Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Ask Greg Cosell: Looking At Preseason Tape Of Jakorian Bennett, Will Shipley, Tanner Mckee, Others

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Ask Greg Cosell: Looking At Preseason Tape Of Jakorian Bennett, Will Shipley, Tanner Mckee, Others · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: So A Dori Jackson and Jacoreyan Bennett. I mean that's
• 0:11
  where right now the cornerback competition is. Can you tell
• 0:15
  us what you've seen on tape in regards to their
• 0:17
  strengths and weaknesses for both players?
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Ooh, you know, to me, A Dori Jackson, he's a
• 0:25
  solid pro. I think he's been up and down the
• 0:27
  last couple of years. I know Adam and Jeff probably
• 0:30
  know more about what's going on in training camp than
• 0:32
  I do, and it's my understanding that he pretty much
• 0:35
  has won the job, although there's been a lot of
• 0:38
  RUMs and rumblings lately about what they're going to do
• 0:41
  in their base defense, which they don't play. A lot
• 0:43
  of snaps of Jacorey and Bennett to me is you
• 0:47
  know I watched. I happen to see a lot of them, Frank,
• 0:50
  I actually went back and watched over the last month
• 0:52
  a ton of footage from last year because I can
• 0:55
  watch it totally differently, you know, because I can watch,
• 0:58
  let's say, with a quarterback, can watch two hundred and
• 1:00
  fifty snaps in a row, which I can't do. During
• 1:03
  the season, he did really well, you know, he started.
• 1:07
  I don't know how many games he started last year.
• 1:10
  You know, I didn't check that exact number, but he
• 1:12
  played meaningful snaps.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: And I really liked to Coreyan Bennett.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Obviously, they wouldn't have brought him in if they didn't
• 1:20
  think that there was a concern at the corner position
• 1:23
  opposite Quinnon Mitchell. You know, you don't You don't do
• 1:26
  those kinds of things if you feel great about your situation.
• 1:29
  So you know, we'll see how it goes. I like
• 1:33
  Bennett more than I like Jackson.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: I'm not there.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: I'm not there every day, so the coaches could tell
• 1:39
  me I'm wrong, but just from tape study, and that's
• 1:42
  all I have because I'm not you know, at training camp.
• 1:45
  I'm not in their meeting rooms. But I liked to
• 1:47
  Coreyan Bennett more than I like a Dori Jackson.
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: Who's the surprise player ten to thirty two, who's gonna
• 1:53
  be the Micah Persons, Yeah, who turned out to maybe
• 1:58
  be the best or one of the best two from
• 2:00
  his draft.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: All right, let me pull up, I gotta pull up
• 2:03
  the players.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: Give me a second, because that, yeah, that that happened
• 2:07
  one hundred years ago.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: I think that today Baron is gonna be a big
• 2:11
  factor for for the Broncos. They drafted him for a
• 2:15
  specific reason because you know, uh, he's gonna play nickel slot.
• 2:21
  He's physical, he's competitive, He's clearly a slot, not an
• 2:24
  outside corner. He can defend the run, you know, because
• 2:28
  there are certain times in as a slot player that
• 2:32
  you have a b gap responsibility in the run game.
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: He can do that. I just think he's a really
• 2:37
  good football player. He was.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: He was a really good guy to watch. I was
• 2:43
  a huge O'marion Hampton fan. I personally did not think
• 2:47
  there was a meaningful difference between Hampton and Genty. So
• 2:51
  you know, we know where he went. He went to
• 2:52
  the Chargers where they're going to run the ball. I
• 2:55
  really liked Matthew Golden trying to see the list here
• 3:00
  as well. I gotta tell you, not because we're talking Eagles,
• 3:04
  but based on what I saw on tape in the preseason,
• 3:07
  not being at camp, but I heard it.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: Was just as good. I loved what I saw from
• 3:11
  Johah Campbell on tape. Loved it.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: I thought he was better in the areas that he
• 3:16
  needed to be better at, and that's always a good sign,
• 3:19
  a really good sign.
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: Knowing that Jalen likes to throw the ball outside the
• 3:25
  numbers and doesn't really like to utilize the running backs
• 3:30
  in the passing game. Do you think that Shipley could
• 3:35
  still be impactful in the past game or do you
• 3:39
  just think that Jalen probably won't target him too often.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, that's a great question because teams every year,
• 3:44
  and as you know, they tweak things. You know, they're
• 3:48
  you know, you're never exactly the same from year to year.
• 3:52
  You know, you can't, no matter even if you're a
• 3:54
  Super Bowl champion, you don't just come back and say,
• 3:56
  let's do exactly the same thing and we're gonna win
• 3:58
  a Super Bowl.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: It never works out that way. Shipley is.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: I mean, obviously game Wall was a very good receiver too,
• 4:05
  and they didn't use him in the way I think
• 4:08
  you're talking about using a back in the run game.
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: You know, in the past game, excuse me, you know
• 4:13
  is much more of.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Checkdowns and things like that. You know, you know, they
• 4:17
  did at times use Barkley where he ran real routes.
• 4:20
  I mean it almost started a week one last year
• 4:22
  in Brazil when he caught the touchdown, you know, but
• 4:24
  they didn't do that. You know, as much as one
• 4:26
  might think, I don't know. You know, they're a running
• 4:30
  football team.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: The past game.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: I don't want to say the pass game is secondary
• 4:36
  in the sense that it doesn't matter, but it's not
• 4:39
  an expansive pass game the way that other teams are.
• 4:44
  You know, obviously, they don't really use the middle of
• 4:47
  the field a whole lot. I'm talking about the intermediate levels,
• 4:50
  you know, between the numbers. They don't throw a lot there.
• 4:52
  You know, we'll see. I mean, you know, they look
• 4:55
  they've got a new offensive coordinator. He was there last year,
• 4:57
  but every coordinator likes to put his stamp on it.
• 5:00
  They've got a new quarterback coach who's been coaching for
• 5:02
  a long time in Scott Leffler. You know, I remember
• 5:06
  talking to him one hundred years ago. He actually coached
• 5:09
  at Virginia Tech. He coached Logan Thomas. You know, he's
• 5:11
  been around the block. You know, sometimes you get new
• 5:15
  ideas and and you know you have to So that's
• 5:18
  a hard question to answer. Shipley's a very good receiver
• 5:22
  and a very complete player, probably ultimately maybe a little
• 5:26
  more complete than gain Well too, and just overall play.
• 5:30
  So we'll see. You know, I really like Shipley coming out.
• 5:34
  I think the reason he got drafted where he was
• 5:36
  drafted is because he's not a feature back type. You know,
• 5:38
  he only ways two O five, two o four, you know,
• 5:41
  but he's really good in a lot of different areas.
• 5:44
  Speaker 6: I kind of wanted to ask about the interest group
• 5:46
  with us not having like a star at that position yet.
• 5:50
  You know, how's that How to offenses game plan when
• 5:53
  there's not like a premiere pass streussure to game plan around.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: I know we have Jane Calter at.
• 5:56
  Speaker 6: The inside, but besides him, you know, how's an offense
• 5:59
  when they they build a protection, Like, how does that
• 6:02
  change when there's not like a star guy at.
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: The edge that they have to account for.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and you're saying the Eagles don't have that guy
• 6:08
  right now, is what you're saying.
• 6:10
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, I know Nolan Smith is good, but
• 6:12
  he was kind of he was kind of the second
• 6:14
  pass rusher last year.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Ye, he's kind of right, responsibility that comes in.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Let's assume you're correct. You know, we don't know that
• 6:21
  until we start playing the game, So let's assume you're correct.
• 6:24
  What that essentially means is that teams in pure pass
• 6:28
  situations can send five out because if you have pass
• 6:31
  rushers that you really have to be concerned about on
• 6:35
  the edge in particular, obviously, then often it changes your formations. So,
• 6:41
  you know, it changes a number of things, beginning with
• 6:46
  use of personnel formations, route concepts and combinations, how the
• 6:52
  quarterback feels about, you know, his time in the pocket,
• 6:55
  you know, because when guys don't feel protected, you can
• 6:58
  almost see it on film and they start to play faster.
• 7:02
  So it changes a lot of things. So we'll see
• 7:05
  where Nolan Smith, you know, continues to grow. He certainly
• 7:09
  clearly improved as the year progressed. We'll see about Jaylex Hunt,
• 7:13
  who also improved as the year progressed. It's obviously tough
• 7:16
  to use the Super Bowl as a barometer because Tuney
• 7:19
  is not a tackle and quite frankly, Walker, I excuse me, Taylor,
• 7:25
  And again they played the Chiefs week too. That'll be
• 7:26
  a fun conversation when we get to the Chiefs game.
• 7:29
  But you know, he's he hasn't been very good in
• 7:32
  past protection. But that's really how it impacts a team's
• 7:36
  you know, offense is what they can do in the
• 7:38
  past game from many different areas.
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: What did you see from the tape from mac McWilliams.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: Does he does the same show that he can actually
• 7:46
  stay outside or does he or is or is the
• 7:49
  show that he's still best be be inside the slot.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: I think he can do both. I mean, he's another
• 7:56
  guy whose tape I really liked. I think he plays
• 8:00
  with competitive toughness. There's a swagger to his game. I
• 8:03
  think he showed the balance and body control and the
• 8:05
  lateral explosiveness to change direction in tight spaces. He can
• 8:09
  play man coverage, he can recover when he's initially beaten.
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: The only thing he'd.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Be concerned about on the outside is his lack of length.
• 8:17
  That could be an issue. Are their corners his height
• 8:20
  who play on the outside? Absolutely, but that would be
• 8:23
  the only thing I think you'd really be concerned about
• 8:26
  on the outside. But I really like him. I like
• 8:29
  mc McWilliams, and I'm sorry I don't think I went
• 8:34
  to dan Is in Texas.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: That's his home. I know where that is.
• 8:37
  Speaker 7: I have a question of regarding tackle play. You know,
• 8:41
  we see the top one hundred, so how do you
• 8:43
  really differentiate between the really great tackles and really say, okay,
• 8:48
  this he's number one, He's number two because their statistics
• 8:51
  are so fantastic.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Because I don't make lists, you know, I I don't
• 8:56
  differentiate like that.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry, I forgot that forgetting shape.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: By watching the tape, you know, when you evaluate tackles.
• 9:04
  And I've tried to really learn from offensive linemen and
• 9:08
  guys who know more about the position. Coaches you know
• 9:11
  over the years who know more. There's certain things that
• 9:14
  are evident that probably my daughters could see. If a
• 9:17
  guy has really light quick feet, you can see that immediately.
• 9:21
  But then the things you really start to get into
• 9:23
  are two things in particular is hand usage and ability
• 9:27
  to recover. And that's by the way, I had a
• 9:31
  great conversation. I was fortunate enough to go down to
• 9:33
  Tennessee and had a really good conversation with Bill Callahan,
• 9:37
  and I asked him about arm length and he said
• 9:39
  it's very, very important at to tackle position. He said,
• 9:43
  because of recovery. And he said, sixty percent of the
• 9:46
  time you can do it absolutely the right way. He said,
• 9:49
  the other forty percent you kind of get a little
• 9:52
  lost and you have to recover. And he said that's
• 9:54
  where arm length becomes a really big factor, because you
• 9:58
  need your arms to be able to to maintain control.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: When you know your feet aren't working right or you're.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: A little off balance, And he said, that's where arm
• 10:06
  length becomes a big factor. But you know, someone like
• 10:10
  Lane Johnson, for instance, he can do something that probably
• 10:13
  very few humans in the world can do. Yeah, he
• 10:17
  has something called the double under when he's past protext.
• 10:21
  It's it's ridiculously hard. I talked to him about it
• 10:24
  at at an event this summer where he almost lets
• 10:27
  guys get close to him, which is not something you
• 10:30
  really want to do.
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: But he has this strength.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: It's called double under and he just stops guys like
• 10:35
  this like they just if you watch him, you'll see
• 10:38
  he literally can stop guys.
• 10:40
  Speaker 7: He grabs on their path and picks him up.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: Oh my god.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: He doesn't pick him up for say, but I mean
• 10:44
  he's not I mean he strikes the stone during that.
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: He's called double undermove.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: Because no one's reaction as an athletic reaction is to
• 10:55
  go like this. That's not an athletic reaction. No one
• 10:59
  does this as an athletic reaction. So a lot of
• 11:02
  offensive line, even offensive linemen, but defensive lineman as well,
• 11:06
  are taught to you know, try to hit you right here,
• 11:09
  so you want to avoid that. So different guys use
• 11:13
  their hands differently.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Is there any possibility that you can see where Joe
• 11:16
  Hodd Campbell helps with the Eagles? You know, I guess
• 11:19
  as far as as a pass rusher, not necessarily more
• 11:22
  as a blitzing linebacker, but actually like you know, putting
• 11:24
  his handle the dirt and rushing the passer, you know,
• 11:27
  as a as an ed rusher.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Well, I don't know if he put his hand in
• 11:29
  the dirt, but he certainly can line up on the edge. Now.
• 11:32
  He has a lot of experience doing that because that's
• 11:34
  how he went to Alabama as an edge pass rusher.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: And we've discussed this.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: Because they had Will Anderson and Dallas Turner, they moved
• 11:40
  him to stack backer. But he's an excellent pass rusher,
• 11:43
  so you know, we'll see. I mean, you know, obviously
• 11:46
  I did his tape in great detail at Alabama, and
• 11:49
  he wasn't a physical player, and that's one thing I
• 11:51
  was looking for, and they knew.
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: The Eagles knew that.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: But that's one thing I was looking for when I
• 11:56
  watched the preseason games, and he showed some physicality, which
• 11:59
  means he's he's open to being taught because you know,
• 12:02
  that's what you want to see is you want to
• 12:03
  see guys do things that they need to do to
• 12:07
  continue to grow with the next level. But there's no
• 12:09
  question if they chose to, could he rush the quarterback
• 12:12
  off the edge?
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: Probably?
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: I mean to me, he was more refined as a
• 12:19
  pass rusher than Nolan Smith coming into the league.