Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / ITB: Which Eagles Roster Bubbles On Defense Are Likeliest To Burst At Training Camp?
Transcript
- 0:09Speaker 1: Inside the Birds is back. What's going on?
- 0:14Speaker 2: Everybody?
- 0:15Speaker 1: It's Jeff Mosher and Adam Kaplan.
- 0:16Speaker 2: We're finishing a two part podcast series here on the
- 0:20Speaker 2: player that is most on the bubble on.
- 0:23Speaker 1: The Eagles at every position.
- 0:25Speaker 2: On Monday, we did offense, had some interesting discussions.
- 0:29Speaker 1: It was a little bit more obvious.
- 0:30Speaker 2: We even said that in the podcast Monday that which
- 0:33Speaker 2: players were mostly on the bubble on defense, Adam, there
- 0:37Speaker 2: are some really interesting discussions. But I really wanted to
- 0:40Speaker 2: because we're getting close to training. Camp starts next week
- 0:43Speaker 2: and we're really going to get into analyzing this team
- 0:45Speaker 2: as we get closer to the day of report. I
- 0:47Speaker 2: did want to ask you this because I've been thinking
- 0:50Speaker 2: about it a little bit lately on paper going into
- 0:53Speaker 2: the camp. Do you think this is the most talented
- 0:58Speaker 2: defense the.
- 0:59Speaker 1: Eagles have had in several years?
- 1:02Speaker 2: Do you think it's not? I mean, where are you
- 1:04Speaker 2: at with what this defense conceptually looks like to you?
- 1:08Speaker 3: I think it's going to be good, just based on
- 1:11Speaker 3: what we know about the players' careers, whether it's younger
- 1:14Speaker 3: players in college now to the pros, or the performance
- 1:18Speaker 3: at this level, how they're coached. You and talking to
- 1:20Speaker 3: people have worked with some of these coaches before having
- 1:23Speaker 3: a general idea of how other clubs see this roster.
- 1:27Speaker 2: Good, it's good.
- 1:27Speaker 3: It's a good defense, certainly top ten on paper. To
- 1:31Speaker 3: be top five, there's certain things that have to happen.
- 1:34Speaker 3: John Gernard's got to get back to where he was
- 1:36Speaker 3: before the shoulder injury he had surgery. We don't know
- 1:40Speaker 3: about Jihad Campbell as a full time starter. We just
- 1:42Speaker 3: don't know. He played well before the injury last year.
- 1:49Speaker 3: He's had a lot of injuries in recent years. That's concerning.
- 1:53Speaker 3: He definitely showed that he was a rookie. There were
- 1:55Speaker 3: some games where he didn't play as well, but you
- 1:57Speaker 3: know he missed it. You know he's rehabbing. That's what
- 2:00Speaker 3: his off whole off season was, So that's a concern.
- 2:03Speaker 3: The CT position is a concern. Riek Wallan, what is
- 2:06Speaker 3: he now? It's a corner? Is he the guy from
- 2:08Speaker 3: last year there was bench then then they wanted to
- 2:10Speaker 3: trade or is he the guy that we saw in
- 2:12Speaker 3: OTAs that we don't understand. It's flag football. There's there's
- 2:16Speaker 3: no physical play. But he looked good. Where's he at?
- 2:19Speaker 3: So that that's what limits them from being a top
- 2:21Speaker 3: five defense. We just don't know on your question's a
- 2:24Speaker 3: fair one.
- 2:25Speaker 1: Yeah, I have a lot.
- 2:26Speaker 3: They have more question marks than you think.
- 2:28Speaker 1: I wad agree.
- 2:30Speaker 2: Yeah, they have this great boom potential where if the
- 2:33Speaker 2: edge rush really comes alive, I think that you know,
- 2:37Speaker 2: a great edge rush cures so many sins, right, then
- 2:40Speaker 2: you're not as worried about Campbell and or or maybe
- 2:43Speaker 2: Reek Wollan being handsy.
- 2:44Speaker 1: Or like if a great edge rush is going to
- 2:46Speaker 1: help you out.
- 2:47Speaker 2: And I you know, because Gelex Hunt is so young,
- 2:51Speaker 2: and because Nolan Smith Junior has flashed but not put
- 2:55Speaker 2: it all together, and because Grenard's coming off an injury
- 2:59Speaker 2: right and the Vikings were okay moving off of him
- 3:02Speaker 2: uh to save some money, it makes you wonder a
- 3:04Speaker 2: little bit. But the depth of it, what they have
- 3:08Speaker 2: at DT, you know, to be able to collapse a
- 3:11Speaker 2: pocket Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Jomo just their
- 3:15Speaker 2: their front could be really could be really really nasty,
- 3:18Speaker 2: and that could make the We already know the talent
- 3:20Speaker 2: and the secondary is there with with Mitchell and Dejane.
- 3:25Speaker 2: Even even if Wolan is not great but good, that's
- 3:30Speaker 2: still really good for that that secondary, So I'm really
- 3:33Speaker 2: excited about the potential of it and having Vic and
- 3:36Speaker 2: his coaching staff be in charge of it.
- 3:39Speaker 1: I can't remember a time, which.
- 3:40Speaker 2: Maybe maybe earlier, when I started covering the Eagles five
- 3:45Speaker 2: and they had those I remember the three and four
- 3:47Speaker 2: defenses under Jim Johnson where there was this great talent,
- 3:50Speaker 2: there was a great coordinator, and there were some really
- 3:53Speaker 2: really good coaches underneath that coordinator, from Sean McDermott to
- 3:57Speaker 2: Steve Spagnolo to uh I can't even the day line
- 4:00Speaker 2: coach at the time, but either way, they had really
- 4:02Speaker 2: good coaches all around.
- 4:03Speaker 1: I feel pretty cool comfortable about this one too.
- 4:06Speaker 2: Tommy Brazier, Tommy Brazier right right right, who is the linebacker?
- 4:11Speaker 2: So Spags was linebacker? No, Spaggs was d backs one year,
- 4:17Speaker 2: hard Ball was defensive backs, and I think that's when
- 4:19Speaker 2: Spags left right.
- 4:21Speaker 3: Well, that was that was done strictly to help him
- 4:23Speaker 3: because knowing there's not been a special teams head coach before,
- 4:25Speaker 3: so the Andy did him solid. He did some coach
- 4:28Speaker 3: DB's but yeah, mcdermmy coach the secondary. So I thought
- 4:31Speaker 3: Spags at one point was linebacker.
- 4:33Speaker 2: I think he was. I think was linebacker.
- 4:35Speaker 3: Yeah.
- 4:36Speaker 2: Yeah, and then they had a good corners somebody who
- 4:39Speaker 2: on that staff also coach is really good. They had
- 4:42Speaker 2: a corners coach, I.
- 4:43Speaker 3: Think, well, I know that Ron Rivera was on Andy's
- 4:46Speaker 3: first daff in Philly. Yeah, if you remember there, he
- 4:49Speaker 3: had boy he who's who obviously Brad Childress, Marty morning Wegg.
- 4:54Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 4:55Speaker 3: Colly was a very good a phenomenal receivers coach, phenomenal,
- 4:59Speaker 3: great dude, just an all time go Ted Robinson running
- 5:02Speaker 3: backs coach. Williams Williams Williams im sorry, Ted Romson, Ted
- 5:06Speaker 3: Williams right right, right right.
- 5:08Speaker 2: About the line coachee was great on line coach.
- 5:11Speaker 3: One in his day was top five O line coach.
- 5:14Speaker 2: He was just Andy had an out much more coaching
- 5:18Speaker 2: staff man. He's a really incredible, amazing coaching staff.
- 5:20Speaker 3: See, this is what folks don't seem to understand sometimes,
- 5:23Speaker 3: Like you, I understand players first. Always in the history
- 5:26Speaker 3: of the national football you cannot win without good players,
- 5:28Speaker 3: but you can't win without good coaching. It doesn't work
- 5:31Speaker 3: with bad coaching. It will never work. It's never worked.
- 5:34Speaker 3: I've seen teams underachieved severely because the coach was bad.
- 5:37Speaker 3: Like that's I'm talking Eagles here, I'm talking about around
- 5:40Speaker 3: the league. Yep, talk Danny coach. They'll tell you they ready.
- 5:45Speaker 3: It's interesting they they always know who the dead weight
- 5:47Speaker 3: on the coaching staff is. They know where they have
- 5:49Speaker 3: to sometimes help out. The guy's not that good. He's
- 5:52Speaker 3: probably there because of the head coach. He's tight with him.
- 5:54Speaker 3: This happens. There's there's nepotism in terms of family being
- 5:58Speaker 3: on staff. There's friends hire friends, There's all sorts of
- 6:02Speaker 3: stuff like that. Unfortunately. Yep, but well, I'll say this, Yes,
- 6:06Speaker 3: getting back to the Eagles twenty three, we've talked about
- 6:09Speaker 3: add nausea about the mistakes Heiriani made with the defensive staff.
- 6:13Speaker 3: He sure as how corrected that and with how he's
- 6:15Speaker 3: help and how he's helped. He helped Doug. Yep, he's helped,
- 6:21Speaker 3: no question. Nick. They've got something going on right now.
- 6:25Speaker 3: They're coaching staff here. It's pretty good. Now. Yes, Sean
- 6:29Speaker 3: Manning's got to prove himself. This is a big step
- 6:31Speaker 3: for him. This is there in a way, they're skipping steps.
- 6:34Speaker 3: But any raider never called plays like you just have
- 6:38Speaker 3: to believe you always you get somebody in front of
- 6:41Speaker 3: you heard about somebody, you get them in front of you,
- 6:43Speaker 3: You go, okay, okay, this guy's could be really really special. Yeah,
- 6:49Speaker 3: but we'll see. There's we have a long way to
- 6:51Speaker 3: go here. We're only in just past the mid point
- 6:54Speaker 3: of July.
- 6:55Speaker 2: That's right. And as we mentioned the last podcast, next
- 6:57Speaker 2: week is the day that Eagles report to the Jefferson
- 7:00Speaker 2: Health Complex and then on Wednesday they'll start their practice.
- 7:04Speaker 2: They'll do the conditioning tests and all that and all
- 7:07Speaker 2: things like who's on the bubble, like we're going to
- 7:09Speaker 2: go through today on the defense will really start to
- 7:11Speaker 2: come into play. So let's start up front at him
- 7:15Speaker 2: at defensive tackle. A very very talented group for the Eagles,
- 7:19Speaker 2: which makes it not easy to make the fifty three
- 7:23Speaker 2: no matter who you are or what your pedigree is.
- 7:25Speaker 1: The player most on the bubble.
- 7:28Speaker 3: Well, let me explain this. So the first four spots
- 7:30Speaker 3: are taken that there's no debate, there's no discussion. It's Ojomo, Davis, Carter,
- 7:35Speaker 3: and Young Barn Young is easily the top backup. No
- 7:39Speaker 3: one's I don't see anyone cutting that out because he
- 7:42Speaker 3: could play multiple positions. He's just been a great five,
- 7:45Speaker 3: great waiver claim by Howie. I mean this again, I
- 7:48Speaker 3: don't know what the hell the Raiders are thinking. It's
- 7:50Speaker 3: just you got to give you gotta be patient. Now,
- 7:53Speaker 3: they had a number of personnel staff changes when he
- 7:56Speaker 3: was there. Theyde no patience with him. Look get up
- 8:00Speaker 3: to a slow start. He was a third round pick
- 8:03Speaker 3: and he's been a great fine for the Eagles. So
- 8:05Speaker 3: that now the question is they kept five last year
- 8:10Speaker 3: Gabaul didn't make it despite having a good training camp.
- 8:12Speaker 3: Definitely definitely earned a look to make the roster. The
- 8:16Speaker 3: Gay Haul, unfortunately, is he's sort of a tweener. He's
- 8:20Speaker 3: really long, he's not a nose tackle, doesn't play it.
- 8:24Speaker 3: You know, you play him at the five or the
- 8:26Speaker 3: seven and this front. There are things he can do,
- 8:30Speaker 3: but he's now He's also I remember you saying this,
- 8:32Speaker 3: he's not a run stopper, kind of a tweener. He's
- 8:35Speaker 3: but it's a shame he's not going to make it.
- 8:37Speaker 3: Let somebody gets hurt. Now, the question is, I know
- 8:40Speaker 3: most people, if you're doing your fifty three man roster
- 8:43Speaker 3: right now, you probably would have Ty Robinson on it.
- 8:45Speaker 3: But this is the problem. Jeff and I have been
- 8:47Speaker 3: talking about this. Andrew did his fifty three. We did
- 8:49Speaker 3: our early fifty three a couple of weeks ago. It
- 8:53Speaker 3: becomes a numbers game. Safety becomes a numbers problem. Ilbana's
- 9:00Speaker 3: not going anywhere. Jeremiah Trotter's not going anywhere most likely right,
- 9:03Speaker 3: he's he's really good. We'll talk about that position later.
- 9:07Speaker 3: They've got a numbers problem. And you know how the Eagles,
- 9:10Speaker 3: how he loves to keep his lineman developmental lineman. They
- 9:13Speaker 3: finally have developmental lineman. How long were we talking about this?
- 9:15Speaker 3: They finally have it. Receivers interesting tight end is a
- 9:19Speaker 3: real quagmire. You got you can't keep more than fifty
- 9:22Speaker 3: three players. You're not allowed to. So to move this
- 9:25Speaker 3: along here, Ty Robinson did not have a great training
- 9:28Speaker 3: camp last year. I remember when Greg co Sell called
- 9:31Speaker 3: us and said, hey, you know Ty Robinson's preseason tape
- 9:34Speaker 3: is he's got a long way to go, right, and
- 9:36Speaker 3: that show in the regular season. Coaches always tell you
- 9:39Speaker 3: where they what they think of the player by how
- 9:42Speaker 3: many snaps they get. I understand he was a rook
- 9:43Speaker 3: in a fourth round pick, yep. And we talked about
- 9:46Speaker 3: this the time of the draft. The scouting community loved him.
- 9:48Speaker 3: We're talking when people actually work in the National Football
- 9:50Speaker 3: League love Ty Robinson. I get it. First year didn't show.
- 9:53Speaker 3: That didn't show what the people Scott and people liked, right,
- 9:57Speaker 3: So if if he has a bad training camp, I'm
- 10:00Speaker 3: not put him on my roster my fifty three.
- 10:02Speaker 2: The thing that would work against him if he has
- 10:04Speaker 2: a bad camp is that it's not like he's going
- 10:06Speaker 2: to be some great special teams player as a DT,
- 10:08Speaker 2: you know, Like let's take Khilley Ringo for example. Killy
- 10:12Speaker 2: Ringos is a fourth round pick who's not going to
- 10:14Speaker 2: factor into the cornerback discussion at all. He really hasn't,
- 10:19Speaker 2: but he still remains on the team even last year
- 10:21Speaker 2: and into this year because he's a very very good
- 10:23Speaker 2: special teamer. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be here. That's
- 10:27Speaker 2: just he just wouldn't be here. He would be sort
- 10:30Speaker 2: of like Zech McPherson, a fourth round pick from a
- 10:33Speaker 2: couple of years ago that didn't have a great camp,
- 10:36Speaker 2: never really got into his role. Then he had the
- 10:38Speaker 2: injury I think it was an achilles injury, and then
- 10:41Speaker 2: never factored in the team. I think he was done
- 10:43Speaker 2: with the Eagles after two years.
- 10:44Speaker 3: Right, is out of the league. Mcphershon's out of the league.
- 10:46Speaker 2: Right to give everybody an example how he has cut
- 10:50Speaker 2: a fourth round pick very early who was a ligneman
- 10:53Speaker 2: because he just didn't play well.
- 10:56Speaker 1: And that was Sharif Miller in twenty.
- 10:58Speaker 3: Nineteen Edge from Penn State. Yeah, right, right.
- 11:01Speaker 2: I don't remember if he cut him as a rookie
- 11:03Speaker 2: or the second year, but the point is he did not.
- 11:06Speaker 2: Even though he's a fourth round pick, he did not
- 11:07Speaker 2: have a long career at all. And I think that
- 11:12Speaker 2: we're not predicting that for Ty Robinson. The point of
- 11:14Speaker 2: the show is to say who could be on the
- 11:15Speaker 2: bubble that you might not think And it's very easy
- 11:18Speaker 2: to say it's a fourth round pick. Of course, he's
- 11:20Speaker 2: going to be on the team in year two. No,
- 11:22Speaker 2: he's got a lot of good players out of him
- 11:24Speaker 2: and he has to perform. And as we've talked about
- 11:27Speaker 2: many times, the Eagles are going to be going heavy
- 11:29Speaker 2: at other positions, so he's going to be a numbers
- 11:32Speaker 2: game somewhere.
- 11:33Speaker 3: All right. So let me just now the Eagles are
- 11:35Speaker 3: listing AJP. Piness a little bit heavier than I thought.
- 11:37Speaker 3: Not Who the hell knows if it's accurate, but their
- 11:40Speaker 3: listening is to eighty. Yeah, that's what I kind of
- 11:44Speaker 3: talked about, remember you and I kind of debated, is
- 11:47Speaker 3: he a forty three ad rusher, which he was, but
- 11:49Speaker 3: really he's a really good run defender. He's improved as
- 11:51Speaker 3: a pass rusher, right, because I know the people I
- 11:54Speaker 3: spoke with thought he absolutely is a thirty four. He's
- 11:57Speaker 3: a thirty four down line then seven technique five technique
- 12:03Speaker 3: more seven.
- 12:04Speaker 1: Right, but underside that to sixty five is normally right.
- 12:07Speaker 3: But they say to eighty now that that maybe why
- 12:10Speaker 3: he's here. So he's a guy I want to watch
- 12:12Speaker 3: in training camp. Where are they lining him up? Is
- 12:14Speaker 3: he just an edge rusher, right? Or is he playing
- 12:17Speaker 3: with his hand in the dirt and on bass downs
- 12:20Speaker 3: inside because he's heavier.
- 12:23Speaker 2: I don't know, but I would that's where I would think, Yeah,
- 12:26Speaker 2: I watch right.
- 12:27Speaker 3: Yeah he's I mean, he's long, he's six six plus, right,
- 12:30Speaker 3: But yeah, this time Tyromi has got he's just got
- 12:33Speaker 3: to show some improvement and he'll make the roster.
- 12:35Speaker 1: Yep.
- 12:35Speaker 3: But he doesn't. To me, then he's on the bubble.
- 12:39Speaker 2: And that's the point of the show. It's not to say,
- 12:40Speaker 2: these guys are definitely in bad standing. They're not like
- 12:43Speaker 2: you know, there's there's been no football played. So it's
- 12:46Speaker 2: all about training camp. But it just wants we wanted
- 12:49Speaker 2: to explain the depth at his position and why it's
- 12:51Speaker 2: very important that in year two he shows development because
- 12:55Speaker 2: of how difficult it is going to be to make
- 12:58Speaker 2: this team in the front seven.
- 12:59Speaker 3: Mm hm.
- 13:00Speaker 1: So we move on the edge. All right, I'm not.
- 13:04Speaker 2: Gonna play Devil's advocate here because really the top three
- 13:07Speaker 2: we said are are set in stone and that's Grenard
- 13:10Speaker 2: and Chill's Hunt and Michael I'm sorry, Nolan Carter, uh,
- 13:15Speaker 2: the second junior.
- 13:18Speaker 1: No, I'm sorry, Yeah, Nolan Smith.
- 13:19Speaker 3: Sorry.
- 13:20Speaker 2: I was gonna have fun with the whole Nolan Smith thing,
- 13:23Speaker 2: like is he on the bubble because but they picked
- 13:25Speaker 2: up is he potentially trade bait? We'll see.
- 13:29Speaker 1: I mean that all depends with you.
- 13:31Speaker 3: He's got to do well to even be trade bait.
- 13:33Speaker 3: He's he's kind of he's fallen off. He's just fallen off.
- 13:36Speaker 3: That's fair.
- 13:37Speaker 1: He's got to do well to be trade and that's
- 13:39Speaker 1: that's why I mentioned it.
- 13:40Speaker 2: If he played well, would he be And that also
- 13:42Speaker 2: depends on how well they get from their other edges
- 13:46Speaker 2: and in particular.
- 13:47Speaker 1: The kid they got from Atlanta, Arnold Baccatty.
- 13:50Speaker 2: So we'll have to all see. But obviously that puts
- 13:52Speaker 2: their rookie seventh round pick, Keith Shawn James Newby on
- 13:58Speaker 2: the bubble. Even though this guy's got some speed, man,
- 14:01Speaker 2: he's got that's.
- 14:01Speaker 3: The thing, like he's this is the It's not a
- 14:05Speaker 3: problem with Fangio, but it's just the way that he
- 14:07Speaker 3: does it. He only plays three, they dress four mm hmmah.
- 14:12Speaker 3: He would have to have an unbelievable training camp to
- 14:14Speaker 3: me just to get on the radar to make the roster.
- 14:17Speaker 3: But then it becomes a numbers game, right. He can't play.
- 14:21Speaker 3: He's too he's explosive as hell, as you said, but
- 14:23Speaker 3: he's too small to play inside and nickel. He can't.
- 14:28Speaker 3: He's too small six two. He's just not he's just not.
- 14:30Speaker 3: He's not built like BG. Okay, right that Doc, So
- 14:36Speaker 3: it's it's this hard man. He's out of New Mexico,
- 14:38Speaker 3: by the way, and he's only seventh thrond pick, so
- 14:41Speaker 3: he's on the outside looking at It's just it's and
- 14:44Speaker 3: don't forget that Pinessa has multi, He could play multiple positions,
- 14:48Speaker 3: and that's yeah, he's had a he's out of Look.
- 14:50Speaker 2: What's your sense on BG? By the way, I think
- 14:52Speaker 2: there's still a faction of people that think that he's
- 14:55Speaker 2: gonna like, uh, pick up the phone.
- 14:57Speaker 3: And be like, hey, I don't think so here's why. First,
- 15:00Speaker 3: there's no spot for him. Where's he playing? Agreed? Now
- 15:04Speaker 3: now they have the bat phone. If it's October like
- 15:08Speaker 3: last year, the word was he was actually in the
- 15:10Speaker 3: building working out well before. How he talked to him? Right, okay,
- 15:14Speaker 3: so then you know he was they saw each other.
- 15:17Speaker 3: I think how he's actually talked about this with g G. Dude,
- 15:21Speaker 3: you know, and he got he started working out even
- 15:23Speaker 3: more and he did what he could to help them.
- 15:25Speaker 3: But they don't have a numbers problem this year. They don't.
- 15:27Speaker 1: No, you're right By the way Vick used to Vic
- 15:30Speaker 1: has said this.
- 15:30Speaker 2: He used to joke he would see Brandon working out
- 15:33Speaker 2: in the facility and be like, hey, you know, we
- 15:35Speaker 2: still have your locker there, like Vic was rare to
- 15:38Speaker 2: go watch.
- 15:39Speaker 3: What is he could play? He could play in nickel.
- 15:42Speaker 3: He could despite being six one and a half.
- 15:44Speaker 2: Right.
- 15:45Speaker 3: I saw him last week at a golf Evan, and
- 15:47Speaker 3: I was like, he's not like, he's not six two.
- 15:48Speaker 3: I know he's listening, No, but he's an anomaly. Like
- 15:54Speaker 3: he's not long, he doesn't have abnormally long arms. In fact,
- 15:58Speaker 3: they're not on Beg was he had short arms, arms arms, yep.
- 16:02Speaker 3: But he's stocky, he's tough, he's obviously very smart. He
- 16:06Speaker 3: knows how the technique had to be guys with a
- 16:08Speaker 3: quick first step. But they just have too many guys.
- 16:11Speaker 3: I honestly, as we've talked about before, Ebuqett, we told
- 16:14Speaker 3: you about the kidd just retired. Who's the guy retired?
- 16:17Speaker 3: The former Joe Droe, Tran schay Inca. Right when he
- 16:21Speaker 3: signed here, we said, why did he sign? Here's no
- 16:23Speaker 3: chance run? He retired.
- 16:25Speaker 2: Apparently he realized that too once he got to Osby.
- 16:28Speaker 3: Kny's gonna make four point three million, fully guaranteed. Okay, great,
- 16:31Speaker 3: were he'll dress. But unless vic for the first time
- 16:35Speaker 3: is Chris is not going to play four edges. He
- 16:37Speaker 3: he's this Arizona insurance. Right, there's no room for be g. Now,
- 16:40Speaker 3: if two guys get hurt, the.
- 16:41Speaker 2: Story, yeah, yeah, I mean last year they were really
- 16:44Speaker 2: needing guy I mean they had, I mean Nolan Smith
- 16:46Speaker 2: was missing time, right, they obviously had. Zadarius Smith had
- 16:50Speaker 2: retired on them in the middle of the season. Ojalari
- 16:53Speaker 2: had the hamstring injury. He was out for quite a while. Uh,
- 16:56Speaker 2: and then Jill and Carter himself was dealing with the shoulders.
- 16:59Speaker 2: He had a time, so that gave the opportunity to
- 17:01Speaker 2: beg to even slide inside a little bit.
- 17:03Speaker 1: But as we sit here right now.
- 17:05Speaker 2: You make the best pot, there's really where would you
- 17:08Speaker 2: play if you if you have BG on the roster,
- 17:11Speaker 2: you don't just sit him there right?
- 17:12Speaker 1: He wants, but where are you gonna play him? Right?
- 17:15Speaker 3: There's no room. He's an edg rusher, but there's no room.
- 17:17Speaker 3: There's literally he wouldn't even dress as things stand now,
- 17:22Speaker 3: any edge rusher that that would sign. Here's a veteran.
- 17:26Speaker 3: You're not playing. You're not even gonna dress. If everybody's healthy,
- 17:29Speaker 3: Grenard healthy, Hunt, who's really came on? We can't wait
- 17:32Speaker 3: to see what he looks like this season. Ebic Kenny.
- 17:34Speaker 3: He's always liked the Eagles and they've always liked him.
- 17:36Speaker 3: That's great, they're paying him. Well, Nolan Smith, you don't
- 17:40Speaker 3: dress five Badgers ever, unless there's an injury, so there's
- 17:43Speaker 3: just no room bottom.
- 17:44Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, Now, the only thing helping uh Newby if
- 17:48Speaker 2: he performs well in camp and has this great speed
- 17:51Speaker 2: you mentioned on the special teams is that in the past,
- 17:54Speaker 2: when the Eagles had less of a numbers crunch on
- 17:56Speaker 2: the roster, they were able to keep that extra edge
- 17:59Speaker 2: rush sure to be a special teamer. It was his
- 18:01Speaker 2: name was Kyrien Johnson, or his name was Patrick Johnson,
- 18:05Speaker 2: not Robinson.
- 18:05Speaker 1: I act only said Robinson last pot. But they used
- 18:08Speaker 1: to have that guy for those reasons.
- 18:10Speaker 2: But they weren't keeping eleven offensive lineman in those years,
- 18:14Speaker 2: or they weren't extra stacked at corner or wide receiver
- 18:17Speaker 2: like they might be this year. So that's where you
- 18:20Speaker 2: might not find your extra special team or at your.
- 18:22Speaker 3: Well one thing. If he's killing it in special seats.
- 18:25Speaker 3: Remember Ringo's contracts up after this season. He's in a
- 18:28Speaker 3: league coverage player on special teams. It's just it's the
- 18:31Speaker 3: little things that GMS look at. Okay, next two or
- 18:34Speaker 3: three years, this kid is only on the first year
- 18:36Speaker 3: of his deal. Is a way we could keep him,
- 18:39Speaker 3: And don't forget how he could not have a long
- 18:41Speaker 3: snapper on the initial fifty three man roster. Then he
- 18:44Speaker 3: you know, he did that last year, which was crazy.
- 18:46Speaker 3: We were like, what the hell they have to have
- 18:47Speaker 3: they have to have a long snapper, and they did. Yeah,
- 18:50Speaker 3: but anyway, yeah, that would be it for edge rush.
- 18:53Speaker 2: All right, inside linebackers, this is a position where you
- 18:56Speaker 2: know the top four are fairly set. You've got Campbell,
- 18:59Speaker 2: You've got Bond, you have Trotter, Jeremi Triter Junior, and
- 19:03Speaker 2: Smile Mond and was more than a fourth or fifth
- 19:05Speaker 2: rounder last year he was.
- 19:06Speaker 3: He was a fifth rounder.
- 19:08Speaker 2: Yeah, but he was a good special teamer. He's got
- 19:11Speaker 2: really good athletic pools. So yeah, I mean he's gonna
- 19:15Speaker 2: be those Trotter and Mondon are gonna be a big
- 19:17Speaker 2: part of their special teams units. So that makes it
- 19:20Speaker 2: really tough to make the team at that position. Chance
- 19:24Speaker 2: Campbell is a guy though, that Adam. If you talk
- 19:26Speaker 2: to players, they love him. They think he's like the
- 19:29Speaker 2: scout team God. And whenever you have that kind of reputation,
- 19:32Speaker 2: you always have a chance.
- 19:33Speaker 3: But he's on the bubble, major injury history, super athletic long,
- 19:37Speaker 3: he's over six to two. He could run Bobby kN
- 19:42Speaker 3: coached him as a rookie in Tennessee when he's a
- 19:44Speaker 3: six round pick of the Titans, so he knows the player.
- 19:47Speaker 3: I'm sure that's why he's here. But what we've heard,
- 19:50Speaker 3: he's done very well behind the scenes. But it would
- 19:54Speaker 3: be interesting if because he's a player, they I'm sure
- 19:58Speaker 3: they know they can get through waivers. That's the other
- 19:59Speaker 3: part of it. Yeah, it's who do you know you
- 20:01Speaker 3: can get through waivers? You know, it's highly unlucky and
- 20:03Speaker 3: not impossible. It's highly unlikely anyone would claim him right,
- 20:06Speaker 3: But I would like to see what would happen if
- 20:08Speaker 3: he's killing it, if he could push Bondon because Junior
- 20:13Speaker 3: should stay. Really, he's a He's what you wanted a
- 20:15Speaker 3: third thirdy inside backer in a thirty fourteen, but the
- 20:19Speaker 3: team that plays an ad Man Fron where you're playing
- 20:20Speaker 3: two inside backers. He's super smart, he processes, he's more
- 20:26Speaker 3: of a He's a better athlete than you think. Yep,
- 20:28Speaker 3: knock him for his black athletic. He moves it well enough.
- 20:31Speaker 3: He's just small, but he doesn't make mistakes. And I
- 20:34Speaker 3: would just like, I think we need to calm down,
- 20:37Speaker 3: thinking like he wouldn't do well as a starter, like
- 20:40Speaker 3: we didn't know, we didn't know Nikobe Dean would would
- 20:42Speaker 3: be basically elite as a starter.
- 20:44Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Nikobe played just okay. I mean, first
- 20:47Speaker 2: of all, he barely played as a rookie. You're two.
- 20:50Speaker 1: He was better, but he suffered the injury.
- 20:52Speaker 2: I mean he really I thought last year when he
- 20:55Speaker 2: came back from the Pteller, he.
- 20:57Speaker 1: Played at a level even higher than ever before.
- 21:01Speaker 2: He played at the level I think fans were thinking
- 21:04Speaker 2: he was going to play it as soon as when
- 21:05Speaker 2: they drafted him to the third round. Every thought it
- 21:07Speaker 2: was like getting a first round pick in the third round.
- 21:09Speaker 2: He just played on the level.
- 21:12Speaker 3: He was one of the best medical stories in twenty
- 21:16Speaker 3: seven years of covering this because I've never seen anything
- 21:18Speaker 3: like this.
- 21:19Speaker 2: Yeah, back to back.
- 21:21Speaker 3: He had what Teler ten in and and and Liz Frank,
- 21:26Speaker 3: I mean those threatening back How does it? And then
- 21:31Speaker 3: as you just said, folks think about it, Oh, he
- 21:34Speaker 3: just happen to be a late last season.
- 21:35Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 21:36Speaker 3: And the Cowboys won it in Bailey, the Raiders won
- 21:38Speaker 3: in Balley. The other teams involved, it's just it's you
- 21:41Speaker 3: can't make it up. But getting back to this chance
- 21:45Speaker 3: Campbell's just he's it's a numbers game. There's just no
- 21:47Speaker 3: way they could he can make it.
- 21:49Speaker 2: Unfortunately, no, no, I mean unless they want. And by
- 21:51Speaker 2: the way, to your point, like there's really no reason
- 21:54Speaker 2: in this era of playing so much Nickel and some
- 21:57Speaker 2: package to keep five off all linebackers. I mean, you're
- 22:01Speaker 2: only playing two for the most part. You've got your
- 22:04Speaker 2: backups at each spot with Trotter and Mond, and like,
- 22:06Speaker 2: you would only do it if this guy was so
- 22:09Speaker 2: superior on special teams. And even then you can, like
- 22:11Speaker 2: you said, you could probably elevate him a few times
- 22:14Speaker 2: from from the they practice squad if you needed to,
- 22:18Speaker 2: if you can get him back, which you have to
- 22:21Speaker 2: think you could, I would. I would think that oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
- 22:25Speaker 2: all right, let's move to safety. So this is interesting
- 22:28Speaker 2: because it's not like they have an abundance of proven talent,
- 22:32Speaker 2: but it's almost because they don't because they're so thin
- 22:35Speaker 2: that they've got to make sure that they have guys
- 22:37Speaker 2: like Marcus EPs on the team and also Michael Carter
- 22:42Speaker 2: the second along with Dejene is obviously going to be
- 22:45Speaker 2: on team in Macouba. So I was gonna sort of
- 22:49Speaker 2: Devil's advocate with you on Marcus EPs being the guy
- 22:51Speaker 2: in the bubble, because I do think he's a guy
- 22:53Speaker 2: that you could get through. Well, he's a he's a veteran, right, Yeah,
- 22:59Speaker 2: so you could work work something out with him to
- 23:00Speaker 2: be on the practice squad. But I don't know if
- 23:02Speaker 2: you want to play around with that. With the lack
- 23:04Speaker 2: of depth that you got.
- 23:06Speaker 3: It's the safety visions in total quagmire. It's totally up
- 23:09Speaker 3: in the air. Other than Macoba, who will absolutely start.
- 23:11Speaker 3: There's no debate there. Yeah, it's Carter versus Apps. We'll
- 23:14Speaker 3: do the training camp battles next week, but it's Carter
- 23:15Speaker 3: versus Apps right as of now. It to be the
- 23:17Speaker 3: other starter was now Ski. We're told the injury he
- 23:21Speaker 3: has is not related to the major injury he had
- 23:23Speaker 3: at in North Dakota State. It's a lower leg injury.
- 23:25Speaker 3: I don't know what that. I don't know which what
- 23:26Speaker 3: type of it is.
- 23:27Speaker 2: Okay, is right because he didn't practice or yeah, he
- 23:32Speaker 2: got hurt, no tas and they shut him down.
- 23:34Speaker 3: So now he's got to make up for lost time.
- 23:36Speaker 3: So you got Andre Sam has been here. This is
- 23:38Speaker 3: his third year with the club. Gray will only play
- 23:40Speaker 3: on specials unless absolutely necessary. Maximus Pulley's an interesting player.
- 23:46Speaker 3: The quality of death is really poor. It's just I mean,
- 23:49Speaker 3: if Maccooba gets hurt, it'll be like it'll be comparable
- 23:52Speaker 3: to the back end of the Philly starting staff. You
- 23:56Speaker 3: can't go what you can't go any further with this.
- 23:58Speaker 3: That the trade deadline, you must get another arder. Yeah,
- 24:01Speaker 3: how he said it in the off season, they're going
- 24:03Speaker 3: to add a safety. But to me, if I'm Howie,
- 24:07Speaker 3: I would wait. I want to see how Carter and
- 24:10Speaker 3: Epps do. Could they push each other and can call
- 24:13Speaker 3: with Znowski show that he's healthy. He's got great length,
- 24:16Speaker 3: but as Greg Coselt told us, not great range. It's
- 24:18Speaker 3: a problem. It's only seventh round pick. You usually don't
- 24:21Speaker 3: like tall safeties like this. He's what six three is?
- 24:23Speaker 3: He took two six three?
- 24:24Speaker 2: He is, he's sixty three.
- 24:25Speaker 3: He's tall. It's not good. Yeah, that's usually you don't want.
- 24:30Speaker 2: It's funny you said with the injury. I always worry
- 24:32Speaker 2: about lower leg injuries with tall guys like that.
- 24:34Speaker 3: Yeah, he's not a great athlete. You know, he's sixth
- 24:37Speaker 3: three and two tents of an inch. Yeah, he's a
- 24:39Speaker 3: little bit older because of the transfer and the injury.
- 24:42Speaker 3: He's actually twenty four. But you know what, if he
- 24:44Speaker 3: looks like he's healthy in training camp, he's going to
- 24:47Speaker 3: get a shot to make the roster. But right now
- 24:50Speaker 3: I would not have him on it because we're going
- 24:53Speaker 3: to assume that Epps. By the way, we should mention
- 24:56Speaker 3: this is actually important. This is what contracts matter on
- 24:59Speaker 3: your about would they cut him if he's not doing well? Well,
- 25:04Speaker 3: he's got a first game roster bonus. He must be
- 25:08Speaker 3: on the forty six game day roster. First day, first game,
- 25:12Speaker 3: he gets one hundred and twenty twenty five thousand dollars
- 25:15Speaker 3: roster bonus, which just someone pointed out to me let
- 25:19Speaker 3: me know that recently. I was like, oh, it's good
- 25:21Speaker 3: to know. Okay, I thought about have you not said that?
- 25:24Speaker 2: So let's say what Let's say Michael Carter the second
- 25:29Speaker 2: outplays Epps like this is the guy they wants to
- 25:32Speaker 2: their number three sixty behind the Gene and Magooba, right,
- 25:35Speaker 2: And let's say.
- 25:36Speaker 1: Cole wuz Newski has a very good camp. Does that
- 25:41Speaker 1: force do they?
- 25:42Speaker 2: They say, we can save one hundred and twenty five
- 25:44Speaker 2: thousand if Epps is not on our opening day roster.
- 25:47Speaker 2: Does that make him somewhat of the next bubble guy?
- 25:50Speaker 3: Then?
- 25:51Speaker 1: Obviously Cole was the most guy in the bubble, but
- 25:54Speaker 1: some more.
- 25:54Speaker 3: I mean he's only seventh rounds, he's yeah, he missed
- 25:57Speaker 3: a chunk of the off seasons. By the way of
- 26:00Speaker 3: the one point five to five million, they only guaranteed
- 26:02Speaker 3: one hundred and twenty five thousand, which is his signing bonus.
- 26:06Speaker 3: So yeah, it Again, there are a lot of mascinations,
- 26:10Speaker 3: machinations as it were. There's just so much that goes
- 26:15Speaker 3: into this. It's a total mess. The safety position, and
- 26:19Speaker 3: coaches don't like when you say, oh, it's a position
- 26:20Speaker 3: you can get away with it. Like if you say
- 26:22Speaker 3: something like that to a coach, will yell at ya,
- 26:24Speaker 3: what the hell you talking about? We need a good
- 26:25Speaker 3: note all that stuff. But it's bakuba and then we'll see.
- 26:30Speaker 3: So right now, to move this along, it's called with
- 26:33Speaker 3: Snooski is got to prove it right now. Your hope
- 26:37Speaker 3: is he's the force safety that he can make it.
- 26:39Speaker 3: Then maybe he could pull off over time a reblanket ship.
- 26:43Speaker 3: But that's pie in the sky way by the sky.
- 26:47Speaker 2: Indeed, all right, moving into our final position, which we
- 26:50Speaker 2: kind of dubbed as a as a hybrid here like
- 26:52Speaker 2: a corner nicol if you will add that in yep,
- 26:56Speaker 2: this is a great one. Mac McWilliams is absolutely on
- 26:59Speaker 2: the bubble. It's sort of like the Ty Robinson discussion.
- 27:02Speaker 2: It just did not impress his coaching staff in training camp.
- 27:06Speaker 2: He did not have an impact on the earth.
- 27:08Speaker 1: He had a great impact in the Andrew de Checko
- 27:10Speaker 1: rookie diary.
- 27:11Speaker 2: I thought it was fantastic.
- 27:12Speaker 1: I mean, he's an interesting kid.
- 27:14Speaker 2: See he's very mature, but he's got to prove it
- 27:17Speaker 2: on the field because now there's like these hybrid guys
- 27:20Speaker 2: all over the roster here. Adam Hey, Philly fans game
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- 28:23Speaker 3: He's a guy. Now. They have not done it yet,
- 28:25Speaker 3: and I know other teams thought he might be able
- 28:26Speaker 3: to do it, but I wonder if I'll cross train
- 28:29Speaker 3: at safety because they've got so many problems there right now. No,
- 28:33Speaker 3: but he's compact, He's got a decent build, super competitive kid.
- 28:38Speaker 3: Fifth round of last year out of Central Florida. It
- 28:41Speaker 3: just victim like what he saw and he basically essentially
- 28:45Speaker 3: benched him. He didn't think he was ready. That VIC
- 28:47Speaker 3: tells you what he thinks. When the guy didn't play,
- 28:49Speaker 3: he's telling you if he can't help us. The thing
- 28:52Speaker 3: that's disappointing. They were going through the cornerback problem with
- 28:56Speaker 3: Ringo got relegated special teams only and if Joey Jackson
- 28:59Speaker 3: was terrible, but they didn't have anyone else pushing him.
- 29:03Speaker 3: In Jakorean Bennett, I need to add him to this list.
- 29:07Speaker 3: Mac McWilliams and Bennett could put both on it. I
- 29:10Speaker 3: know they gave up a compensation to get Bennett.
- 29:12Speaker 2: I didn't.
- 29:13Speaker 3: He couldn't get the defense. He was traded late. He's
- 29:15Speaker 3: traded for the lady, got a full off season. No,
- 29:16Speaker 3: no more excuses. I'm putting both on the on the
- 29:20Speaker 3: bubble after Jonathan Jones, who will absolutely be their third corner.
- 29:24Speaker 3: They don't know who their fourth or fifth corner at
- 29:26Speaker 3: no right now. Ringo doesn't play on defense unless there's emergency.
- 29:30Speaker 3: I mean, if you go through it, you got the
- 29:32Speaker 3: two former Niners. Abry Thomas, who actually was a starter
- 29:35Speaker 3: at one point for the Niners as a corner, not
- 29:37Speaker 3: a nickel.
- 29:37Speaker 2: He fascinated to me, by the way, because and he
- 29:40Speaker 2: played well against the Eagles when they had to play
- 29:42Speaker 2: each other.
- 29:44Speaker 3: What we were told there with Thomas, he would put
- 29:48Speaker 3: together a good practice and it couldn't bring it onto
- 29:50Speaker 3: the field and they had enough. He just regressed some
- 29:54Speaker 3: injuries but didn't get there. And the kid from Penn
- 29:57Speaker 3: State Tree Castro Fields was a six under and twenty two.
- 30:01Speaker 3: He's got good length, he's over six feet. Yeah, Eagles
- 30:04Speaker 3: Worth's fourth team been on and off the roster. He
- 30:06Speaker 3: actually got hurt twice with Eagles.
- 30:08Speaker 2: Yeah. He used to be the oddest looking Eagles corner
- 30:11Speaker 2: because of his height and like length.
- 30:13Speaker 1: But now that Rik Willan is on the TV, yeah, I.
- 30:15Speaker 2: Know, I know he looks like normal.
- 30:17Speaker 3: That's like, oh yeah, So so to move along here
- 30:20Speaker 3: right now, there's a major opening here for a fourth
- 30:23Speaker 3: and fifth corner. Yeah, because of the roster limitations in
- 30:29Speaker 3: terms of how deep you're going to go to each position.
- 30:34Speaker 3: I'm not convinced they're keeping five. In fact, they'll keep
- 30:37Speaker 3: you have to keep four. I mean that's just you
- 30:38Speaker 3: don't keep thusts and four, but they may not keep five.
- 30:42Speaker 3: And again mcwoiams says nickel ability. Obviously he's been doing
- 30:46Speaker 3: that in corner. So it's Bennett to me, and I
- 30:51Speaker 3: know there's a lot of good with him. He's really fast.
- 30:54Speaker 3: There was is what I find interesting with him is
- 30:56Speaker 3: I checked into his background a little bit recently. There's
- 30:59Speaker 3: nothing in the pre draft testing said that he didn't
- 31:02Speaker 3: he had trouble learning. Now again, I understand Pete Carroll's
- 31:07Speaker 3: defense completely different in the way that he would do
- 31:11Speaker 3: his system.
- 31:12Speaker 2: Yep.
- 31:13Speaker 3: Then then Fangio though there's some match carried deliver stuff,
- 31:18Speaker 3: but the techniques are different. They're just something different. He
- 31:21Speaker 3: couldn't get it. But I'll tell you what the upside's
- 31:23Speaker 3: there with Takraine Bennett, but he's got to prove it.
- 31:25Speaker 2: Bottom line is absolutely all right that Bennett and Mac McWilliams.
- 31:30Speaker 2: It'll be a really interesting competition there in camp. That
- 31:33Speaker 2: wraps up our look at the defense by position of
- 31:36Speaker 2: the players most on the bubble. As we mentioned, it'll
- 31:40Speaker 2: be a pretty fun week here on it TB. We're
- 31:42Speaker 2: going to take a walk down memory lane as we
- 31:44Speaker 2: get closer, even closer to the camp of some past
- 31:47Speaker 2: Camp legends in our next few pods.
- 31:50Speaker 3: One real quick one when we post the shows in YouTube. Folks,
- 31:54Speaker 3: if you can't give us your favorite legend, whether it's
- 31:58Speaker 3: Nae Brown, go back to anyone you could. I want
- 32:00Speaker 3: more defense if you can do it, because I'm struggling
- 32:02Speaker 3: finding like Travis Long. You know those guys who can't
- 32:09Speaker 3: content no, no, but come up with anyone. I want
- 32:12Speaker 3: to see your list. Do up, but do anyone anyone
- 32:14Speaker 3: you want? Anyone on offense, anyone in defense? Yeah, I
- 32:18Speaker 3: would love to see the list. Love to see the list.
- 32:22Speaker 2: Yep. And don't just listen the name if you have
- 32:24Speaker 2: a memory of somebody at Lee High just you know,
- 32:26Speaker 2: because a lot of people.
- 32:27Speaker 1: Go the Heisman right, yes, yes, give us.
- 32:29Speaker 2: Your Lee Heisman Award for you know.
- 32:32Speaker 3: It's funny. I was playing golf with Mike Momoa last
- 32:35Speaker 3: week and I should have asked him. I didn't think
- 32:38Speaker 3: of it. Hey, anyone you could think of who came
- 32:40Speaker 3: out of nowhere defensively that you were like, did weren't
- 32:42Speaker 3: familiar with when you were playing for the Eagles, And
- 32:44Speaker 3: you go, well, this could got a great training camp.
- 32:45Speaker 3: They never heard from. Again, I should have done Yeah,
- 32:48Speaker 3: ask this week anyway? Good stuff?
- 32:51Speaker 2: All right, take care everybody that's gonna do it For
- 32:53Speaker 2: this episode of Inside the Birds, the leading podcast and
- 32:56Speaker 2: Eagles intelling is always we thank you for flying with
- 32:59Speaker 2: us Inside Dubbirds. Be sure to check out our friends
- 33:05Speaker 2: at phlsportsnation dot com. They're enhancing the fans experience with
- 33:09Speaker 2: their coverage of all Philadelphia sports teams For the fan,
- 33:13Speaker 2: By the fan is their motto, so make sure you
- 33:15Speaker 2: check them out at Phlsportsnation dot com and on Twitter
- 33:19Speaker 2: at PHL Sports Nation