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The DiCecco Daily: Key Takeaways, Notes From Eagles Preseason Opener · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

0:08
Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened in Philadelphia? How are you feeling out there?
0:11
Welcome into another edition of the check O Daily. Andrew
0:15
Dechecko here giving you my instant observations from the eagles
0:20
thirty four to twenty seven win and the preseason opener
0:23
at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, I'm giving you
0:27
my observations before I even break down the all twenty
0:30
two and really get a better assessment. But I have
0:33
a lot of observations that I want to get to
0:36
and if you guys have any questions coming off this
0:38
first preseason game and maybe on top of what I've
0:42
seen through the first ten training camp practices, feel free
0:46
to send in any questions you may have inside the
0:49
Birds at gmail dot com and just kind of make
0:52
a note question for Andrew and they will make sure
0:55
they forward it to me and I will get that
0:57
answered absolutely on the next So you don't often see
1:03
that kind of offensive performance, that kind of crisp, and
1:07
again for the preseason, that was a crisp offensive performance
1:12
from the Eagles, and a lot of that had to
1:14
do with Tanner McKee. And I've written about Tanner McKee
1:17
a lot through training camp. I've talked about him on
1:20
this podcast and elsewhere, and he is the real deal.
1:24
I've seen enough of Tanner McKee over the last few years,
1:27
especially this training camp and what we just saw against
1:31
the Bengals, to say that he absolutely has the tools
1:35
to be a starter. And before anybody asked me any
1:38
questions about whether or not he would be somebody that
1:41
the Eagles would look to trade, I don't do any
1:43
of the hypothetical trade.
1:44
Speaker 2: Talks or anything like that. I just think that for.
1:47
Speaker 1: This particular season, for the twenty twenty five Eagles, Tanner
1:51
McKee is far too valuable to move off of, and moreover,
1:55
they don't have a suitable replacement to step up and
1:58
become the number two this year. Down the line, we
2:02
could probably make that, we could probably make a case
2:06
for that, but right now, I just think the Eagles
2:08
would absolutely have to be blown away or a team
2:11
in dire straits with their quarterback situation late in the
2:14
summer for anything like that to happen. Tanner McKee, and
2:18
I've said this and it wasn't hyperbole when I said,
2:21
it's certainly not hyperbole. Now he's already one of the
2:24
best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and it's only a
2:27
matter of time before he's a starter somewhere, but for
2:30
right now, he's a Philadelphia Eagle, and I just think
2:34
he has so much value to this team. So let's
2:38
get into some of the observations that I was able
2:40
to take away, and first of all, to kind of
2:44
give you.
2:45
Speaker 2: To kind of illustrate the night that McKee had.
2:48
Speaker 1: He completed twenty to twenty five pass attempts for two
2:50
hundred and fifty two yards and two touchdowns, one two
2:53
undrafted rookie Darius Cooper more on him later, and another
2:57
the second year wide receiver an Ayah Smith more on
3:00
him later. But I just thought that he was able
3:03
to build off of an impressive start to camp. He
3:05
played into the third quarter, which is a little curious
3:07
to me. I thought the Eagles probably saw all they
3:11
needed to see early on. And when you have a
3:13
team or any team really in the preseason and you
3:18
have a lot of young players on the other side
3:20
and they're trying to make a name for themselves, they're
3:21
trying to make a play, that's when you start to worry.
3:25
And Tanner McKee left the game unscathed, and then eventually
3:29
he gave way to Dorian Thompson Robinson and then later
3:32
Kyle McCord. But I think that maybe the sample size
3:36
or Tanner McKee might be a little bit more limited
3:39
in the next two games, especially with joint practices. By
3:42
the way, next week Wednesday and Thursday with the Cleveland Browns,
3:46
the Eagles should be able to get a lot of
3:47
quality work in. So you may see some of the
3:50
guys that you saw today, even a Will Shipley, Maybe
3:53
you pull back on that a little bit depending on
3:55
how much work they get during those joint practices.
3:59
Speaker 2: So let's start with some of these observations. The first
4:03
was something that I noted during pregame.
4:05
Speaker 1: Veteran long snapper Charlie Hewlett was standing off to the
4:09
side while rookie free agent long snapper Christian Johnstone, who
4:14
signed last Sunday.
4:16
Speaker 2: He's a rookie free agent from Appalachian State.
4:18
Speaker 1: He snapped in sixty five games for them, and he's
4:21
looked solid in the practices that we got to see him.
4:24
I think it may have only been just one or
4:26
two practices that we saw him, and I thought he
4:29
largely looked fine in the game, But it is something
4:31
to keep an eye on in terms of Hewlett, who
4:33
popped up and I want to say maybe three practices
4:37
ago with the neck injury, and I happened to notice
4:39
him walking out with a neck roll. I don't know
4:42
if that was something that was always part of his
4:45
practice attire, or if that was something that he implemented
4:48
to sort of supplement or offset maybe some of the
4:51
neck pain that he was dealing with, but something.
4:53
Speaker 2: To keep an eye on.
4:56
Speaker 1: I spent the first few plays of that first defensive
4:59
series observing Sidney Brown, the Eagles third year safety, and
5:02
the Eagles rolled out a safety tandem of Sidney Brown
5:05
and Tristan McCollum. No, Drew mccoba today, He did not
5:08
play in this game. He was suited up, went through
5:11
pregame warm ups and everything. But once you got to
5:15
see the pregame alignment, it was Sidney Brown and Tristan
5:19
McCollum and then the second team was Andre sam and
5:21
Lewis seen so immediately to me that I mean, it
5:24
was just obvious that Drew mccoba wasn't going to play
5:27
in this one. But for Sidney Brown on the opening drive,
5:31
it was a second and two. Bengals quarterback Joe Barrow.
5:34
He completes a short pass over to the left side
5:36
of Jamar Chase, and he had a lot of green
5:40
grass in front of him, and it looked like it
5:41
was going to be a big play. But I'm watching
5:43
Sidney Brown throttle down and really just displace the wide
5:49
receiver andre ilis Ayoceivas. I'm probably butchering that name, but
5:55
he jarred the receiver enough to muddy up the play
5:59
and all of a sudden it allowed defensive players. I
6:01
think it was Jeremiah Trotter Junior who got in on
6:04
the play and it was limited to always a six
6:06
yard game, Sydney. It was like a heat seeking missile
6:10
once again. And I know that that's something that much
6:13
has been made his ability to you want to see
6:16
him play under control and with more restraint. It's kind
6:20
of hard to assess that in a game like this,
6:24
where it's so vanilla, we'll have a better idea of
6:27
where that is or where he is in terms of
6:29
that area of his game in the regular season.
6:32
Speaker 2: But I thought that he plays with a lot.
6:33
Speaker 1: Of intensity and ferocity as we've all known him to
6:36
play play with, and it looked like after a running
6:40
play it was a first down running play. He left
6:43
the game looked a little like he got his bell rung,
6:47
But I did see him walking off the field after
6:49
the game with his teammates seemed to be in good spirits.
6:52
So we'll have to wait and see what the extent
6:54
of it is or or if it turns out to
6:57
be nothing. But I'll have more on that for four,
7:01
probably either Friday or even Saturday when we return to
7:06
the practice field.
7:07
Speaker 2: But good stuff from Sydney Brown.
7:09
Speaker 1: That's the kind of tone setting mentality that he brings
7:12
to the defense. And we'll have to wait and see
7:16
Macuba and how he's able to kind of blend in
7:18
with this defense and pick things up because mccuba has
7:21
a lot of coverage ability and versatility and football intellect
7:25
that I think should when he's out there lend itself
7:28
to him picking things up quickly and making some headway
7:33
in this safety battle. But it was a rough first
7:36
series for Eagles. Cornerback Kielee Ringo Kiey Ringo and Adorri
7:41
Jackson both got the start at corner and I like
7:43
to kind of re emphasize this, Neither player has had
7:46
a bad training camp by any stretch, but it's been
7:49
uneven no player, neither of which have really stepped up
7:53
and seized control of the starting job. So that's where
7:56
Jacorey and Bennett, who they traded for this.
8:00
Speaker 2: Week comes into play.
8:01
Speaker 1: And I would imagine we're going to see Ja, Cory
8:04
and Bennett on the practice field Saturday, and I have
8:07
to think that based on what we just saw Thursday
8:10
night against the Bengals, they're going to probably want to
8:12
get him into the mix sooner than later with that
8:16
first team and get him rolling. But Kiei Ringo, he
8:19
gives up a twenty three ar completion of the Jamar
8:21
Chase on the opening drive. It was a tough play
8:26
and a lot of corners give that up. But for
8:29
Kiely Ringo, You're going to be going up against players
8:31
like t Higgins and Jamar Chase in the regular season
8:34
and teams are going to be picking on you and
8:36
throwing at you if you are the starting corner.
8:39
Speaker 2: So those are plays that need to be made.
8:40
Speaker 1: And one thing that I noticed on those two completions
8:43
on that drive that he gave up, he has difficulty
8:46
locating the football, and that's something that I noticed in
8:48
training camp. He's often in the position but he doesn't
8:52
have the technique or the wherewithal or whatever you want
8:57
to use to describe it, to locate the football make
8:59
up play on it, and receivers are able to kind
9:02
of take advantage of that. And that really manifested in
9:05
real time against the Bengals. And on the next series,
9:11
he took a poor angle along the sideline and didn't
9:14
wrap up Chase and then Jamar Chase ends up going
9:16
thirty six yards for a touchdown. Now, Keeley showed that
9:19
he has some burners and he nearly it seemed like
9:22
he nearly caught him. I have to go back and
9:23
watch the tape, but he was hauling you know what,
9:27
trying to track him down. But again, you have to
9:30
make those plays. If you want to be a starting
9:31
cornerback in this league, you have to make those plays.
9:34
Killey will be the first one to tell you that.
9:36
And on the other side of things, I didn't think
9:38
of Doorey Jackson performed.
9:39
Speaker 2: All that well either.
9:41
Speaker 1: So it was a really underwhelming performance from both players
9:44
who had a golden opportunity to go out there against
9:48
premiere wide receivers and showcase that it should be your job,
9:53
and no one did that. And this is where Jacorey
9:55
and Bennett comes into play and the Eagle and they
10:00
predictably rested their offensive starters. Pretty much all of their starters,
10:04
with the exception of right guard Tyler Stein. Johan Dotson
10:07
was out there briefly as well, but I thought that
10:10
Stein made a really nice block, so did Miles Hinton,
10:13
the Eagles rookie tackle, and Drew Kendall climbed to make
10:17
a block as well. But Will Shipley had a thirty
10:19
eight yard run around the right side, and Tyler Steen
10:22
really sprung him. He blocked the linebacker on the play
10:26
and it was it allowed Shipley to kind of find
10:28
the crease and really turn on the jets and pick
10:31
up that chunk play.
10:32
Speaker 2: He didn't play all that much.
10:34
Speaker 1: Tyler Stein didn't, but I think that for those that
10:36
maybe had questions or maybe some concerns or wanted to just
10:39
to see him out there, that should give you some
10:42
assurance that he has that position locked down and the
10:46
Eagles are going to be just fine there. I don't
10:47
know that you need to see anymore of Tyler Steen
10:49
in the preseason, just like the other starters, just get
10:53
him to the regular season. He's going to be just fine,
10:56
and I think that that's something that he can certainly,
11:01
I want to go back to Tanner McKee for a
11:03
second because that is in my observations through ten practices
11:08
and this preseason game. He shows such good command of
11:11
this Kevin Patulo offense. He makes quick decisions, he processes
11:15
at a rapid pace. He completes passes with touch pinpoint accuracy.
11:20
He throws a beautiful deep ball as well, hits receivers
11:23
in stride, drops it right into their bread in the
11:26
bread basket.
11:28
Speaker 2: He's just such.
11:29
Speaker 1: A natural thrower of the football. And he answered the
11:34
Bengals opening drive with a nine play, seventy five yard
11:38
scoring march that he himself capped by calling his own number.
11:42
Speaker 2: For one yard out.
11:43
Speaker 1: The tush push lived on, and I don't like using
11:46
tush push, but the play lives on as Tanner McKee
11:49
proved that he can he can do it as well.
11:52
And he also had a nice fifteen yard pass in
11:54
the first quarter to wide receiver Darius Cooper, the undrafted
11:57
rookie from Charlatan State, and he's really developed a nice
12:00
rapport with Darius Cooper.
12:02
Speaker 2: He hit him in stride.
12:04
Speaker 1: The offense was just on schedule, and it was in
12:06
such a rhythm, and it was something that I had
12:09
to stop myself because you don't ever really see that
12:12
in the preseason.
12:13
Speaker 2: There's always a lot of.
12:14
Speaker 1: Penalties and holdings and it's just generally sloppy. But I
12:18
thought that Tanner McKee really created opportunities for some of
12:22
those receivers that are vying for roster spots to go
12:25
out there and make plays, put the ball where they
12:27
can get it, keep the offense on schedule, keep the
12:29
offense on the field. So Tanner McKee in many ways,
12:33
for Anniah Smith, for Johnny Wilson, for Darius Cooper, for
12:36
some of those tight ends, he's helping some of these
12:38
guys if they don't make the Philadelphi Eagles, he's helping
12:41
them put quality tape out there by giving them opportunities.
12:45
Speaker 2: That they can really take advantage of.
12:48
Speaker 1: So that's another part of the preseason that isn't often
12:50
taken into account because sometimes you'll see a lot of
12:52
young quarterbacks or journeymen and they're not putting the ball
12:56
where the receiver can get it. They're throwing behind. The
12:58
timing isn't there, and it just doesn't make for clean
13:02
or really good football to watch, and a lot of
13:05
those guys are at the mercy of those throwing the
13:08
football and the offensive line, by the way, the reserve
13:12
offensive lineman I thought largely did a really good job.
13:14
Matt Pryor, Drew Kendall, Miles Hinton, Darien Canard. Those guys
13:20
all deserve a lot of credit for being able to
13:22
step in there and make it so that the offense
13:24
didn't really miss a beat when they were in there.
13:28
What a difference of year makes a full offseason, I
13:30
should say. For fourth year wide receiver Johan Dotson, I
13:34
noted this summer that Dotson has said how much more
13:37
comfortable he is within the offense.
13:40
Speaker 2: Look, this is a guy who arrived.
13:41
Speaker 1: To the Eagles two weeks before they left for Brazil,
13:44
and he was shoehorned into the offense.
13:46
Speaker 2: He never really was able to find his footing.
13:48
Speaker 1: Later in the season, he started to build some confidence,
13:50
build up that trust with Jalen Hurts, and that's something
13:54
that carried over into the postseason, and both Jalen Hurts
13:57
and Johan Dotson had both talked about the confidence and
14:00
trust that they've built in one another. Throwing sessions in
14:03
the offseason just immersing himself in the offense, and because
14:08
aj Browns missed some practices, because DeVante Smith has missed
14:11
some practices, Terras Marshall was sidelined for a while with
14:14
a knee injury, it's afforded Jalen and Johan to really
14:17
get dialed in in practice, and he's caught a flurry
14:20
of passes, the most recent being a deep crosser in
14:24
a red zone period. I should say it was a
14:27
crosser in the deep part of the end zone. If
14:30
it's a red zone period, it can't be a deep crosser.
14:32
But it was one of those plays where Jalen was
14:35
noticeably fired up at that connection and really just seeing
14:42
Dotson start to come into his own here in this offense,
14:44
much more comfortable, and it's very apparent in seeing the
14:47
way that he's running routes and he knows the ball's
14:50
coming to him, and when the ball does get there,
14:52
he's making plays and creating yards after the catch, all
14:55
those things that we didn't get a chance to see
14:57
last season.
14:58
Speaker 2: And then on that.
14:58
Speaker 1: First drive and fuels it largely two catches for twenty
15:03
seven yards, and then you have the thirty eight yard
15:05
run from Will Shipley. So I thought that was a
15:07
very well engineered drive from the offense as a whole.
15:10
And you want to see players like Johan Dotson and
15:12
Will Shipley and Tyler Steen making plays in the first
15:16
quarter of a preseason game on the first drive, because
15:19
those are guys that you're going to be relying on
15:21
in the regular season, and I thought they did that.
15:25
Speaking of Will Shipley, it's really no surprise to me
15:28
that he was inserted ahead of aj Dillon in the backfield.
15:31
And now Will Shipley the numbers are a little bit
15:33
skewed because of that thirty eight yard run. He picked
15:36
up forty eight yards on seven carries and he added
15:39
four yards on a one reception, But he just adds
15:42
so much more juice to the backfield and his his
15:46
ability to make plays in space and really turn on
15:50
the Jets again. It just presents such a unique dimension
15:54
to the offense and it adds another weapon to Kevin
15:57
Petullo's offense, another weapon in the arsenal. And I thought
16:00
Will was one of the big winners of this game,
16:04
showcasing what he can do.
16:05
Speaker 2: Now.
16:06
Speaker 1: I still do have questions in terms of pass protection,
16:08
and we'll learn more about that in the regular season.
16:11
Speaker 2: I don't know how much more we're going to see.
16:13
Speaker 1: I will Shipley in all actuality this preseason because again
16:17
with the joint practices, if he gets enough work, if
16:19
the Eagles feel that he's gotten enough work, you may
16:21
always see him in a cameo role if that in
16:24
the preseason. You want to get a lot of these
16:26
guys healthy and safely to September fourth against the Dallas Cowboys.
16:32
Speaker 2: How about this one.
16:32
Speaker 1: Don't look now, but second year wide receiver Johnny Wilson
16:36
is starting to come on. When asked earlier this week
16:39
where he feels he's improved the most heading in the
16:41
year or two, Wilson said, definitely the details. I've just
16:45
been so much more confident in my abilities, being detailed
16:47
in my routes and the plays and try to know
16:50
everyone's job just in case I need to go inside
16:52
outside just knowing what to do and getting those reps
16:55
over and over again. And he did have a nondescript
16:58
start to camp, but Wilson has had a bunch of
17:02
positive moments as of late. The one that really stands
17:05
out and the one that Nick Sirianni highlighted, was a
17:08
big catch that he made in traffic when the offense
17:10
was backed up in a situational period, and then he
17:13
had another one in seven on sevens in traffic. In
17:16
the game, he had seventy three yards on three catches,
17:20
but they were contested catches. He was using his six
17:23
foot six frame to go up and sky over defensive
17:26
backs and that's something that I personally was looking to
17:29
see from Johnny Wilson that I hadn't seen earlier in
17:32
training camp. But you're starting to see the confidence builds
17:35
once you start the stack plays, once you start the
17:37
stack days, and I thought that he was playing with
17:40
a lot of confidence in that game. And the one
17:42
that really stands out to me in the game itself
17:44
was the twenty seven yarder I believe that he had
17:47
over cornerback Josh Newton pulling in that contested catch. Johnny
17:51
Wilson another big winner from this game, and he has
17:54
certainly has the inside track of being the number four
17:57
receiver on this team, not only as a blocker and
17:59
doing the dirty work, but we're starting to see him
18:02
make some strides as a pass catcher, and the Eagles
18:04
sure we need that, especially if you know something happens
18:08
to aj Or Devonte that have to go out for
18:10
a player too. You're gonna need someone like Johnny Wilson
18:12
to go in there and play that X role and
18:14
be able to capably navigate the offense, be able to
18:19
carry out his assignments, and be a trusted option for
18:21
Jaywen Hurts. I know that it's a crowded house at
18:26
corner right now, but Eli Rix, the Eagles third year corner.
18:29
He refuses to become an afterthought. He's such a rangy player.
18:34
And I got a chance to talk to Eli after
18:36
the game, and it was good to catch up with
18:39
him for one but I just mentioned to him, I
18:41
was like, it looks like you put on some more
18:43
size this offseason, and he said, yeah, I'm one ninety
18:46
five now. I believe he was previously listed at one
18:48
eighty eight, But you can see in his shoulders, in
18:51
his arms that he definitely worked on adding some muscle
18:54
to his physique and he is playing a little bit
18:57
more physical and that's something that he told me that
19:00
that he was making a conscious effort to do. And
19:03
he kind of echoed a lot of what I've said
19:06
and what I've written about that he's just playing with
19:08
a lot more confidence. And that's what happens when you're
19:10
playing in the second year of a defense and you
19:13
have that stability. He knows what's expected. He knows the
19:16
defense like the back of his hand. He's a smart player.
19:19
He's very instinctive. He gets his hands on a lot
19:21
of footballs, and even the way that he carries himself
19:24
much more mature than he was as a rookie. When
19:26
he was a fresh face, I believe twenty one year old.
19:28
He's just twenty three years old now, and you see
19:31
the difference. The confidence sort of radiates throughout the secondary.
19:36
He has a lot of swagger and now he's starting
19:40
to he's another player.
19:42
Speaker 2: He didn't have a great training camp last year.
19:44
Speaker 1: He turned it on late, but he's stacking days and
19:47
when you stack days, that's where you start to brew
19:49
that confidence. And he's out there and he's making it happen.
19:52
He's making the most of his opportunities. Now, there was
19:56
a defensive pass interference penalty that was declined, but he
20:00
i'd have a nice pass breakup along the sideline. But
20:02
then there is the one play where Bengals quarterback Jake
20:05
Browning throws it to him. It was a gift. Eli
20:08
was unable to pull it in. Now, this is someone
20:10
who had the nickname picked six Rix. He has good
20:13
hands for a corner, but he couldn't bring it in
20:15
and he was beside himself.
20:17
Speaker 2: He could not get over it.
20:18
Speaker 1: And he and I were kind of talking about that,
20:20
and I told him, I said, like two plays after that,
20:22
I saw you kind of you threw your head up
20:24
and you were like still thinking about it, and he chuckled.
20:27
He was like, yeah, I gotta have that one. But
20:29
that's something that more often than not Eli Rix comes
20:32
up with. And I thought that when you look at
20:34
what Adorri Jackson and Keey Ringo failed to do, and
20:36
I granted it was with the second team, I thought
20:39
that Eli Rix maximized the moment.
20:43
Speaker 2: So let's talk about wide receiver Darius.
20:45
Speaker 1: Cooper, the undrafted rookie from Tarlatan State, because this is
20:48
someone who's made plays every practice at all three levels
20:52
and the moment is not too big for him. He
20:55
has sort of a stocky frame about five eleven, two ten.
20:58
He's established a pretty good rapport with Tanner McKee throughout practice.
21:02
There was actually a slot fade recently that he Tanner
21:07
McKee was a drop in the bucket into Darius Cooper.
21:10
He's making plays with the second team, the third team,
21:13
it doesn't matter. And I thought that when the lights
21:17
came on, you saw the juice that he has. Everyone
21:21
in attendance was able to see what we've all seen
21:23
through ten practices. So it really wasn't a surprise to me.
21:26
That was a player that I told everyone to keep
21:29
an eye on.
21:30
Speaker 2: But think about this.
21:33
Speaker 1: It was a short pass even that he pivoted and
21:36
he left the defensive back in his wake on that
21:38
short pass that he picked up sixteen yards. Then he
21:40
brings in a twenty yard touchdown on a fade ball
21:43
from Tanner McKee, which actually put the Eagles up ahead
21:45
twenty twenty four to fourteen if I'm correct on that.
21:49
And there's something to be said for the rookie free
21:54
agent because he's guaranteed nothing and he persistently shows up
21:58
the moment and the opportunity isn't too big for him.
22:01
Stock up for second year wide receiver Anyah Smith, who
22:03
not only hauled in a six yard touchdown from Tanner McKee,
22:06
but he also rolled up a nifty forty six yard
22:08
pump return. It was widely presumed that free agent signing
22:12
Avery Williams, who underwhelmed in his debut, would seize control
22:17
of the vacant pump return role, but Smith might have
22:19
something to say about that. So on July thirty, First
22:22
I asked Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay what he'd
22:26
seen from Smith in the return game. He said, I
22:28
think Anaias has done a really good job of just
22:30
improving his feet, his hands. He has to put in
22:33
the work or he has put in the work. You
22:35
could definitely tell in the offseason wherever he was training
22:39
at and Ota is to now him just being more confident,
22:43
kind of just calm, cool, collected back there, which has
22:45
been great. We're excited to see maybe a little live
22:48
action as we move forward with him catching and seeing
22:50
what he can do. He was a pretty explosive return
22:54
or at Texas A and m I mentioned that I
22:57
thought it was a little bit curious that Eagles kept
22:59
Tanner m Keey the game until eight nineteen, remaining in
23:02
the third frame, but third year quarterback Drian Thompson Robinson
23:06
took over from there, completing five of eight attempts for
23:09
fifty six yards, and then Kyle mccorr, the Eagles rookie quarterback,
23:13
entered the game with about eleven thirteen remaining in the
23:15
fourth quarter. Another rookie, Smile Monden Junior, who has been
23:20
lighting it up in training camp, opened the game as
23:23
the starter opposite Jeremiah.
23:24
Speaker 2: Trotter Junior, which I thought was a little curious.
23:26
Speaker 1: The second team was comprised of Jehad Campbell and Lance Dixon.
23:32
But I thought Smile Manden for somebody who had a
23:35
lot of intrigue and excitement going into this game because
23:38
he has had a really good camp. I think that
23:40
sort of illustrates the difference between training camp success and
23:44
preseason success, because there were times where he got steamrolled
23:49
and it didn't look like he was He looked like
23:51
he was hesitating a little bit, and sometimes the lack
23:54
of size seemed to work at a disadvantage for him.
23:57
Even though he is quick, even though he is aggressive
23:59
and attacking line of scrimmage, all those things that we've seen,
24:02
those things are real, they've happened. But he definitely underwhelmed
24:05
in his debut. We'll see if he can rebound and
24:07
bounce back. And I mentioned that the Eagles opened the
24:12
game with Sidney Brown and Trista McCollum at safety Nodrew
24:15
mccouba tonight. But I did think that second year safety
24:18
Andre Sam had an active night. He made plays defensively.
24:23
He made plays on special teams. There was a kick
24:25
return from Gary Brightwell, he breaks it right up the middle.
24:29
The last line of defense is Andre Sam. He's able
24:32
to slip the block and then he makes a nice tackle.
24:35
If he doesn't make that tackle, who knows, it's probably
24:39
a kick return for a touchdown. But he also made
24:41
some plays defensively. He was active against the run. There
24:44
was one player where he was noticeably fired up when
24:46
he he led the charge on a gang tackle.
24:50
Speaker 2: He had a pass breakup as well.
24:53
Speaker 1: We talk about the backup safety position and I think
24:56
Andre Sam should be a name that you guys keep
24:58
an eye on these next two weeks because special teams
25:01
is going to go a long way and he's gonna
25:02
have to be special in that area if he wants
25:04
to crack a loaded roster. But I think he does
25:07
have a solid shot at making this Eagles fifty three
25:11
man roster if he continues to build off of this performance.
25:15
Not a lot of folks talk about Andre Sam. I
25:17
have I mentioned him. I've gotten to know him last
25:19
season talking to him, and then you see it on
25:22
the practice field again. A second year player who's playing
25:25
noticeably faster, with more confidence, and it seems like vic
25:29
Fango has trusted him. In fact, it was very brief,
25:32
but he said Sam's been doing good and he led
25:36
with that. So you kind of read between the lines
25:38
sometimes and try to get inside the minds of how
25:41
coaches feel about certain players. But I think that Andre
25:44
Sam has done a nice job.
25:46
Speaker 2: And we'll have to wait and see it.
25:48
Speaker 1: The Eagles are they have a lot of talented players there,
25:52
maybe not headliners, but they have Tristan McCollum, they have
25:56
Andre Sam, Max and hook Is an intriguing undrafted free
25:59
agent made the play to end the game.
26:02
Speaker 2: Lewis Scene's still there.
26:03
Speaker 1: But Lewis scene, out of all the safeties in camp,
26:06
has probably made the fewest plays. I think that's fair
26:08
to say. He also hasn't gotten a ton of reps.
26:11
But you get more reps if you're producing, and he
26:13
hasn't done a whole lot.
26:14
Speaker 2: There.
26:16
Speaker 1: Nice showing from Eagles outside linebacker Patrick Johnson. Patrick Johnson
26:20
was drafted by the Eagles in twenty twenty one in
26:22
the seventh round. He made the team all four years,
26:26
and then last season he was waived in September, I believe,
26:30
and then the Giants claimed him off waivers. He spent
26:32
the rest of the season with the Giants, and it
26:34
was my understanding that he wanted to come back to Philadelphia,
26:38
and his camp made sure that they got that done.
26:41
He's seen some first team reps, mostly second and third
26:44
team reps at edge in training camp. But he picks
26:47
up a sack that was negated by an AJ Woods
26:51
illegal contact penalty, but then he follows it up on
26:54
the next play by intercepting Jake Browning and returning at
26:57
fifteen yards in the other direction. Patrick Johnson's made more
27:01
plays in camp and in this preseason game than rookie
27:05
Antoine Powell Ryland, the Eagles drafted in the sixth round
27:09
Antoine Powell Island. If I'm being honest, I can't remember.
27:12
I'd be hard pressed to remember a play that he's made.
27:16
So if you're basing it off for purely production and
27:19
not draft status, I think that Patrick Johnson deserves to
27:23
be on this roster.
27:25
Speaker 2: He's a core special teamer.
27:26
Speaker 1: He's very good in that area, but he's also shown
27:29
more as an edge rusher and did he just gives
27:33
you a lot of value there. So I mean he's
27:36
somebody to keep an eye on. Maybe the Eagles go
27:38
heavy there at edge. Maybe they would go with five
27:40
and they try to get Powell Ryland through waivers.
27:42
Speaker 2: It's an interesting situation.
27:44
Speaker 1: But I do think that Patrick Johnson's quietly had a
27:47
solid summer, and he had a solid camp last year
27:49
as well.
27:49
Speaker 2: That's why he made the roster.
27:50
Speaker 1: It's very unprecedented for a seventh round pick to make
27:53
a roster four years in a row. You have to
27:56
really excel in one area or make notable strides, and
27:59
he certainly had.
28:00
Speaker 2: So that's something also to keep an eye on.
28:03
Speaker 1: Finally, I do want to say that this is probably overlooked,
28:08
but one of the ripple effects that stem from losing
28:10
someone like Thomas Brooker the fourth is that Booker served
28:13
as the backup knows the team may have an in
28:17
house solution in rookie free agent Joe Evans six' two
28:21
three twenty. Three he has size to be that backup,
28:24
nose AND i have to SAY i didn't really notice
28:27
much Of Joe evans in training. Camp he was signed,
28:29
late he was a rookie free agent on, utsa spend
28:32
some time in the spring with The, colts and reps
28:35
have been few and far between from him in, camp
28:37
so you never want to make too much of. It
28:39
but he did play early in this, one and that
28:41
could be a byproduct of The eagles resting a lot
28:44
of their players and they need, bodies or it could
28:46
be that they're trying to see him in certain. Situations
28:49
and while he was playing early in this, one he
28:52
also was playing in the fourth quarter as, well so
28:54
context is very. Important but he was playing zero technique
28:58
and a five man. Front and, again he hasn't made
29:01
any splash plays in, practice but that's also not in his.
29:04
Wheelhouse that's not what his that's not his skill, set
29:07
that's not what he's here to. Do but the fact
29:09
that he does have a unique skill set and he
29:11
can be a backup nose suggests to me that maybe
29:14
he has an opportunity.
29:15
Speaker 2: To stick on the practice.
29:16
Speaker 1: Squad i'll tell you, what, Though he's someone That i'll
29:20
be keying in on Starting. Saturday when The eagles reconvened for,
29:24
practice spoke To Eli, rix spoke To Ben Van, sumer
29:28
and spoke To Annia. SMITH i had a really good
29:31
conversation With eagles rooie running back Shn Derreck powell for a,
29:34
while AND i was in on The Will shipley, scrum
29:37
so a lot of really good insight from those. GUYS
29:40
i will be putting a story together on Shun Derreck,
29:42
powell The eagles rookie free agent running back out Of Central,
29:45
arkansas scored a touchdown. Tonight good moment for. Him couldn't
29:49
have been a nicer. Guy he's someone that has a
29:52
very compelling story AND i can't wait to share. It
29:54
these are some of the things THAT i love to,
29:56
do and, yeah that's gonna do it for this. Edition
30:00
to Check O, daily big, one big win for The
30:03
eagles who win thirty four to twenty seven over The Cincinnati.
30:06
Bengals they are back at it on the practice Field saturday,
30:09
morning AND i will have all the news and notes
30:11
for you AS i always do right here On inside
30:15
The birds Dot com and To Checko.
30:17
Speaker 2: Daily catch you on the next. One