for insidethebirds dot Com, here with you and the off
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  Speaker 1: season content churns on at Inside the Birds and today,
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  Speaker 1: as promised, I'm going to deliver my predictions on the
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  Speaker 1: defensive side for Eagles training camp stars. On Saturday, I
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  Speaker 1: listed my offensive predictions, and so when you look at
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  Speaker 1: the defensive side of the ball, there's a lot of
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  Speaker 1: different answers that I could have, and I don't want
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  Speaker 1: to bore you with predictable selections here. Some of them
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  Speaker 1: are going to be But in the case of like
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  Speaker 1: a Jay Looks Hunt, I've talked a lot about him
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  Speaker 1: this offseason and I do believe that he's going to
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  Speaker 1: stand out in training camp. But I'm going to give
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  Speaker 1: you some other names to think about and offer my
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  Speaker 1: perspective on that. And we'll start with defensive tackle. I'm
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  Speaker 1: gonna kind of call my shot here and go with
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  Speaker 1: Ty Robinson. This is a big offseason for Ty Robinson.
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  Speaker 1: He played in eleven games last season, but factored very
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  Speaker 1: sporadically into the defense.
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  Speaker 2: And when you look.
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  Speaker 1: At how the contracts are structured with the Eagles. Moro
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  Speaker 1: Jomo and Byron Young are both entering the final year
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  Speaker 1: of their rookie deals, so there's a world in which
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  Speaker 1: ty Robinson could stand to take on a much larger
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  Speaker 1: role next season. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves,
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  Speaker 1: let's look at the player in ty Robinson. And I
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  Speaker 1: thought that in training camp last year, he didn't do
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  Speaker 1: a ton to distinguish himself, and that sort of correlated
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  Speaker 1: into regular season inactivity. And what I can tell you
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  Speaker 1: is when I watched Ty Robinson in the spring, he.
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  Speaker 2: Looks like he added some size to his frame, some.
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  Speaker 1: More muscle, and that should help him at the point
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  Speaker 1: of attack. He already is a very powerfully built defensive lineman,
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  Speaker 1: but I noticed that he looked like he spent some
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  Speaker 1: time in the gym over the offseason. Whether or not
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  Speaker 1: that correlates into training camp success remains to be seen.
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  Speaker 1: But knowing that his rookie season likely didn't go the
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  Speaker 1: way that he envisioned and he didn't have a strong
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  Speaker 1: training camp, I think he's going to attack the process
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  Speaker 1: this summer and really.
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  Speaker 2: Try to capitalize on.
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  Speaker 1: Each and every opportunity that he gets in team settings.
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  Speaker 1: And this is someone who I think looks like he
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  Speaker 1: could definitely provide a spark. And I know that, and
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  Speaker 1: I also think it's important to note that in the spring,
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  Speaker 1: defensive lineman you really have a hard time telling if
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  Speaker 1: they're making an impact or not. That's not really what
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  Speaker 1: spring practices or gear towards. But I believe that the
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  Speaker 1: opportunities will be there for Ty Robinson.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's going to be.
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  Speaker 1: A lot highly motivated to really make an impression, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that this is a very critical summer for him, and
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  Speaker 1: I think he has the qualities and the skill set
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  Speaker 1: to me that lend itself to flashing on occasion. We'll
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  Speaker 1: see whether or not he's able to get behind the
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  Speaker 1: line of scrimmage and prove to be disruptive and things
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  Speaker 1: like that. But this is another season in which he's
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  Speaker 1: learning under Clint Hurt, and Clint Hurt Taylor's his approach
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  Speaker 1: to each player. We'll see if his messaging and directives
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  Speaker 1: are able to resonate this time around, even more so
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  Speaker 1: with Ty Robinson. But he's my prediction for defensive tackle.
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  Speaker 1: When you get to edge rusher. I mentioned Jay looks
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  Speaker 1: hunt quite a bit, and I do believe that he's
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  Speaker 1: going to be someone that you routinely hear about every practice.
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  Speaker 1: But for the sake of going in a different direction,
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  Speaker 1: I'll say onod Ebakatie, the edge rusher that the Eagles
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  Speaker 1: signed in free agency from the Atlanta Falcons. Now, this
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  Speaker 1: is an immensely at athletic player. He has explosive qualities,
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  Speaker 1: and while that never really manifested in a consistent fashion
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  Speaker 1: with the Atlanta Falcons, I think that you're going to
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  Speaker 1: see those splash rushes and that quickness that I saw
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  Speaker 1: from jay loox Hunt last summer. I think you'll see
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  Speaker 1: on Aikad be able to really flash in that capacity.
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  Speaker 1: Now he's going to be operating with the second and
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  Speaker 1: mixing in with the second team.
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  Speaker 2: But I look at his ability to.
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  Speaker 1: With his first step quickness and his explosiveness and his
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  Speaker 1: twitchiness in a training camp setting, those qualities typically translate,
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  Speaker 1: and so he would be my pick for edge rusher
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  Speaker 1: not named jalox Hunt, who I do believe is going
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  Speaker 1: to be someone that when you look back at this
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  Speaker 1: training camp, he's going to be one of the biggest risers.
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  Speaker 1: And I say that with air quotes because it's training camp,
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  Speaker 1: But I think will be a big time riser and
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  Speaker 1: take his game to another level. But we'll go with
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  Speaker 1: Arnold Abacadie there at linebacker. I mean, to me, it's
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  Speaker 1: pretty clear. I'm gonna say. Jeremiah Trotter Junior a player
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  Speaker 1: who really impressed last summer from an anticipation standpoint, but
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  Speaker 1: the instinctiveness that he plays with the football intelligence, always
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  Speaker 1: seeming to be in the right place at the right time.
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  Speaker 1: He really did nothing to lose his spot. He was
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  Speaker 1: logged a lot of first team reps last summer as
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  Speaker 1: Jahatt Campbell was slowly being integrated into the defense, but
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  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Trotter Junior to know it was no fault of
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  Speaker 1: his own that he wasn't the starter an opening day.
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  Speaker 1: He did everything that he could to cement his spot
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  Speaker 1: as a starter, but the Eagles drafted Jahad Campbell in
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  Speaker 1: the first round, so barring something unforeseen, he was always
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  Speaker 1: going to be in the starting lineup. Health dependent, of course,
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  Speaker 1: but Trotter Junior is a player that I believe can
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  Speaker 1: be a starter on a number of teams out there,
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  Speaker 1: and every time he's out there, you're reminded of the
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  Speaker 1: football intelligence and.
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  Speaker 2: The qualities that he brings. To the position.
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  Speaker 1: Very cerebral player, and while he doesn't necessarily boast the
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  Speaker 1: supercharged athleticism and he's not going to wow you in
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  Speaker 1: that way like Jahid Campbell or Zach Bond, there's a
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  Speaker 1: lot of different ways that his production reveals itself. He
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  Speaker 1: always seems to be in the right place at the
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  Speaker 1: right time. He sniffs out plays, and because of his
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  Speaker 1: ability to anticipate and I discipline and read quarterbacks. I
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  Speaker 1: think you'll see him jump some routes in camp. You'll
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  Speaker 1: see him get his hand on quite a few passes.
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  Speaker 1: That's just a really sharp minded football player, and every
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  Speaker 1: time he's out there on the field, he finds a
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  Speaker 1: way to stand out. And so he's my pick there linebacker.
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  Speaker 1: I'm also going to throw out another one for you,
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  Speaker 1: and I've talked a little bit about him this offseason.
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  Speaker 1: How about Chance Campbell, who was on the Eagles practice
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  Speaker 1: squad last season, made a number of plays and coverage
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  Speaker 1: in the spring. He's familiar with linebackers coach Bobby King,
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  Speaker 1: whom he overlapped with with the Tennessee Titans, and he's
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  Speaker 1: been in the meeting rooms and all that during the season.
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  Speaker 1: So I believe that all of that is sort of
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  Speaker 1: building up to what I'm expecting to be a pretty
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  Speaker 1: fruitful summer for Chance Campbell, who has an opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: seize a roster spot. Now, the Eagles would have to
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  Speaker 1: probably go a little heavier at that position, probably carrying
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  Speaker 1: five linebackers, but on special teams. I think you're really
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  Speaker 1: going to start to hear his name quite a bit,
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  Speaker 1: because to me, he strikes me as someone who checks
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  Speaker 1: off all the boxes. Size, speed, athleticism, and a fearlessness
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  Speaker 1: running down the field. And you couple that with someone
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  Speaker 1: who's who's hungry, who hasn't been in the mix for
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  Speaker 1: a while. Now last summer, he signed with the Eagles
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  Speaker 1: just a couple of days before the preseason finale. Now
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  Speaker 1: he's going to get an opportunity to throw the pads
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  Speaker 1: on and hit players.
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  Speaker 2: And really showcase his ability.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're gonna see a really inspired Chance
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  Speaker 1: Campbell looking to build off of the success that he
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  Speaker 1: had working largely with the second team in the spring.
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  Speaker 1: I am fascinated to see what he can do once
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  Speaker 1: the pads come on. Remember, he had a knee injury
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  Speaker 1: in August of twenty twenty four, so it's been a
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  Speaker 1: long time coming for him. I get the sense that
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  Speaker 1: he's going to have the itch to go out there
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  Speaker 1: and lay the wood and make some plays and really
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  Speaker 1: sort of establish himself and catch the eye of the
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  Speaker 1: coaching staff in the secondary. Yes, I expect Quinnon, Mitchell,
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  Speaker 1: and Cooper Degene to have banner summers.
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  Speaker 2: That goes without saying.
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  Speaker 1: Drew mccooba is another player that when you look at
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  Speaker 1: his skill set, his range, his ability in coverage, yes,
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  Speaker 1: I think he's someone who is going to get his
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  Speaker 1: hand on the football, take the football away on occasion,
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  Speaker 1: and this is a huge summer for him as well
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  Speaker 1: as he takes the next step in his progression. But
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna go a little bit off the beaten path
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  Speaker 1: here and go with Jonathan Jones. And watching Jonathan Jones
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  Speaker 1: in the spring, I saw a very sticky player in coverage,
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  Speaker 1: a sharp minded player. You could see his experience really
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  Speaker 1: shape the way that he was approaching wherever he was,
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  Speaker 1: whether it was outside corner or kicking inside and playing nickel.
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  Speaker 1: This is someone who has played in so many games,
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  Speaker 1: so many big games, eight playoff games with the Patriots,
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  Speaker 1: I believe, started a number of games. He's been in
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  Speaker 1: different systems. There were times that when there were passes
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  Speaker 1: completed with him in coverage wasn't necessarily due to Jonathan
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  Speaker 1: Jones or any coverage laps or anything to that effect.
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  Speaker 2: He was largely in the hip pocket of the receivers.
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  Speaker 1: The ball was placed in a spot where really the
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  Speaker 1: receiver could catch it. But I look at his ability
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  Speaker 1: to match Carrie Deliver. He has really good short area quickness.
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  Speaker 1: At thirty two years old, this isn't his first rodeo.
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  Speaker 1: He knows how to approach it. He's the consummate professional,
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  Speaker 1: and I think that he stands to benefit. Arguably, he
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  Speaker 1: stands to be one of the players who could benefit
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  Speaker 1: most from a strong training camp and cement his spot
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  Speaker 1: as the number four corner. He has to stave off
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  Speaker 1: the likes of Akilee Ringo and Jacorian Bennett for that slot.
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  Speaker 1: But I think this is really where you're going to
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  Speaker 1: see him separate with his experience and because he has
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  Speaker 1: that positional versatility, that's where I think that you're going
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  Speaker 1: to see the value really come into play here with him. Again,
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  Speaker 1: someone who to me impressed in the spring with his
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: coverage acumen, and he has a lot of experience, handling,
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  Speaker 1: differ diferent defenses and things at things of that nature.
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  Speaker 1: So when I look at the cornerback position, I feel
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  Speaker 1: like Jonathan Jones is a player that you're gonna hear
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: quite a bit throughout the summer.
• 11:10
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• 12:10
  Speaker 2: The other player.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: This really shouldn't be a surprise if you've been following along,
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  Speaker 1: but Rieke Wollan at six foot four, over two hundred
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  Speaker 1: pounds and blistering speed, that is the combination that that
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: all sort of molds together to make someone who I
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: think is really going to pose some challenges when the
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  Speaker 1: Eagles take to the air and they target him in coverage.
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  Speaker 1: He's just a very difficult player to get around, regardless
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  Speaker 1: of whether or not you're Johnny Wilson or DeVante Smith
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: or Hollywood Brown. His length, his athleticism and long speed,
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: it doesn't offer much room for error. I think that
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  Speaker 1: you're gonna see some turnovers with Tariq Wollen, and you
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  Speaker 1: already saw one of them in the spring. But I
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: can't wait to see what he does once the pads
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: come on. Naturally, when you see and I know that
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: it works this way when you have bigger bodied, wide receivers,
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: whether it's Johnny Wilson, whether it's a Fannie Moment from
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: some years past, bigger bodied players that have size have
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: a dimension that you're not often used to sing that
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: tends to be someone that you're gonna fixate on. But
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: with Rieke Wollen, we've already seen it in spring practices.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: But then it's about graduating to the next level, which
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: is training camp. Once the pads come on. How does
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: he handle the physicality? And I think that he will
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: be awfully physical, but is he able to avoid those
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: penalties and things like that in one on ones.
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  Speaker 2: He's he's going to be a tough player to.
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  Speaker 1: Go against, as his size and athleticism really can erase
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: you know, certain plays, certain certain completions. But I really
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  Speaker 1: think that he's a player that's going to build upon
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  Speaker 1: the strong spring that he had, and I don't know
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  Speaker 1: that there's going to be a ton.
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  Speaker 2: Of passes completed his way.
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  Speaker 1: I also envision a ton of pass breakups because that's
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  Speaker 1: something that we've seen when he hasn't been able to
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  Speaker 1: get his hands on the receivers when it's been a
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: glorified passing camp in the spring.
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  Speaker 2: But now when.
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  Speaker 1: The intensity ratchets up just a little bit more, not
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: a little bit more, significantly more in the summer, that's
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: where I really feel Riek Willing is primed to shine.
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  Speaker 1: So there you have it. There's my defensive picks for
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  Speaker 1: training Camp stars. It's always subject to change, but right now,
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: this is the way that I feel and those are
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: my thoughts behind it. But for now, that's going to
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: do it for this episode of The check O Daily,
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Decheco and I'll catch you all on the
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  Speaker 1: next one.