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Football at Four: Updating Eagles Rookie Class, Depth Charts and Roles · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Football for is powered by the Inside the Birds Podcast.
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• 0:17
  Adam Kaplan's here from the Inside of the Birds podcast and
• 0:21
  we're gonna check out the Eagles rookie class. A couple
• 0:24
  of injuries today, A lot of injuries, the long list
• 0:27
  of injuries, but a couple of names that stick out today.
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  As Adam Kaplan joins us for another edition of Football
• 0:33
  at four right now on The Sports Beast Live on
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  ninety seven three ESPN. Adam Caplan, what's up, buddy, Mike?
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  Are you there? I got you? You've faded out a second.
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  I got you, I got you, I got you.
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  Speaker 2: So so hurt today?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, a couple of guys injured today. Let's start with
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  some of the injuries at practice today, right off the
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  top there. Johnny Wilson one of them there, obviously, which
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  is interesting because they made a trade for a wide
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  receiver and Andrew mccouba, a guy that has really stood
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  out in that preseason game on Saturday.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Drew mccooba will start with him. And that
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  happened right in front of me. So Macuba, Mike grabbed
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  his left hamsterring. That is your back of your leg,
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  the right the front is your quatter steps. He grabbed
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  the the left leg, the the back of his left leg.
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  Now with hamstering injuries, Mike, the degree of strain tells
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  you how high up the injury is. So the lower
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  it is on the back of your leg, the better
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  it is in terms of strain. I couldn't tell. I
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  couldn't tell. He actually Tom Huckley, the uh, the an
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  athletic trainer, walked off the field with him. He went in,
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  he went in the tent that came out, went and
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  then went in for treatment. So not good, Mike, because
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  I would have bet the house he was going to start.
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  You know what happened in the preseason game wasn't just
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  some two plays which were the two turnovers and that
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  he recorded. Once you got healthy, Mike, you know, off
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  the shoulder injury here moving up, and he's just a
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  better fit the city Brown. As for the scheme. But
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  now we have no idea. We'll learn more tomorrow. But
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  this is not good because Mike, you don't want these
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  things happening, not that you ever want it, but you
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  right when you're starting to prepare for the season. And
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  as Kevin Tulo said today, Mike, they have three things
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  going on. They're preparing for this game, preparing for next
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  week's practice, and then the Dallas game.
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  Speaker 1: They got a lot going on the Yeah, he talked
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  about preparing for the regular season opener. How much can
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  you do for that? They still got to get this game.
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  They still got to figure some things out. Because Kevin Beatula,
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  who we just aired the press conference, you just talked
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  about that, Johnny Wilson gets hurt. They brought in John Betchi.
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  Wilson goes down today. So people kept wondering, why would
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  you trade for a wide receiver? So you lose a
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  wide receiver today. Now you have another one in the building.
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  But an injury to Wilson, who's a guy who's probably
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  gonna make this team.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. So so Johnny Wilson, Mike, it looked like his
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  ankle hobbled, hat needed help to people to help carry him.
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  The typical when a guy hurts his ankle and it's
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  you know, we don't know it's the high ankle, a
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  regular ankle, but anyway, you know you can't walk. You
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  red a sprain ankle, a decent one, you you're gonna
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  have trouble walking. So he needed help and yeah, so
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  that's not good. So let me just address the John
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  Mechi situation, because there's people have conspiracy theories and they
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  say stuff without any facts. They Eagles made this trade
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  because it was presented to them. They weren't looking to
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  particularly add anyone at that position. They didn't need to.
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  But John Mechi's a guy that they liked from Alabama,
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  we know three years ago. And as Bill Pollyan told me,
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  this is the exact quote, never pass up an upgrade
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  if you have an opportunity to have one. John Brett
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  Metchi and it's it's no offense to Darius Cooper. It's
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  been a great story. By the way he dominated again today.
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  There's no reason to think he won't be on the team.
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  But whenever you have a chance to get so it
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  could be better than the guys who would compete against
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  all backups. Why wouldn't you do it? Now? As you said,
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  Johnny Wilson gets hurt, so there's more of a reason
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  for a mess.
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  Speaker 1: You'd be here, absolutely, And I think what Kevin Batola
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  said today is the key word at the Eagles love competition.
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  It just adds war competition to the room.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and now the first thirty seconds after it was
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  reported that this is happening, like Jeff and I were
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  Texal Like, I don't get it. Then I set up upgrade. Done.
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  That's it, Like if you and I were running the show.
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  This is a thirty second conversation. Could it be a
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  potential to be better than the guys who we have there?
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  If he answers, yes, make the trade.
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  Speaker 1: Make the trade right exactly. Yeah. Out of Catholic Football
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  at four from the Inside of the Birds podcast. All right,
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  let's look at some of the Eagles rookies. Now they've
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  got a full training camp. They got what one day
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  left of training camp, one preseason game left, and then
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  of course the season starts off. So let's see where
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  some of these guys fit in. Let's start with Jid Campbell. Obviously,
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  they got him in a spot where you know, maybe
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  people thought he fell there, that he shouldn't have been there,
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  that he was a higher talent than where they ended
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  up getting him. So how's he fitting in?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, some some like all what you just said. The
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  big reason was medical he had there was a concern
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  he had the labor surgery, which he's over. There's a
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  question about his knees. Okay, that's legitimate as we understand it.
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  And he dropped. But you know, Harry Roseman traded up.
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  He got his man. Was that a guy they were
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  thinking they were gonna be drafting, But when a value drops,
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  you go get him, and he did a good job.
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  Now he's definitely an inside backer. There's no debate on that.
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  They've made that decision, at least for this season. But
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  there will be times you'll be able to pass rush.
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  Now he you'll see him lit up as an agresher.
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  You'll see him blitz double a gap blitz where the
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  you got two guys splitzing from the ag gaps. You'll
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  see that. So he's Mike. I they haven't made a
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  decision yet, but I would be he's slightly surprised if
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  he's not starting Week one, to be honest.
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  Speaker 1: With all, Right, Yeah, I know a lot of people
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  he saw the blitz got the sack in that preseason
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  game the other night. Got a chance to see him
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  in a little bit of a different like light there
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  for Jahid Campbell. Really exciting player right there. You mentioned
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  Drew mccouba. Uh, Andrew mccooba with the hamstring, got the interception,
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  had a fumble. After the game, Nix Sirianni said, he
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  has a knack for the ball. It looked like maybe
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  he was winning that job. This hamstering definitely throws some shape,
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  but they liked what they saw from him.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and plus, look if macoba's out a bit, they've
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  got McCollum who had an interception today in practice, Andre Sama.
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  They've tried to develop. They don't hate necessarily have to
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  do anything. I know people want Justin Simmons in there
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  because people like fantasy football. Justin Simmons is a fantasy
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  nabe thirty one years old, near the animo's career. But
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  you know how people live in this town with Steven Tullock.
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  Remember Stephen Tallock and then her Stephen Tallock. Do you
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  remember the cry on social media for Steven Tullock.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, we're really good course.
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  Speaker 2: For the Lions by the great guy, by the way,
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  But he was near the out. Just be careful, folks.
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  They love names in this town. I know they do
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  in all towns, but especially here. But so the next
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  guy they don't have a stir rep And by the way,
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  this what you and I were talking about today, the
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  full blown story that we did a full show on
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  this today. So Jeff and I did it. We love
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  doing it. Ty ronson, you got it. Look he as
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  I said to Jeff today after practice. Robinson and game Hall,
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  by the way, he's really come on, They've really reached him.
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  He's doing a good job. Robinson and game Hall are
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  gonna be the first guys off the bench at the tackle.
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  That that's what we're looking at here.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Robinson, I know on draft night people were excited.
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  The next day an athletic guy there, we'll see. And
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  by the way, Thomas Booker was traded, so that opened
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  up another spot up the wrong for Ty Robinson. Speaking
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  of Thomas Booker getting traded, that was for Jacouri and Bennett.
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  You got the three fifth round picks, one of them,
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  Mac McWilliams smile mon then and Drew Kendall three fifth
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  round picks. How are they factoring into this fifty three.
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  Speaker 2: Boy, Mac McWilliams has looked good. Now you know we
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  had the injury. Vic Fangier talked about it, but remember
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  and lately and I don't know, well, I kind of
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  know why, but I'm a little surprised by it. He's
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  playing corner like he and and let me just differentiate
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  because I'm gonna use my Vic fangio ease. Corner is corner,
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  which is now posit outside position. Nicol is nickel. That
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  is not an outside That's not it. He doesn't call
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  it a corner, but what he really means is nicol
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  is a defensive back, the hybrid position. It is not
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  a cornerback. The courting of Fangio. So Mac McWilliams is
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  played nickel almost all the stuffs until week and a
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  half ago. Word nickel. Now you're seeing mccorner. And why, Mike,
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  here's the answer. They're so dissatisfied with what they've seen
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  at corner. Cooper Degene line up mostly corner today. Mike,
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  I'm kind of I never saw this happening, what they're
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  doing at corner opposite Pwina Mitchell. I'll admit it. I'm
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  surprised by it. It's not good Mike, this is not
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  where they thought they would be, but they are where
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  they are.
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  Speaker 1: Who's your favorite? If you were to say the favorite
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  to start Sunday night or Thursday night against Dallas will
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  be who two people?
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  Speaker 2: Jackryan, Bennett or a corner from another club.
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  Speaker 1: Oh okay, there you go. I like Bennett too. I
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  have Bennett as my favorite. I like Mac McWilliams. And
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  after the drift, I actually really enjoyed that pick. There
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  smile Mondon the linebacker. This team have like really good
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  linebackers at him. What are the Philadelphia Eagles? They have
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  good linebackers.
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  Speaker 2: I know, Mike, they actually have Mondon. You know he's
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  getting better up. Just one thing to do with Mac
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  McWilliams or really Jackry and Bennett out of Maryland. He's
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  still he got some one to the last I look
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  on my note to the last fifty minutes of practice.
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  Still has got a ways to go to win that
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  starting job. If the season started today, I know it doesn't,
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  it would be a Dori Jackson. That's clear. Ringo. Poor guy.
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  He's been you could call it demoted, whatever term you
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  want to use, Mike, it is, boy, it is. He's
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  falling off it's two straight days that he hasn't got
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  work with the ones. Mike, it is what it is.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Ringo looks like the favorite for now. Couldna get
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  passed by Ja, Cory and Bennett. Keep on eye on that.
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  We just talked about Mond and Drew Kendall. You know,
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  we'll talk about Kendall, Hinton and Cameron Williams in this
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  offensive lot because you know, you you the depth on
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  this offensive line. Are these guys going to be up
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  to the depth standard of the Philadelphia Eagles.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's Mike. That's the thing that we said for
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  eight years. Depth its nothing to do with how many
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  players you have. It's the quality of the player you
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  could get away with a offensive lineman the start of season.
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  By the way, next Tuesday at fort p mestern they've
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  got to be down at fifty three. Kendall will be
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  on the team next next Tuesday. They seem Look, Mike,
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  they tried him at left guard. He's just not Everything
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  I've been told by personal people in the league is
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  he's not a guard. He's the center. The legal stick.
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  He could play guard, good luck, we'll see, but he
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  right now he should be the backup center. The question
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  is what they do with Brett Toath.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Brett Toath. Obviously he's been working at left guard,
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  but so is uh Darrin Knnard too. Right, he's been
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  starting to move cross trained at left guard.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, everybody's cross training and there's nothing wrong with it.
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  You always have to have the doomsday answer, like Cooper
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  Degene was the internal doom doomsday answer corner. It's something
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  they didn't want to have to do. That's where they are.
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  Kyle McCord had some good place today. You know, you
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  got to the thing about him is Mike when he
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  doesn't process well, he struggles. That ball has got to
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  come out quickly and it gets on time and he
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  was like a quality third quarterback when he holds it
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  because he can't drive the football. Monkey struggles. That's the
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  book on Kyle.
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  Speaker 1: On Cord, right, do you uh? It's him and dtr
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  Is there a favorite in that one?
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  Speaker 2: I would? I would pick my favorite B McCord because
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  he was drafted. How he keeps his draft picks almost
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  always doing for aner. Sometimes he doesn't hear one. But yeah,
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  Kylin Cord, they want to develop on me. I I
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  would if we have to. They're gonna keep three, it
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  would be.
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  Speaker 1: McCord all right, Adam kaplan football at for the last
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  guy is Antline Powell Ryland. I haven't heard much about him,
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  but that's a position that I think, you know that
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  they probably would like to at least see somebody kind
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  of emerge from Oh boy.
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  Speaker 2: He's been running mostly with the threes. He needs more work. Wait,
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  you'd love to get him too the practice squad, But
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  knowing Howie, I don't think he would take the chance
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  because there's something here with him. Very accomplished developed pass
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  rushing college, but not at this level. He's not ready yet.
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  And Cam Williams another developmental left tackle.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 2: While we's practiced at both, mile Hen has practiced at both,
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  but they wanted to be the long term backup left tackle.
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  So this this class, will say of the ten, really
• 12:45
  intriguing class. Now we got a long way to go here,
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  long way to go here, but lots of upside with
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  this group.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, the edge rushing group. We'll see what ends up
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  happening over the next week here. So you know, the
• 12:56
  fans they want to get Trey Hendrickson in here. Right,
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  you're talking about big names. You would not.
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  Speaker 2: Believe the list, but Mike, you could. You should come
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  up with a list of all all no, but okay,
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  because you cover the Phillies too, all the fan favorites
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  that they wanted the Phillies to trade for. Okay, sixers two.
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  You can go through the list, Mike, We've we've known
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  each other for a long time. One of these days
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  in an offseason will come up with our favorite fan list.
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  And then and and then, and we we've had we've
• 13:25
  had fun with this. Jeff and I had the guys
• 13:27
  that the fans fall in love with the training Camplin.
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  They never turned out to be anything.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Uh, they happen all the time, and they're usually
• 13:33
  one of these guys the undrafted free agent group. Uh,
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  let's take a look at some of these names. Any
• 13:38
  of these guys Montreal Johnson, Shoun, Derrek Pal, Darius Cooper,
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  you talked about him a little bit, Uh, Giles Jackson,
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  Holland Pierce, Lance Dixon, Brandon Johnson. Any of these guys
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  have a shot.
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  Speaker 2: Uh yeah, yeah, Daris Cooper, He'll be on my fifty
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  three no matter what. He's going to be on it.
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  He's been on it for a week. I'm not going
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  to back off of it. Done enough to be cut
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  he has been. I'd have to go and go through
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  my mind of going to training camp from two thousand
• 14:06
  and one with my first full time year going, I'd
• 14:09
  have to think about it. Other than the Hank basket,
• 14:13
  I don't know it was complosed. So this kid, Davis S. Cooper,
• 14:15
  we outline him on a show either this Monday or
• 14:20
  late last week. We gave out everything on Darius Cooper
• 14:23
  was all. He was a high school quarterback. He was
• 14:26
  a he's an academic All American. Last year Big one
• 14:31
  of the coaches told him, if he wants to make
• 14:33
  a long term at the school at Tarothton State, you
• 14:36
  might as well switch the receiver and the key for
• 14:39
  this one. He was not invited to any EL Star games.
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  Speaker 1: Mic.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: That's why he wasn't drafted. Nobody really knew about him.
• 14:44
  Give I think his seems cam Bradfield credit the Southwest
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  Area Scout for finding him. This kid, he's a ball
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  or two man. He brings passionate energy, great build by
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  the way, Mike, five eleven and a half to a
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  way to two ten. He's really built. Well, he's a baller, Mike.
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  Remember they got him for three years. I think he's
• 15:03
  got a two or three year I think.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, keep an eye on Darius Cooper. There's
• 15:07
  a lot of names in there. You got competition, as uh.
• 15:11
  Kevin Batoula brought up today, competition in the wide receiver room,
• 15:14
  and Adam just said he thinks he's gonna make the
• 15:16
  fifty three. So keep an eye on Darius Cooper. Uh. Friday,
• 15:21
  of course, we'll be getting ready for the Eagles in
• 15:23
  the Jets. It's the final preseason game. Do you think
• 15:26
  we're gonna see some of these positional battles unfold? Still
• 15:31
  corner two safety edge in this game on Friday night.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna I'm gonna look last year and see I'll
• 15:39
  look up the game buck and see who started last
• 15:41
  year because I know Bob playing the second game because
• 15:43
  they weren't totally sure on him. But you know what's
• 15:46
  gonna They're all gonna play at the other cornerback spot.
• 15:49
  We don't know about the Cooba's injury yet, and they
• 15:51
  got it. If the Cooba is not ready, we know
• 15:53
  it's Citny Brown. You know, does Cambell need to play?
• 15:57
  He probably needs some reps.
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: Again.
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: We'll talk more about this Friday offense is kind of set.
• 16:02
  You know where they're starting eleven is, but yeah, it's
• 16:06
  it's been a long time which where you've seen somebody
• 16:08
  not a lot of jobs, but a lot of guys
• 16:10
  are pretty It's gonna go down with the wire in
• 16:12
  this game. Friday actually becomes more.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: Important to these bets, all right, Friday Night. Listen to
• 16:16
  the game right here, pregame coverage at six thirty and
• 16:19
  all the action at seven thirty with Meryl Reas and
• 16:21
  My Quick Apparently Meryrolwives got a multi year extension too,
• 16:23
  by the way, to be calling Eli. Yes, eighty two
• 16:27
  years old. Meryl reeves Man still stopper. Adam Kaplan and
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  the Inside of the Birds podcast. You can get it
• 16:34
  on all podcasting platforms, and you can listen to them
• 16:38
  right here on football at four on the Sports Best.
• 16:40
  All right, Adam, thanks buddy, Thanks