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Football at Four: Can the Commanders Make a Push Again in the NFC East Over Eagles? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan has some intel on the eagles first four opponents.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: We're gonna break those down and kind of take a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: look at them. We've got our Friday five coming up
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: tonight in the five o'clock hour, our five favorite Week
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: two games. We will check those out tonight in the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: five o'clock hour for today's Friday five. But right now,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan, we're gonna take a look at the Eagles
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: first four games. You got some insight and some intel
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: on these four teams and opponents, which pretty interesting stretch.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: The division game, and then he got a Monday nighter
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: and then he got the Rams Tennessee in there. So
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: let's start with Washington, the division opponent. They've had them
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: open the season a couple times, I think twenty seventeen
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: to twenty nineteen, and the Commandos as you would call them,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: are back in Philly for week number one.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Mike, I'll say, Jeff and I did a
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: we're joining like we're calling a schedule intel show. We're
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: going by we're doing four at a time, and that's
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: the show that dropped on third Day and we really
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: enjoyed it. So we got started with Washington and I
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: could tell you that one is the longest because they've
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: had so many changes. This is why strength schedule is
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: kind of a joke. Strength to schedule is based on
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: last year. Well, no team ever brings back the same
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: exact starting lineup or coaches. This case, two new coordinators,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: changes at receiver opposit Terry McLaurin, a ton of defensive help.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: They're probably gonna have at least five new starters. So
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: lots changing with those Commandos.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is a team that obviously went to
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago, Adam, how
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: different is this Commando's team from that team?
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, So what's gonna happen is they're gonna get tre
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Ams back. The corner who got hurt lest year the
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: second round of Mississippi with Eagles, actually liked a lot.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: He played great, I'm told before he got hurt, but
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: he'll be a starter. The issue opposite him is they
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: don't really have a true cornerback. They have two guys
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: who can play nickel, Mike Saint Rastril with phenomenal as
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: a nickel year one played corner last year and it
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: was kind of up and down, and then Amik Robertson
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: has been a really good nickel who got forced to
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: play corner last year with Detroit. He did okay, but
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: he's really not a true corner. He's more of a nickel.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: He's a smaller guy. That's that's as we'll talk about
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: on our show, which you'll hear. That's a matchup that
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: you got to like opposite Amos and then Leo Chanol
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: comes over from the from the Chiefs. He's a bro
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: He's a movable linebacker. He could play a little bit
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: of edge, he could play inside linebacker, make use of
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: a variety of ways. Frank Frankie Lulu may not be
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: starting you. We have to we have to see they
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: got they've got styles. Who was their first round pick,
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: who were very high on, who could wind up being
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Mike the best player out of this draft in a
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: couple of years. So tell you what, Mike, There's there's
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: a lot that change here. They were really hurt last year.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: They had the oldest team in the National Football League.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: That was not something they wanted to earn. That was
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: a mistake because even they were going for You see
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: teams do this when they get when they come out
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: of the blue and they've become really good. They feel
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: like they have to go for it, but they're getting
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: younger and they're way more talented.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: All right, So Washington week number one, younger and more
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: talented and obviously a division game, always tough, and a
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: way to start the season. There in Philadelphia, Let's go
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: to Tennessee where they had the first pick in the
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: draft two years ago. They took cam Ward. So they
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: have him, what have they built around him? What kind
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: of intel do we have about the Titans?
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so i'd mentioned for the draft when Jeff and
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: I were doing sort of a sort of a mos draft. Okay,
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: what do we thick on each team? Well, I said,
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: I don't agree with it, but everything I've heard is
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: they're going to go offense here. They want to help
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: cam Ward. Nothing wrong with that. Didn't know it was
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: gonna be Cardell Tait, who I believe would have been
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: a top ten pick anyway. But Tit is a supreme
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: de threat, best threat for this past Draff. So you
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: got cam Ward has got a great arm. They have
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: two whole They have two issues on their offensive line.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: The other three spots are pretty solid. Five they're not
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: very athletic at tight end. They lost Chicka kon Kuo,
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: who went to the Commandos for ten million a year,
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: which is a lot of money. But defensively they've added
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: some talent. They're moving, by the way to a wide nine,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: a wide nine, you know that scheme on a Robert Sala,
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: So they'll be better. But this is a game that
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: in the end Eagles will win.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Tennessee seems like they're still not quite ready to
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: be a big time competitor. However, they're in a division
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: down there that has seen a lot of change. You
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: got Jacksonville the winners down there. You got Houston with
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: that good defense in Indianapolis. If they can get the
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: quarterback situation, we'll see what kind of Tennessee Titans team
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: is there in the year. And then you're at Chicago,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: a team that came to Philadelphia last year and really
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: bullied you. I mean, that was one of the games
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: where you really got physically beaten. And now you're gonna
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: have to go there on a Monday night. What intel
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: do we have on the Bears?
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Mike, that was the game. Speaking of bullied, the
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Fairs had two one hundred yard rushers in the first half,
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: So yeah, that that can happen again, and were not
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: not that fanjo is out for revenge, but probably in
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: his career, that had to be one of the worst
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: performances by his defense. And they've got that tape to
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: look at because they were there. They're gonna they're gonna
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: play them again, and it'll be this time it'll be
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: on the road. And look, you'd rather play the Bears
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: now September one is much warmer. It'll be a challenge
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: Ben Johnson with that offensive scheme. Now what they're gonna do, Mike,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: They're probably gonna be a heavy twelve personnel team. Why
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: they have four tight ends that they can use the
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: Penn call Comet had a lot of money as they're
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: starting tight end Colston Lovelin was the first round pick.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: They drafted another tight end in the first in the
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: second round back to back years where they're spending good
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: draft capital, Mike, So it'll be a challenge for them.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: And as we mentioned, they ran all over the Eagles,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: but that was what Jaalen Carter struggle with their shoulders. Yeah,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: so he's got that issue alleviated. And then defensively, this
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: is where you can make your money. They don't rush
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: the passer. Well, the egost problem was not protecting her,
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: it was running the football because they couldn't. The run
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: blocking was terrible. They're good up the middle. This should
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: be a tight game. This is if they're gonna lose
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: a game. To me, this would be the one.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Well that would say. Then you got the Rams up next.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: And we all know the Rams. A lot of people
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: think this is the best team, if not in the NFC,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: maybe the entire league. Maybe they could have aj Brown
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: by the June first, who knows, but the the Rams,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: this is obviously a big one.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and Mike, look, they still they're another team. Like
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Sean McVay threw out his personal groupings, he shocked us all.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: He played a lot of thirteen personnel. Didn't see that coming.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: With three tight ends and one receiver one back. They
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: did a lot of that. Well, Cooper Cutt moved on obviously,
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: and they weren't deep at the receiver position opposite Kuka Nakua,
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: so you kind of understand that they're also loaded a
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: tight end, so this will be a challenge. But they're
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: very small. MIC on their defensive unit, same same defensive front.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: You could run on the Rams cornerbacks. They were bad
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: last year. They know they had addressed it. They addressed
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: a big time with two chief corners McDuffie Highs Payed
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: corner of the National Football League and Jalen Watson the Seamate
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: who he's got good length, does he's not doesn't run
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: all that well, but he's a good football player. It'll
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: be harder to throw against them than it has been,
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: but you could run against them. This is a tight game.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: But for whatever reason, the Rams final way to lose
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: to the Eagles. It's really hard to understand.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: Well, they have felt a lot of ways to lose.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: One of them is a block field goal as time
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: essentially expires. You wonder, Adam, though, if I were just
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: to ask you, who's fifty three is better deeper? Do
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: you like the Rams or do you like Philadelphia?
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: See? I would I would want you to ask me
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: that after I get back from my training camp tour
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: in August, because I want to go see the Rams.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: I haven't seen them in a couple of years, and
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: we need to see this Eagles offensive line. Are they
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: this bad for the run game as they were last year?
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: Are they healthier? How do they look? We need to
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: take a look at that. We didn't We didn't know
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: this last summer. Mic didn't know that that they physically
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: were going to be beaten up as bad as they were. Like,
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: that can't happen again. Yeah, we need to learn more.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: On the surface, it's kind of like Eagles offensive line
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: should be way better, should be Okay, they're better at
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: run back, they should be receiver wise. You know what,
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: now Defante Adams is turning thirty three, not to player
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: he once was. Nikola is a the way they use them,
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: it works. You take a J. Brown off and obviously
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: it's a different offense which is gonna happen. It's gonna
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: look different. But I'm not agreeing with everyone. They with
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: Makay Lemon who could be and they're gonna run a
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: lot of eleven personnel, Eagles with Davante Smith, with Wick
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: who I like, with all these tight ends, they're gonna
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: be Okay, Mike with their Pastargert group way better than
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: people think.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Now, I know it's kind of far fetched. Baby, who
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: knows what if the Rams added a J.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Brown, Well, they were the ones as I understood that
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: backed out with the Eagles. Let's sneed you know, let's
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Steed went on the record and said, yeah, they talked
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: to them, that Seam McVay. It broke down in the end,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: but it was it was moving pretty well. But they
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: they said they were moving on. So I mean, what
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: would it look it's past the draft. First of all,
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: you he wouldn't be going to the go you'd have
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: to go somewhere else like they would. They would have
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: to find a home for Devonte Adams that you know.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: The other part we've had the draft already that if
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: you were gonna do it, Mike, you were gonna do
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: it before or during the draft, like the Eagles did
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: to get A J. Brown in twenty twenty two. I
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: never say never, Mike. I've I've learned my lesson things
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: that have happened over my twenty seven years where things
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: completely changed from what I expected. That could always happen.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: But I still expected to go to the.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Patriots, right, I was gonna say at this point, I
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: know this last week here, all week long, we've been hearing,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: oh maybe Jacksonville, all the Rams might have to betes h.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: It still feels like the Patriots are going to be
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: the one in the end, though, right, Oh yeah, yeah,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: by the.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Way, with the Jaguars. So this is what happened with
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: the Jaguars. So a lot of us have covered the
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: league nationally. We wondered why they never shot down the
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: room with the trade deadline last year. Well, James Gladstone,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: their young general manager, before the draft and really doing
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: free agency. He is press Conferenceation's guys, let make this
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: perfectly clear. We're not trading buying Thomas. We don't know
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: where this started. We're shutting down right now. He's not
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: going anywhere now. They're also payton Jacobe Myers, and this
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: is not a good contract. Twenty million a year. He's
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: a tough slot receiver. That was not a good contract.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: But Mike, to be honest with you, I don't say it.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: That's another I never say never. I as long as
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: as long as they're hauling steadfast that they're not trading
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Brian Thomas and A J. Brown's not going there.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: All right, there you go a little look at the
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: first four teams, a little AJ Brown nugget and more
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: on the Sports Batch Football and four powered by the
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: Inside the Birds podcast, Memorial Day Weekend, everybody and the Birds, Adam,
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: They're back on the field on Tuesday, when you're back
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: on the show for Football at four, and this will
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: be our first look at them at OTAs I guess
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: a highly anticipated ota, especially after hearing from Sean Mannion yesterday.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: We'll get it first chance, I guess, to kind of
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: feel what what that offense might look like.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and then the mandatory camp, which is the last camp. Now.
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: Coaches will tell you that they don't do anything differently
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: in the mandatory camp, but there's always a sense of
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: urgency with younger players to have a good impression with
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: their coaches. But you're right, Mike, next week on Tuesday,
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: because by the CBA, you can't practice on Monday. And
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: it's what the players wanted. It is what it is.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: But I'm looking forward to it, Mike. There's most of
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: this is our ninth year and Inside the Birds I
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: don't remember more question marks with this football team.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Unbelievable. All right, here we go, football season about to
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: crank up. On Tuesday. We'll have a covered here on
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: Football at four. The guys from Inside the Birds will
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: have plenty over at Inside the Birds dot com and
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: check out the Inside the Birds podcast on all podcasting platforms.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Thanks Adam Dude, all right, there you go on a
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Football Friday edition of Football for and of course Football
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: four is off on Monday. We're off on We'll have
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: had him back on Tuesday. Jeff on Wednesday, Andrew on Thursday.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Good conversation with Andrew yesterday. If you missed it, check
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: out our conversation from Thursday's Football at four. We went
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: through Andrew's initial fifty three man roster and took a
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: look at everybody that he thinks will be on the
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: initial team. Now things could change, obviously, but one of
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: the things that we talked about yesterday he thinks Tanner
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: McKee could be traded. So this AJ Brown trade. That
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: possibility if you trade aj Brown for future draft assets
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: like twenty twenty eight, which has been somewhat reported, maybe
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: you trade Tanner McKee to try to get some twenty
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: twenty seven draft assets. And I think that's something that
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: is a possibility. You could possibly get maybe a third,
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: possibly even a second for Tanner McKee if there's somebody
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: out there that really needs quarterback help. But that might
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: be something you have to wait until you know. A
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: potential injury happens at training camp. We all know famously,
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Sam Bradford got traded for a first round pick back
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: in training camp when there was an in Minnesota, So
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: keep an eye on something to that effect. As Adam said,
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: looks like the Patriots. We've played some sound from yesterday's show.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: On yesterday's show, I should say, from you know, Sal
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: Palell and Adam Schefter and Rappaport and the latest stuff
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: that they're hearing. Most of them all pretty much said
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: they think it will be the Patriots. The only thing
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: with the Patriots, and our conversation from I think Tuesday
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: show when we talked to Nick Cattles from the Locked
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: On Patriots podcast is everybody just assumes it's the Patriots.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Everybody just assumes it's going to be New England. But
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: we also don't assume that Howie Roseman just sitting around
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: doing nothing and less there's a deal already agreed upon.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: Is Howie Roseman doing more due diligence? Is he circling
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: back around to everybody that he talked to before? You know?
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Yesterday on on Sports with like Moment of the Day,
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: we played the sound from Chris Canny about he doesn't
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: think that Miles Garrett's going to start the team in Cleveland. Okay,
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: hey guys, you have any interest in AJ Brown? Can
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: we rekindle something like that. We talked a little bit
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: about that yesterday. So there's a lot that could possibly happen.
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: We know, and if it does happen, Football at four
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: we got you here. It is the best football segment
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: in the area, best Eagles coverage, Football at four every day,
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Inside the Birds, all off season long, all through the summer.
• 15:31
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• 15:33
  Speaker 1: the Birds podcast.