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Football at Four: DiCecco's Eagles Training Camp Questions · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

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Speaker 1: And Football at four is powered by the Inside the
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Birds podcast. It's brought to you by BET three sixty five.
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Whatever the sport, whatever the moment, it's never ordinary. At
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Bet three six five. We know that next week, at
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this time, the Eagles will have been on the practice
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field all week long. For the most part, they report
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on Tuesday, they practice Wednesday and Thursday, and of course
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right now, Football at four takes a look at all
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the big storylines heading into camp, which begins next week.
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Andrew to Checko is in today for Adam kaplan for
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today's Football at four, and he has a plethora of
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great stuff over at insidethebirds dot com to get you
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ready for Eagles training camp. We're gonna preview all of
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the top storylines in battles that he'll be watching as
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training camp opens on Tuesday with practice on when Andrew
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to Checko Football at four, what is going on?
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Speaker 2: My friend? How are you? Hey? Dom? Mike?
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Speaker 3: Good to talk to here?
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Speaker 1: Yeah, man, this time next week the Birds will be
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probably just coming off the practice field I think off
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Friday actually, but ten o'clock practices next week. Let's get
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into some of the big storylines that Andrew, you'll be
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watching all the battles. And let's start with that right
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guard spot, Tyler Steen taking on Kenyon Green taking on
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Matt Pryor. That's like the one story on the offensive
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side of the ball for starting playing time that everyone's
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gonna be kind of watching as we enter training camp
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next week.
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Speaker 2: How do you handicap those three?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean you look at Tyler Steen and he
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played three hundred and sixteen snaps last season for the Eagles.
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Entering his third season. This is really do or die
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for him this year. And what I mean by that
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is he had a chance last year and he had
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the yank injury and McKai Beckton was able to overtake him.
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Now he has a golden opportunity. He is the favorite.
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Heinam that are going to really realistically be pushing him. Yeah,
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you have Kenyon Green and I think Matt Pryor would
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be the biggest challenger. But I thought Steen did a
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nice job last year. I really did. When he was
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pressed into service mid game. That requires a lot of
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attention to detail and focus from the sideline and also
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applying what you're learning on the practice field. He moves
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well better than Becton, and I think that when you're
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pairing somebody between Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson, you can
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kind of atone for any sort of shortcomings or acclamation period.
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Speaker 1: I kind of look at this, see if you're on
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the same page at all or my way off based
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on this one, Andrew, I look at this similar to
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twenty seventeen, where basically Saamalis started he was the guy
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they wonted. Steen is the Sayamala, They went to Warmack,
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tried to see if he could do it. Green would
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be the Warmack And in the end they said, we
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have prior in our back pocket.
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Speaker 2: That would be Wisnooski.
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Speaker 1: So it wouldn't be crazy to suggest that we might
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see all three of these guys get a shot at
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some point this year.
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Speaker 3: I mean, I'm barring injury, I'm expecting Tyler Stein to
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be that guy. Obviously, the sample size is pretty small,
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but talking to Tyler last season and really being able
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to see him in the preseason and really even in
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the regular season, that Saints game really stands out to
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me as the best sort of description as to what
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he can do. It really illustrates I should say what
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he can do. He moves well, and he and then
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that Saints game, it was like him and Fred Johnson
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on one side of the field and the offense didn't
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really miss a beat. He can look at certain moments
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throughout the season where I thought that he was able
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to step in and really quit himself pretty well. So
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I'm not necessarily looking at it as a platoon situation.
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Speaker 1: I would tend to agree with you in terms of
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I think Steen is fine. I think Stein will win
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the job, but that it just kind of seems similar
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to the way that these guys profile, that they have
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that in their back pocket.
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Speaker 2: We'll see that right guard spot.
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Speaker 1: It will be one of the big stories on the
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offensive side of the ball before I shift to the defense,
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because it seems that that's where all the stories seemed
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to be. Is there another offensive battle that is a
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battle or is the offense pretty He's set after that
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right guard spot to you.
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Speaker 3: So it's interesting because this is a minor one, but
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something I'll be keeping an eye on because I like
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watching training camp battles unfold and I know a lot
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about these players. So it would be wide receiver four
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or wide receiver five, or maybe even wide receiver six,
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because beyond aj Brown Devontae Smith and Johan Dotts, and
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there's a lot of questions. Right, Johnny Wilson would appear
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to be the favorite. He was the number four wide
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receiver last year. He played three hundred and sixty nine snaps,
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thirty four percent of the defensive snaps. And he's somebody
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who does a lot of the dirty work, the grimy
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work that Zach Paskell did in twenty two, that Alaminde
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Zikias did in twenty twenty three. It takes a certain
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type of mindset to be able to pull that off.
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He also has a unique dimensions, right, he offers six
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foot seven, crazy you know, you know, athletic profile and
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then the wingspan and all that. But for me, I
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think that his name should be written in pencil at
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the moment because they want to see what he can
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get great with more regularity, be able to help and
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factor in in contested cat situations, and really take that
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next step and evolve in his second season. But then
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you have an Isa Smith, and I a Smith is
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a predominant slot player. So if he's going to stick
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or at least make a serious run for a roster spot,
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one would think that he's going to have to showcase
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a lot as a punt returner, to show that value
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and really trying to establish that staying power. And then
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of course you have Danny Gray, who I've talked a
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ton about and four three three speeds, who adds a
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different element than any of the players who were going
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to be sort of chronicling here. He can get vertical,
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former third round pick and he was on the practice
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squad last year, so obviously familiarity with the system with
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wide receivers. Coach Aaron moorehead and the last player that
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I'll mention is Terras Marshall. Terris Marshall has a bigger body,
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not quite to the degree of a Johnny Wilson, not
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many receivers do, but he can kind of do similar things.
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And I thought he had a really good spring, definitely
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more so than Johnny Wilson, who missed some time during
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the spring, at least for the media attended session. So
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I'm kind of looking to see at Mike how that
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all transpires.
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Speaker 2: And Andrew Czecko Football four.
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Speaker 1: These are some of the top general eve of training
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camp things and storylines. And Andrew and everyone will be watching.
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He'll be covering it live from the novacare complex. Ringo
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versus Jackson is that the battle. Is there anybody else
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in that battle? Handicap that one as you entered camp
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next week.
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Speaker 3: No, that's going to be primarily Kiev Ringo versus Dori
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Jackson and Tivy Ringo enters with as the odds on favorite.
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He used he has the inside track entering his third
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season with the Eagles and second season in a row
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working with Sick Vanjao, Christian Parker the Eagles defensive backs coach,
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Ory Anderson, the cornerbacks coach. He liked the continuity there,
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and Keighley in the spring talked about honing in on
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his technique, which really, you know, raised my antenna because
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it's never been about the athleticism with kiv Ringo. It's
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always been about the technique. And he's such a young player.
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I think folks forget that he's just twenty two years old.
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So if he's able to put this together, the Eagles
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could really have something there.
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Speaker 2: Now.
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Speaker 3: The problem is, or should say the biggest question Mike
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is how would he handle being targeted heavily each and
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every week because teams aren't going to throw the football
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to Quinny on Mitchell's side of the field, and so
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it puts a unique amount of pressure on Kiev Ringo
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to make sure that he's staying assignment sound. And what
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we've learned from Vic Fangio is that's what he prioritizes
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and covets from his defensive players. So that's going to
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go a long way, obviously in determining who starts between
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a Dory Jackson and Kiev Ringo. Dorriy Jackson has played
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in ninety seven games I believe in the NFL, so
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I think you liked that experience. But I think Kaley Ringo,
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knowing how much time and really just manpowered the Eagles
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have invested in him, I think that obviously he would
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be the favorite.
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Speaker 1: All right, Andrew, I think this one's going to be fun.
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It will be to see the evolution of Jalox Hunt,
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and then he will be trying to hold off two
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veteran players who were once the young guys that people
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were excited about. Not old guys by any stretch, but Azizo,
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Jeli josh Uch. How do you see that triangle happening
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and working out as camp begins.
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Speaker 3: Well, Jalox Hunt is going to start, for all you know,
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by all accounts, the something would have to go, you know,
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drastically wrong for that not to happen. But the question becomes,
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this is the player who played two hundred and forty
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one regular season staffs, what's he going to look like
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in an expanded role? Now you you know me, We've
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talked a lot about this. I think very highly of Jalox.
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I think he's going to transition to a starting role
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pretty favorably. But that's just my assumption based off of
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what the information that we have and the information that
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we have as a player who factored into the rotation. Eventually,
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about halfway through the season, he made an impact in
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the postseason. I thought he's he got active and was
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willing against the run. So you see a lot of
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the qualities that suggested it can translate into a much
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more prominent role. And he was asked to add weight
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to his frame this year, and he's been throwing a
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round weight that he wasn't throwing around last season. I
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sat down with his trainer, Corey Clark, so all the
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signs are there. But then you look at Ojulari, who
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I think can be a really good third edge edge player,
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and he's going to be obviously needed in this rotation,
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but he's got to be able to stay healthy. That's
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been the big hiccup with him. It's never been about ability,
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it's been about availability. Twenty two career sacks, twenty five
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years old, obviously has a lot of familiarity with his
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teammates there, so I think you feel pretty good about
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at least where he stands as the third destch rusher.
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And then the question becomes, josh Usha, what do you
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have there? Because it's kind of a polarizing player. You
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have to go back to the twenty twenty two season
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where he had eleven and a half sacks. Of course,
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the last two seasons where he split time with the
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Patriots and the Chiefs and he had five sacks. So
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which version are you getting? And he's clearly a situational
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player the year in which he had eleven and a
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half sacks, who played thirty eight percent of their snaps
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for the Patriots. So I think as a fourth edge rusher,
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he'll be just fine.
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Speaker 1: The next question, and I don't know even know how
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we answer this, so I'm interested to see what you
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bring to the table here. Andrew to hid Campbell verse,
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who what's his role. Will he be ready? What are
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you looking to see from him? Will he even be
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out on the field on Wednesday? Give us some thoughts
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on Campbell and how this kind of materializes.
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Speaker 3: Okay, lots of unpacked there. I'm expecting him to be
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around on Wednesday on the field participating. Well, no, I mean,
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Nick Vangio said sometime in August, So I think they're
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not going to rush his timetable. They want him to
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be operating at you know, peak levels. But what you
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see from him as just a player who I think
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has a skill set that embodies what it means to
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be the new age NFL defender. He has the length,
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he has the fluidity, the sideline, the sideline range. He
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can cover tight ends and running backs and all those
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things that you look for. And he also can rush
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the passer a little bit, which may be his easiest
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path to playing time because there's a lot of responsibilities
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that I don't think are fully appreciated that are placed
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on the shoulders of linebackers in vic Fangio's system, and
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because of that, it may take a little bit of
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time to act, only especially if you're joining late and
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you're behind the eight ball.
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Speaker 2: A little bit.
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Speaker 3: The player that I think is going to reap the
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benefits most is Jeremiah Trotter Junior, who the Eagles are
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really happy with his development and smart player instinctual doesn't
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have the measurables, but I think he's very sound assignment sound,
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and Vic Fango has praised him going into that divisional
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round playoff game, and so that carries a lot of weight.
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So I think he would be the next in line.
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They don't have a lot of optionality there. That's really
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a place that I thought the Eagles were going to
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address before training camp, just to simply add another body
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before camp. Smilemondon is there, the rookie linebacker from Georgia,
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but he's mostly in my opinion, going to be a
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special teamer this year. So yeah, I think to answer
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that question, Jeremiah Trotter Junior would be the player to
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highlight there, all.
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Speaker 2: Right, Andrew.
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Speaker 1: The last one would be Drew mccuba, the second round
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pick obviously at the safety position against basically Sydney Brown.
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And is there anybody else in that room? I guess
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that one is would you say wide open or do
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you have a favorite handicap that one?
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Speaker 3: Nick Fanjo also threw in Tristan McCollum. He threw his
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name into the mix, But to be honest with you,
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I don't view it as totally wide open. It's going
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to be a competition. And Drew mccuba the rookie has
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to get into campus to sign first. But I mean,
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you don't draft somebody in the second round unless they
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have a hard time picking up the defense.
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Speaker 2: You don't.
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Speaker 3: You don't draft them where you draft him and have
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him sit on the bench. He has an ability and
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a skill set and a body type that kind of
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reminds me a little bit of Gardner Johnson. And he
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has a knack for taking away the football, versatile, instinctive,
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all the qualities that Vic Vangio looks for in a
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defensive back in his system. Doesn't have the biggest, biggest frame,
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he doesn't have a lot of size, but he does
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play with some physicality. Versus Sydney Brown, who is a
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player who hasn't really gotten much of a fair shake.
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He got injured last sear at the end of his
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rookie year, didn't have a full offseason, and now he does.
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But he is probably going to have to alter the
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way he plays the game to coincide with the way
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that Vick Fangio likes his defensive backs to play. He's
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sometimes plays unrestrained. He's primarily a box safety anyway, but
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he plays with his hair on fire, and sometimes that
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leads to feaster famine play. And for him to have
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confidence in him to go out there and execute the assignments,
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he's going to have to be a little bit more
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assignment sound, a little bit more disciplined on the field.
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And then Tristan McCollum is a player who I've talked
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a lot about out He is as simon sound. He
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does play within the structure of the defense, and he
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quietly just he makes plays. He's in the right He's
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more often than not in the right place at the
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right time, and there's something to be said for that.
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Speaker 1: Andrew, of all the things we just talked about, are
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something else, the thing that you are most intrigued by
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when Wednesday comes around.
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Speaker 3: I kind of want to see if the running backs
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are going to be more involved in the passing game, right,
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because that's just the first thing that popped in mind.
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It the reason why I say I'm out looking to
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see the offense as a whole is because sometimes you
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can't glean that in training camp. Most oftentimes you can
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in the preseason, you can't either. We won't really know
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what the offense as a whole looks like until the
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regular season. But the running backs, when you talk about
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evolved and you heard that word that was the buzzword
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in the spring, sometimes it doesn't necessarily mean something drastic
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one way or the other, but it could mean some
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different wrinkles and different wrinkles. The utilization of the middle
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of the field with someone like a Alas got Ter
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maybe Johan Dotson running backs in the passing game. This
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for me is something I'm look forward to seeing because
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Jayalen Hurts hasn't utilized the running backs in the passing
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game and you have someone like say Kwon Barkley, who
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we saw catch that wheel route against the Packers in
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Week one. He obviously can do it and do it
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at a high level. Will Shipley is the guy for
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me who can add a different dimension, a unique dimension
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to the offense because while Kenny Gainwell was very adept
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at catching passes, will Shipley is explosive. He brings a
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lot of juice and he turns up field when he
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gets the football and you can probably move him around
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formations and feel pretty comfortable in doing so. So that's
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what I'm looking to see. How are they going to
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utilize their running backs as it pertains to the passing game.
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Speaker 1: It all starts next week, and of course the guys
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from Inside the Birds will have plenty of coverage on
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Inside the Birds dot com and the Inside of the
15:48
Birds podcast and right here on Football at four. Andrew
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to Checko Pinch hitting today for Adam Kaplan on a
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Happy Hour Friday, giving you all the things to look
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for at next week Eagles camp. All right, you appreciate
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you as always, Pal'll have a great weekend.
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Speaker 3: Thanks Mike, you as well